Piano scene at Rosings - Pride & Prejudice (1940,1967,1980,1995,2005) 

*Series:* ru-vid.com/group/PLzcoQ_vebs-T2HiyFRu1TzCiioISLXLRq _Colonel Fitzwilliam’s manners were very much admired at the Parsonage, and the ladies all felt that he must add considerably to the pleasure of their engagements at Rosings. It was some days, however, before they received any invitation thither, for while there were visitors in the house they could not be necessary; and it was not till Easter-day, almost a week after the gentlemen’s arrival, that they were honoured by such an attention, and then they were merely asked on leaving church to come there in the evening. For the last week they had seen very little of either Lady Catherine or her daughter. Colonel Fitzwilliam had called at the Parsonage more than once during the time, but Mr. Darcy they had only seen at church._ _The invitation was accepted, of course, and at a proper hour they joined the party in Lady Catherine’s drawing-room. Her Ladyship received them civilly, but it was plain that their company was by no means so acceptable as when she could get nobody else; and she was, in fact, almost engrossed by her nephews, speaking to them, especially to Darcy, much more than to any other person in the room._ _Colonel Fitzwilliam seemed really glad to see them: anything was a welcome relief to him at Rosings; and Mrs. Collins’s pretty friend had, moreover, caught his fancy very much. He now seated himself by her, and talked so agreeably of Kent and Hertfordshire, of travelling and staying at home, of new books and music, that Elizabeth had never been half so well entertained in that room before; and they conversed with so much spirit and flow as to draw the attention of Lady Catherine herself, as well as of Mr. Darcy. His eyes had been soon and repeatedly turned towards them with a look of curiosity; and that her Ladyship, after a while, shared the feeling, was more openly acknowledged, for she did not scruple to call out,-_ _“What is that you are saying, Fitzwilliam? What is it you are talking of? What are you telling Miss Bennet? Let me hear what it is.”_ _“We were talking of music, madam,” said he, when no longer able to avoid a reply._ _“Of music! Then pray speak aloud. It is of all subjects my delight. I must have my share in the conversation, if you are speaking of music. There are few people in England, I suppose, who have more true enjoyment of music than myself, or a better natural taste. If I had ever learnt, I should have been a great proficient. And so would Anne, if her health had allowed her to apply. I am confident that she would have performed delightfully. How does Georgiana get on, Darcy?”_ _Mr. Darcy spoke with affectionate praise of his sister’s proficiency._ _“I am very glad to hear such a good account of her,” said Lady Catherine; “and pray tell her from me, that she cannot expect to excel, if she does not practise a great deal.”_ _“I assure you, madam,” he replied, “that she does not need such advice. She practises very constantly.”_ _“So much the better. It cannot be done too much; and when I next write to her, I shall charge her not to neglect it on any account. I often tell young ladies, that no excellence in music is to be acquired without constant practice. I have told Miss Bennet several times, that she will never play really well, unless she practises more; and though Mrs. Collins has no instrument, she is very welcome, as I have often told her, to come to Rosings every day, and play on the pianoforte in Mrs. Jenkinson’s room. She would be in nobody’s way, you know, in that part of the house.”_ _Mr. Darcy looked a little ashamed of his aunt’s ill-breeding, and made no answer._ _When coffee was over, Colonel Fitzwilliam reminded Elizabeth of having promised to play to him; and she sat down directly to the instrument. He drew a chair near her. Lady Catherine listened to half a song, and then talked, as before, to her other nephew; till the latter walked away from her, and moving with his usual deliberation towards the pianoforte, stationed himself so as to command a full view of the fair performer’s countenance. Elizabeth saw what he was doing, and at the first convenient pause turned to him with an arch smile, and said,-_ _“You mean to frighten me, Mr. Darcy, by coming in all this state to hear me. But I will not be alarmed, though your sister does play so well. There is a stubbornness about me that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others. My courage always rises with every attempt to intimidate me.”