The Piano
by Jane Campion
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DVD details
Actor: Anna Paquin, Harvey Keitel, Holly Hunter, Kerry Walker, Sam NeillDirector: Jane Campion
Brand: Lions Gate
Cinematographer: Stuart Dryburgh
Writer: Jane Campion
Editor: Veronika Jenet
Producer: Alain Depardieu
Producer: Jan Chapman
Producer: Mark Turnbull
DVD: 2 Sides, Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Letterboxed, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: Letterbox, 1.85:1
Running Time: 121 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1998-01-20
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Lions Gate
DVD Reviews of The Piano
DVD Review: The Piano
Summary: 5 Stars
Great performances by all actors involved, and a dark, beautiful tale of forbidden love, raw passion, jealousy, wanting, contrasting cultures and personalities. The story is tender and sweet one moment, a psychological thriller the next; a sensual, humorous, curious, fabulous film with spectacular cinematography.DVD Review: Not for everyone, but good (and who knew HK could be so hawt?!)
Summary: 5 Stars
It's rare that I give a movie 5 stars, but if there were ever a film to deserve one, it's this one. This film was up against What's Love Got to Do With It and won. Being a woman of color, I say it was deserved. From the moment that Ada and her daughter stepped on the beach, I realized that this Piano wasn't just an object, but an extension of the main protagonist. It was her voice and her way of speaking. Her husbands' unwillingness to try to understand her need for this piano only helped to broaden the wall between them. And on that same beach, this ruffian, Baines, was able to experience Ada in a way that her husband wouldn't allow. THAT was his advantage over Stewart. He was able to feel her music and understood that she was inextricably linked to the piano. How else could he coerse her into making that "bargain"? Why else would she agree to such a thing (and please, let's think beyond the "she's a hussy" thing). Though her husband cut her off from her "voice", it was Baines who reunited her with it...but at a price.
I love the fact that no matter what Baines did, he was never able to control Ada' response to him. Sure, he controlled what she needed most, but she was well aware that she controlled what he needed in return and used it to her advantage (See the recital scene. Served him right. You GO, Ada!). So in the end he caught on, he did the right thing and gave her back her piano...He let her go. And when he did that, SHE then decided what she needed, not by forced submission or coercion, but of her own free will (which can't be suppressed anyway).
I disagree about some people's assertion that Harvey Keitel being "miscast" in this role. Many don't find him attractive or classically handsome, so the fact that Ada falls for this very rough looking man instead of her handsome husband seems to speak volumes to beauty being in the eye of the beholder. Personally, I thought Keitel was extremely masculine and sexy in this movie (and no, not because of the frontal nudity). There was nothing soft or pretty about him. It was all rough and tumble, rugged male sensuality and I loved it. Again, many will dislike this film because of its moral ambiguity or "preposterous" nature. I think that a more clean version will appeal to those of a...Puritanical moral sensibility. I find it refreshing that this movie presented the characters as not being all good or all bad. They are just people, and that is what I relate to.
DVD Review: Snoozefest!
Summary: 2 Stars
I heard all these great things about this movie so I rented it. I was bored till about a few minutes from the end, thats where all the action is. This Drama is not a winning one in my book. Pass on it. DVD Review: Love It!
Summary: 5 Stars
I love, love, love this movie. It is my favorite movie of all time. If you haven't seen it, buy it. It's kind of a strange, melancholy kind of setting with some unusual twists and turns.DVD Review: A graceful escape into a world more human than ourselves...
Summary: 5 Stars
I had wanted to see `The Piano' for years, since I was about fifteen I think. I remember reading this extensive review for it lauding it as one of the most deeply moving and touching films of the 20th century. It took me until early this year before I actually got around to seeing it, and I must say that after a slew of repeat viewings I can honestly understand why that review held this film on such a pedestal. `The Piano' may to many seem like there is not much to it, or that what is here is barely given a chance for explanation. There are many actions and resulting consequences that seem out of place of character and even may be frustration (and most definitely startling) but when one takes the time to really break this film down there is so much explanation to be found within the subtleties in each frame that one is brought to a whole other understanding of the film.
