The Piano Movie Review 1993

In the 1850s, Ada (Hunter), a mute Scottish widow with a young daughter, agrees to an arranged marriage with Stewart (Neill), a colonial landowner in New Zealand. The way she expresses her feelings is by playing her cherished piano, left behind on the beach by her new husband. Another settler, George (Keitel), buys it, arranges for lessons with Ada, and soon the duo begin a grand passion leading to a cruelly calculated revenge. Fiercely poetic and well acted (with Keitel in a notably romantic role), though the film may be too dark and intense for some. Fine original score with Hunter doing her own piano playing.

Distribution

Artisan Entertainment, 2700 Colorado Ave., Ste. 200, Santa Monica, CA 90404, Phone: (310)449-9200, Fax: (310)255-3730, URL: http://www.artisanent.com, Remarks: Does not handle retail queries from consumers; contact your local video distributor.

Available on VHS, DVD
Running time 120 minutes.
Originally from Australian.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Romantic Drama, Period Piece: 19th Century, Marriage

Screenplay

Jane Campion

Cast

Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Sam Neill, Anna Paquin, Kerry Walker, Genevieve Lemon

Cinematography

Stuart Dryburgh

Director

Jane Campion

Music

Michael Nyman

Producer

Jan Chapman, Alain Depardieu, CIBY 2000, Miramax

Awards

Oscars 1993: Actress (Hunter), Orig. Screenplay, Support. Actress (Paquin); Australian Film Inst. 1993: Actor (Keitel), Actress (Hunter), Cinematog., Costume Des., Director (Campion), Film, Film Editing, Screenplay, Sound, Score; British Acad. 1993: Actress (Hunter); Cannes 1993: Actress (Hunter), Film; Golden Globes 1994: Actress--Drama (Hunter); Ind. Spirit 1994: Foreign Film; L.A. Film Critics 1993: Actress (Hunter), Cinematog., Director (Campion), Screenplay, Support. Actress (Paquin); Natl. Bd. of Review 1993: Actress (Hunter); N.Y. Film Critics 1993: Actress (Hunter), Director (Campion), Screenplay; Natl. Soc. Film Critics 1993: Actress (Hunter), Screenplay; Writers Guild 1993: Orig. Screenplay.