The Piano (1993)

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Writer/director Jane Campion's third feature unearthed emotional undercurrents and churning intensity in the story of a mute woman's rebellion in the recently colonized New Zealand wilderness of Victorian times. Ada McGrath (Holly Hunter), a mute who has willed herself not to speak, and her strong-willed young daughter Flora (Anna Paquin) find themselves in the New Zealand wilderness, with Ada the imported bride of dullard land-grabber Stewart (Sam Neill). Ada immediately takes a dislike to Stewart when he refuses to carry her beloved piano home with them. But Stewart makes a deal with his overseer George Baines (Harvey Keitel) to take the piano off his hands. Attracted to Ada, Baines agrees to return the piano in exchange for a series of piano lessons that become a series of increasingly charged sexual encounters. As pent-up emotions of rage and desire swirl around all three characters, the savage wilderness begins to consume the tiny European enclave. Campion imbues her tale with an over-ripe tactility and a murky, poetic undertow that betray the characters' confined yet overpowering emotions: Ada's buried sensuality, Baines' hidden tenderness, and Stewart's suppressed anger and violence. The story unfolds like a Greek tragedy of the Outback, complete with a Greek chorus of Maori tribesmen and a blithely uncaring natural environment that envelops the characters like an additional player. Campion directs with discreet detachment, observing one character through the glances and squints of another as they peer through wooden slats, airy curtains, and the spaces between a character's fingers. She makes the film immediate and urgent by implicating the audience in characters' gazes. And she guides Hunter to a revelatory performance of silent film majesty. Relying on expressive glances and using body language to convey her soulful depths, Hunter became a modern Lillian Gish and won an Oscar for her performance, as did Paquin and Campion for her screenplay. Campion achieved something rare in contemporary cinema: a poetry of expression told in the form of an off-center melodrama. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Warning:  This product is intended for mature audiences only. It may contain violence, sexual content, drug abuse and/or strong language. You must be 17 or older to purchase it. By ordering this item you are certifying that you are at least 17 years of age.

Theatrical Feature Running Time:

121 mins

Complete Cast:

Director(s):

Jane Campion

Writer(s):

Jane Campion

Producer(s):

Jan Chapman

Theatrical MPAA Rating:

R(Not For Children, Strong Sexual Content, Nudity, Violence)

Categories:

Drama, Foreign, Independent Films

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• 1993 - The Piano - Cannes Film Festival - Best Actress
• 1993 - The Piano - Cannes Film Festival - Palme d'Or
• 1993 - The Piano - French Academy of Cinema - Best Foreign Film
• 1993 - The Piano - Hollywood Foreign Press Association - Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
• 1993 - The Piano - Independent Spirit Awards - Best Foreign Film
• 1992 - The Piano - Los Angeles Film Critics Association - Best Director
• 1992 - The Piano - Los Angeles Film Critics Association - Best Supporting Actress
• 1992 - The Piano - Los Angeles Film Critics Association - Best Cinematography
• 1992 - The Piano - Los Angeles Film Critics Association - Best Screenplay
• 1992 - The Piano - Los Angeles Film Critics Association - Best Actress
• 1993 - The Piano - National Board of Review - Best Actress
• 1993 - The Piano - National Society of Film Critics - Best Screenplay
• 1993 - The Piano - National Society of Film Critics - Best Director (Runner-up)
• 1993 - The Piano - National Society of Film Critics - Best Picture (Runner-up)
• 1993 - The Piano - National Society of Film Critics - Best Actress
• 1993 - The Piano - New York Film Critics Circle - Best Actress
• 1993 - The Piano - New York Film Critics Circle - Best Screenplay
• 1993 - The Piano - New York Film Critics Circle - Best Director