The high-water mark from auteur Jane Campion (her third film- Sweetie and Angel At My Table) thus far—an almost bafflingly original love story shot with stark beauty off the coast in New Zealand.
The most striking shots in the film are the landscapes at the beach, characters or the piano shot in isolation
wall-art imagery here
long shots, figures and the piano in isolation on the beach
Campion’s choice for setting has an incalculable positive effect on the artistic achievement in the film
It’s not by a landslide (Raising Arizona, Broadcast News in Hunter’s incredible 1987) but I do have it as Holly Hunter’s strongest performance. She’s mute, but sets the tone with the almost mystic-like voice-over at the beginning (with a quick coda bookend). Needless to say for the length of the film she gives us a mesmerizing pantomime performance. Harvey Keitel and the young Anna Paquin’s performances aren’t far behind in support. And though his accomplishment here isn’t on the level of the three others here, Sam Neill, and his tremendous 1993 (Jurassic Park as well) should be praised.
Paquin is a riot– loud, moody, telling tall-ties and throwing fits
I was perplexed by the lack of nom for Michael Nyman’s luminous score – swirling and smartly tied to the narrative as it begins to get dissonant at the film’s violent climax.
Hunter’s character speaks through her piano and her daughter Paquin. And Paquin is a riot– loud, moody, telling talltales and throwing fits. Haha.
Incredibly rich characterizations. Neill’s character views his new wife as a purchase, an investment, a possession in many ways. He locks her up, he trades her piano for gain—in contrast, Keitel’s character, from the beginning, listens to Hunter on the piano. He has it professionally tuned and that acts a resourceful form of courtship in a way. There’s also a key scene in the film where he cleans the piano naked—again—this is more than just a piano.
Hunter’s character, small in stature, strong, sexual
Campion sharply uses silent film tactics when casting and doing makeup for Kerry Walker – we see her urinating in one scene, a big mole – a shortcut when casting villains
Desaturated colors throughout—almost Gothic with their uniforms, blacks, dark blues and total lack of primaries
Extraordinary shots of Paquin walking up the hills like a Wes Anderson miniature in Fantastic Mr. Fox. Campion then tilts the camera on the hill, canted, powerful shot choice
Campion t tilts the camera on the hill, canted, powerful shot choice
The climax is magnificent filmmaking. Neill is wrestling Hunter in the mud, the haunting score pounding, Hunter’s silent wide-eyed stare
The climax is magnificent filmmaking. Neill is wrestling Hunter in the mud, the haunting score pounding, Hunter’s silent wide-eyed stare
Are you balancing the Masterpieces? The Age of Innocence goes up, the Piano comes down. It’s a Masterpiece not a must see. Your 1993 ratings were right, these ones nope.
@AP– Thanks again for being so active on the site. I appreciate the intelligent conversation. Nope- I’m not trying to balance out the masterpieces, some years (1960) have like 6 or 7 masterpieces and some (1987) have none. Having said that, it’s very clear from watching the films so closely together which one is the larger cinematic artistic achievement– it’s “Age of Innocence”. That’s certainly no insult to Campion or “The Piano”– a Must-See is a strong grade still and I think both films are brilliant.
@Drake I think this movie is a masterpiece. Its a beautiful beautiful movie. Poetic writing. Holly Hunter giving top 5 performance of the decade. She is haunting. Haunting score. One of the best period movies that are not hyper-stylized. The screenplay can be taught in literature schools, which to my shock was not adapted by a Nobel Prize winning writer’s book.
I agree with you almost everytime but this time I have to be with tspdt. They have it as #1 of 1993 , #160ish of all time. It’s kinda hard to chose between this and Schindler’s list. If there’s a year when I have to call a tie for my #1 pic, it’s gotta be 1993.
Got the Criterion 4K, quality is phenomenal.
Jane Campion has a background in theatre in Zealand as her parents were artists and she has a background in painting as she went to art school in Sydney, Australia. She puts this background to great use here; the color palette is absolutely gorgeous, I love the blue/green color palette especially
5:45 Holly Hunter’s character Ada arrives on the beach with ridiculous European clothing which could not be more inconvenient due to the area/landscape
15 min mark has one of the films best shots with Ada forced to part with her piano which is left on the beach
16:40 great contrast from the dark blue/green coloring to intensely lite inside of a cabin
Anna Paquin’s Flora is a phenomenal storyteller “at the same moment my father was struck dead, my mother was struck dumb”
22:40 great frame again at 23:19 Ada and Flora
The Sam Neill character views everything in a transactional way like Ada was a purchase, this is contrasted with Keitel’s Baines who takes an interest in her piano playing
24:32 museum shot
The interplay between Hunter and Paquin is fascinating, at times the parent/child roles seem reversed with the young girl speaking for her mother
Keitel is impressive as well; this is quite different from any of his other roles
Voyeurism in several scenes, this seems in tune with the film’s themes of sexual repression
Starting around 56 min scene inside community theatre is light by candlelight/orange lighting
1:05:33 breathtaking image of Ada and Flora in forest with distinct blue/green palette
1:21:00 to 1:22:00 constant juxtaposing of color palettes from blue/green in the woods to orange lighting indoor inside the cabin
1:35:00 clouds foreshadowing along with the canted angle shot at 1:36:00 and Sam Neill running down the hill with an axe
The close up shot on Holly Hunter’s face after the axe scene is permanently imprinted into my mind, absolutely haunting
1:48:28 belongs in a museum, again at 1:49:43
I do wonder if the film is stronger with her going down with the piano rather than the semi-happy ending, still I cannot complain
The score is one of the best of the decade loved this from my 1st viewing, I have now seen 4 times and it gets better with each additional viewing, A Masterpiece
Are you balancing the Masterpieces? The Age of Innocence goes up, the Piano comes down. It’s a Masterpiece not a must see. Your 1993 ratings were right, these ones nope.
@AP– Thanks again for being so active on the site. I appreciate the intelligent conversation. Nope- I’m not trying to balance out the masterpieces, some years (1960) have like 6 or 7 masterpieces and some (1987) have none. Having said that, it’s very clear from watching the films so closely together which one is the larger cinematic artistic achievement– it’s “Age of Innocence”. That’s certainly no insult to Campion or “The Piano”– a Must-See is a strong grade still and I think both films are brilliant.
@Drake I think this movie is a masterpiece. