The Piano (1993)

Director:

Jane Campion

Writer:

Jane Campion (written by)

Release Date:

12 November 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

A mute woman along with her young daughter, and her prized piano, are sent to 1850s New Zealand for an arranged marriage to a wealthy landowner, and she's soon lusted after by a local worker on the plantation.

Plot Keywords:

Blindness | Beach | Piano Tuner | Piano Lesson | Divorce

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 53 wins & 25 nominations

Cast

Holly Hunter	...	Ada McGrath
Harvey Keitel	...	George Baines
Sam Neill	...	Alisdair Stewart
Anna Paquin	...	Flora McGrath
Kerry Walker	...	Aunt Morag
Geneviève Lemon	...	Nessie (as Genevieve Lemon)
Tungia Baker	...	Hira
Ian Mune	...	Reverend
Peter Dennett	...	Head Seaman
Te Whatanui Skipwith	...	Chief Nihe
Pete Smith	...	Hone
Bruce Allpress	...	Blind Piano Tuner
Cliff Curtis	...	Mana
Carla Rupuha	...	Heni - Mission Girl
Mahina Tunui	...	Mere - Mission Girl

Also Known As:

Leçon de piano, La (France)
Pleasure (Australia) (working title)
The Black Keys (Australia) (working title)
The Piano Lesson (Australia) (original script title)

MPAA:

Rated R for moments of extremely graphic sexuality.

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

France | Australia | New Zealand

Language:

English | British Sign Language | Maori

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Brazil:16 | Iceland:L | Iceland:12 (video rating) | Philippines:R-18 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Finland:K-14 | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:III | Netherlands:16 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:18 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R | Malaysia:(Banned)

Filming Locations:

Henderson, Auckland, New Zealand

Company:

Australian Film Commission, The

Trivia:

Jane Campion became the first woman to win the prestigious Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival with this film, though she was unable to receive the award in person as she was due to give birth.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the boat leaves the island, Ada trails her hand in the water, which is still and calm. On long shots, it is foaming from the action of the oars, and the boat on the water.

Quotes:

Flora: [speaking to Aunt Morag] My mother met my father when she was an opera singer in Luxembourg.
Ada: [signing] That's enough.
Flora: Why?
[pos]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Coupling: Inferno (#1.4)" (2000)

Soundtrack:

Coupling

Amazing Film Making

This is one of my all-time favorite films. It combines masterful scripting, cinematography, performances, and musical score into a disturbing, erotic, and ultimately uplifting piece. The movie's heroine, wonderfully portrayed by Holly Hunter, is mute (symbolic of the fact that she has no say in her own life), with her daughter (the astonishing Anna Paquin) and her piano as her personal obsessions. Her conscripted husband, coldly played by Sam Neill, is trying to win her heart and her desire in all the wrong ways, while his crude tribal neighbor, sensually played by Harvey Keitel, understands her needs and ultimately captures her ... physically, intellectually, and romantically. The film's message and its delivery are extraordinarily powerful, the cinematic technique is rich ... the sequence shot with Hunt, Pacquin, Keitel and the piano on the beach is one of the best pieces of work I've ever seen. Lasting impact.