_ _“I shall not say that you are mistaken,” he replied, “because you could not really believe me to entertain any design of alarming you; and I have had the pleasure of your acquaintance long enough to know, that you find great enjoyment in occasionally professing opinions which, in fact, are not your own.”_ _Elizabeth laughed heartily at this picture of herself, and said to Colonel Fitzwilliam, “Your cousin will give you a very pretty notion of me, and teach you not to believe a word I say. I am particularly unlucky in meeting with a person so well able to expose my real character, in a part of the world where I had hoped to pass myself off with some degree of credit. Indeed, Mr. Darcy, it is very ungenerous in you to mention all that you knew to my disadvantage in Hertfordshire-and, give me leave to say, very impolitic too-for it is provoking me to retaliate, and such things may come out as will shock your relations to hear.”_ _“I am not afraid of you,” said he, smilingly._ _“Pray let me hear what you have to accuse him of,” cried Colonel Fitzwilliam. “I should like to know how he behaves among strangers.”_ _“You shall hear, then-but prepare for something very dreadful. The first time of my ever seeing him in Hertfordshire, you must know, was at a ball-and at this ball, what do you think he did? He danced only four dances! I am sorry to pain you, but so it was. He danced only four dances, though gentlemen were scarce; and, to my certain knowledge, more than one young lady was sitting down in want of a partner. Mr. Darcy, you cannot deny the fact.”_ _“I had not at that time the honour of knowing any lady in the assembly beyond my own party.”_ _“True; and nobody can ever be introduced in a ball-room. Well, Colonel Fitzwilliam, what do I play next? My fingers wait your orders.”_ _“Perhaps,” said Darcy, “I should have judged better had I sought an introduction, but I am ill-qualified to recommend myself to strangers.”_ _“Shall we ask your cousin the reason of this?” said Elizabeth, still addressing Colonel Fitzwilliam. “Shall we ask him why a man of sense and education, and who has lived in the world, is ill-qualified to recommend himself to strangers?”_ _“I can answer your question,” said Fitzwilliam, “without applying to him. It is because he will not give himself the trouble.”_ _“I certainly have not the talent which some people possess,” said Darcy, “of conversing easily with those I have never seen before. I cannot catch their tone of conversation, or appear interested in their concerns, as I often see done.”_ _“My fingers,” said Elizabeth, “do not move over this instrument in the masterly manner which I see so many women’s do. They have not the same force or rapidity, and do not produce the same expression. But then I have always supposed it to be my own fault-because I would not take the trouble of practising. It is not that I do not believe my fingers as capable as any other woman’s of superior execution.”_ _Darcy smiled and said, “You are perfectly right. You have employed your time much better. No one admitted to the privilege of hearing you can think anything wanting. We neither of us perform to strangers.”_ _Here they were interrupted by Lady Catherine, who called out to know what they were talking of. Elizabeth immediately began playing again. Lady Catherine approached, and, after listening for a few minutes, said to Darcy,-_ _“Miss Bennet would not play at all amiss if she practised more, and could have the advantage of a London master. She has a very good notion of fingering, though her taste is not equal to Anne’s. Anne would have been a delightful performer, had her health allowed her to learn.”_ _Elizabeth looked at Darcy, to see how cordially he assented to his cousin’s praise: but neither at that moment nor at any other could she discern any symptom of love; and from the whole of his behaviour to Miss De Bourgh she derived this comfort for Miss Bingley, that he might have been just as likely to marry her, had she been his relation._ _Lady Catherine continued her remarks on Elizabeth’s performance, mixing with them many instructions on execution and taste. Elizabeth received them with all the forbearance of civility; and at the request of the gentlemen remained at the instrument till her Ladyship’s carriage was ready to take them all home._ *_Pride & Prejudice, Chapter 31_*

