The Piano (1993)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

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:

Piano | New Zealand | Arranged Marriage | Mute | Piano Lesson

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 54 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:

La leçon de piano (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:

Australia | New Zealand | France

Language:

English | British Sign Language | Maori

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:12 (video rating) | Iceland:L | Brazil:16 | Philippines:R-18 | France:U | 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:

Auckland, New Zealand

Company:

Australian Film Commission, The

Trivia:

The last movie Nirvana Frontman Kurt Cobain watched before he died.

Goofs:

Continuity: The piano is discorded at Baines place but surprisingly tune when at the beach.

Quotes:

Flora: One day when my mother and father were singing together in the forest, a great storm blew up out of nowhere. But so passionate was their singing that they did not notice, nor did they stop as the rain began to fall, and when their voices rose for the final bars of the duet a great bolt of lighting came out of the sky and struck my father so that he lit up like a torch. And at the same moment my father was struck dead my mother was struck dumb! She never spoke another word.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2009) (TV)

Soundtrack:

All Imperfect Things

I felt the need to just replace the previous ignorant comment

The Piano is a beautiful film in many different respects. In terms of cinematography, I've seen few like it. It is dark and beautiful and compelling. The story seems, on paper, as a torrid love story without much originality. But the sensuous portrayal of Harvey Keitel and Holly Hunter and the complex acting of a young Anna Paquin allow this story to ring true. I was skeptical upon viewing a film so lauded by critics and film snobs, but found myself both moved and connected to the film that holds strangely relevant themes for modern times. It is rare that I love both a film's visual beauty and it's script as well. This is that rare occasion.