THE PIANO Movie Review
Ada (Holly Hunter), a mute Scottish widow with a young daughter (Anna Paquin), agrees to an arranged marriage with Stewart (Sam Neill), a colonial landowner in 19th-century New Zealand. Absent speech, Ada expresses her feelings by playing her cherished piano, left behind on the beach by her new husband. Another settler, George (Harvey Keitel), buys the piano, arranges for lessons with Ada, and soon the duo begin a grand passion leading to Stewart's coldly calculated revenge. Jane Campion's Cannes Grand Prize Winner (shared with Farewell My Concubine) is a strikingly conceived fable about sexuality, sublimation, and emotional liberation, packed with symbolism and dream imagery that works well set amid the dense vegetation of New Zealand's jungles. In both a literal and figurative sense, it's the story of a woman who finds her voice, and is thus open to an infinite number of highly individual interpretations by its audience. Hunter is extraordinary—she's a knockout, to be more precise—and she took home nearly every known film acting award to prove it. Paquin, Neill, and Keitel bring exactly the right tension and friction to their roles, and Stuart Dryburgh and Michael Nyman respectively provided the all-important cinematography and lush musical score that provide The Piano with its other-worldly, fairy-tale feel. The Piano is a classic of sorts, and watching it has become akin to a religious experience to some of its fans. On the other hand, those unwilling or unable to go along with Campion's romantic and operatic leap-of-faith storytelling may simply sit through it with a case of the giggles. However one responds, there's no denying that this is a brave and formidable piece of moviemaking. Academy Awards for Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress (Paquin), and Best Original Screenplay. Nominated for Best Picture, Cinematography, Costumes, and Editing.
NEXT STOP … Sweetie, An Angel at My Table, My Brilliant Career
1993 (R) 120m/C AU Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Sam Neill, Anna Paquin, Kerry Walker, Genevieve Lemon; D: Jane Campion; W: Jane Campion; C: Stuart Dryburgh; M: Michael Nyman. Academy Awards ‘93: Best Actress (Hunter), Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress (Paquin); Australian Film Institute ‘93: Best Actor (Keitel), Best Actress (Hunter), Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Director (Campion), Best Film, Best Film Editing, Best Screenplay, Best Sound, Best Score; British Academy Awards ‘93: Best Actress (Hunter); Cannes Film Festival ‘93: Best Actress (Hunter), Best Film; Golden Globe Awards ‘94: Best Actress—Drama (Hunter); Independent Spirit Awards ‘94: Best Foreign Film; Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards ‘93: Best Actress (Hunter), Best Cinematography, Best Director (Campion), Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress (Paquin); National Board of Review Awards ‘93: Best Actress (Hunter); New York Film Critics Awards ‘93: Best Actress (Hunter), Best Director (Campion), Best Screenplay; National Society of Film Critics Awards ‘93: Best Actress (Hunter), Best Screenplay; Writers Guild of America'93: Best Original Screenplay; Nominations: Academy Awards ‘93: Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Director (Campion), Best Film Editing, Best Picture; British Academy Awards ‘94: Best Director (Campion), Best Film, Best Original Screenplay, Best Score; Directors Guild of America Awards ‘93: Best Director (Campion); Golden Globe Awards ‘94: Best Director (Campion), Best Film—Drama, Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress (Paquin), Best Score. VHS, LV, Closed Caption, DVD ART