The exchange between Darcy and Elizabeth (1995 version) at 13:56 is terrific. They look intently at each other, trade barbs, but there is a definite vibe there. He recognises it by now (he will shortly propose, disastrously), she does not, but he *definitely* has her attention. Wonderful acting.

1995: Darcy's exasperation with his aunt is palpable. And the way Elizabeth plays a small intro to his reply, the agonised moment of silence as he struggles to find the words to say what he thinks and mean what he says is just perfect.

Colin Firth's almost eye roll deep breath is such a mood. His aunt is sapping his soul in that moment.

So much is happening on every page of this book; there really is no way to capture it all in film. Though, all these adaptations are lovely. ❤️

This is my favourite scene in the book and the 1980 version is my favourite because of the great interaction between Elizabeth, Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam. I like the 2005 version as well, it was short but delightful.

In the book Lizzy did not beg to be excused from playing the piano for Lady Catherine. (for one thing Colonel Fitzwilliam asked her to play) 2005 version of the scene has more public "feels" than Austen intended for her Lizzy. The 95 version does have Lady Catherine address Lizzy with a few lines meant either for Miss Darcy or Mrs. Collins however the feeling is lighter in mood and conversation - matching the book and character.

Piano scene at Rosings perfectly exemplifies why 1995 BY FAR is the best adaptation. Focusing on Col Fitzwilliam, Darcy and Lizzie, the look Lizzie gives Darcy as he enters is so subtle and sets the stage for their banter perfectly. The mood between the three, playful among three very entertaining personalities. You look at 1980, he’s way too stiff. He looks like he wants to fight Darcy. And like everyone in the 1980, he’s just reciting lines. In the 2005, I wonder why Col Fitz is even there. The banter between Lizzie and Darcy has such feel to it and by far the best dialogue. 2005, you have Mr Collins treating her like a prisoner? Just weird. And where 2005 greatly misses is in its constant need for isolation on specific characters and camera filtering. Look at 1995. Mr Collins’ brown nosing at Lady Catherine’s boasting, the mannerisms of Charlotte and Mariah when Darcy abruptly gets up. This scene rightly emphasizes everyone to complement lady Catherine. As much as the dialogue and acting are brilliant, so are the subtleties. The Darcy eye roll at “you will never get better unless you practice more”. Mariah’s reactions are priceless. Elizabeth using the piano to emphasize her comments. All of it is so brilliant that you feel like this is real. And the Greer Garson role is just making Lizzie look like she has a superiority complex. Her smug attitude whitewashes Darcy and Lady Catherine. 2005 likewise makes Lizzie superior even while chained to the piano in that dungeon. With the supporting cast completely taking a break except for the rare bit of Mr. Collins being out of character. 🤮 1995 is far and away the best and frankly the only one worth watching.

6:06 very charming scene when Lizzy responds to Darcy with a song. I think it's extremely Lizzy-like act.

_Songs played by Lizzy in these scenes_ *1940:* "On Wings of Song" ("Auf Flügeln des Gesanges") - Felix Mendelssohn *1967:* "O ponder well! Be not severe" - The Beggar's Opera "Cease your funning" - Beethoven *1980:* "Farewell to the Woodlands" *1995:* "Piano Sonata No. 11 in A Major" - Mozart *2005:* "Dawn" - Dario Marianelli

1940s Elizabeth is quite delightful, indeed, when delivering a spin on the line "you either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain" line. I was not taken by her in the proposal scene but really like her here.

It's easy to see Darcy's feelings toward Elizabeth in these scenes. His mind (and his overbearing aunt!) may tell him she's the wrong woman, but his eyes and ears tell him differently. I have always liked the 1980 version's portrayal of Col. Fitzwilliam, as it develops the character a bit more than the others. I believe the characters lived on in Jane Austen's mind, and I have always wondered if the colonel eventually married his cousin Anne. Here's a link to the 1980 version if anyone would like to watch: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-HrZmBiUWswk.html

Darcy could have discovered in this scene that Elizabeth is not the only one with cringe-worthy relations…but it seems to have passed him by.

Incredible dresses.

The Dutch adaptation has an abbreviated version of this scene with very little playing, very little of the banter between Lizzie and Darcy, and him specifically asking permission to call on her the next day (big neon sign indicating he wants to propose, and particularly weird given that she's just announced she's not feeling well). This version seems to be predicated on the idea that Darcy is fighting an attraction to her from the word go (note that he made a semi-favorable remark about her figure before launching into his version of "tolerable") and the comedy comes from his interest being obvious to the audience and completely invisible to Lizzie. This episode of the Italian version is missing about 25 min after Lizzie's arrival at Hunsford/Rosings, so we don't know for sure what they did with this scene. There is a scene in a later episode where Lizzie plays and Darcy acts like he hasn't heard her do that before, so I would assume that she doesn't play at Rosings. It's possible they went through some version of the "why don't you make the effort to socialize?" dialogue because that's a big part of Italian Darcy's arc (he's probably the most introverted surviving Darcy before Rintoul/Firth/MacFadyen at the start of his story, and he makes a big turnaround in the later eps).

I quite like the 1967 Elizabeth, though the Darcy performance in that scene feels too warm and playful.

I hope you do one for either meeting Georgiana or pemberly in general.

Regency frocks with massive shoulder pieces indeed. Holllywood dictates again!

1967‘s Darcy 😂 that hairstyle 🤪

Does anyone know what lizzy is singing in the 1980 version?

bewitching 🤍