`The Piano' tells the tale of Ada McGrath, a mute woman living in 1850's New Zealand. Ada has been mute, by choice, since age six when she just decided not to speak. Through her mind's voice she tells us that she has been offered in marriage to farmer Alisdair Stewart and so she travels with her young daughter Flora and her beloved piano by boat to meet him. She soon finds herself being led to her new home, her piano being left behind on the beach. Her husband Alisdair, not truly understanding how to reciprocate love and affection, offers her piano to native George Baines for some of his land. In a desperate attempt for affection Baines offers to allow Ada to purchase her piano back by performing `favors' for him, and Ada, in her desperation to have her `voice' back, agrees.
Some may simply call this film a feminist film; a film that does nothing more than illustrate the woman's lack of a voice in this male dominated society. That label gravely shortchanges what writer/director Jan Campion has accomplished with this cinematic masterpiece.
`The Piano' bleeds a humanity that feels more human than we ourselves.
All of the four central characters are seeking a form of redemption or gratification for their lives. This simple truth speaks to of much deeper humanity that runs through all of our veins. We all need to feel needed and complete, and all of these characters strung within Campions web are striving for that very feeling. Ada is perhaps the most obvious of the four, for her beating heart is felt throughout each passing scene. Ada longs to feel a connection with someone, the same connection she feels when gracing the keys of her piano. She longs to have someone need her for who she is, and understand her for who she is. Her husband seems disinterested with Ada the person, for he is quick to disregard the one object that comes closest to defining her. George, trying to seek redemption from a past of rejection, sees the piano as an opportunity to find that redemption within the arms of Ada. Flora is young and na?ve and truly loves her mother, but her loyalty is tested when she feels as though she is playing second fiddle to her mother's lover, George. Her jealousy gives way to foolishness, and her foolishness places her mother in harms way. Alisdair may seem like the simplest character here, for his oppressive husband character has been played before, but Alisdair struggles to rise above his own ignorance to gain the affections of a woman he can't quite understand.
The performances by the entire cast are flawless and really elevate this beautiful film. Both Holly Hunter and Anna Paquin earned those Oscar's, both giving riveting performances and crawling deep within the psyche of their characters. Without saying but a few words Hunter is able to speak volumes, her voice being heard on every frame. Harvey Keitel is amazing as George, restrained and tempered and believable as a lover, which is not something I was sure he could pull off. Sam Neill, though, is the real male standout. His grasp of Alisdair's ignorance and desperation is resounding. The one scene where his wife attempts to give him pleasure is emotionally stirring as you watch Alisdair throw it all away because he simply doesn't understand.
Jan Campion must receive the bulk of the credit though, for her construction of this film is majestic to say the least. She truly captures the heart of each character, weaving the audience into each frame and leaving us begging for more. The cinematography is gripping and magnetic, each frame gently settling down on the images below; and the symbolism displayed with just the slightest scene echoes loudly as the film credits begin to roll.
`The Piano' appears to leave a lot of questions unanswered, but the truth of the matter is that if you look deeply into what you are witnessing the answers themselves are there to be found. There are few films this important, and truly few films this glorious. Everything is top notch, from the delicate script to the effortless acting to the serene camera work. `The Piano' is a cinematic wonder that is unrivaled, a film that truly defines the very word; film.
Description of The Piano
Ada is a mute woman who travels with her daughter and piano from scotland to bush country new zealand for an arranged marriage to a wealthy landowner. The relationship sours when her husband trades her beloved piano to their neighbor baines. Studio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Release Date: 02/01/2005 Starring: Holly Hunter Harvey Keitel Run time: 121 minutes Rating: R Director: Jane CampionJane Campion's The Piano struck a deep chord (if you'll excuse the expression) with audiences in 1993, who were mesmerized by the film's rich, dreamlike imagery. It is the story of a Scottish woman named Ada (Holly Hunter), who has been mute since age 6 because she simply chose not to speak. Ada travels with her daughter Flora (Anna Paquin) and her beloved piano to a remote spot on the coast of New Zealand for an arranged marriage to a farmer (Sam Neill). She gives piano lessons to a gruff neighbor (Harvey Keitel) who has Maori tattoos on his face, and, well, things develop from there. The picture takes on a powerful dream logic that simply defies synopsis. It's a breathtakingly beautiful and original achievement from Campion, a unique stylist. The Piano won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and Oscars for Hunt, Paquin, and Campion's screenplay. --Jim Emerson
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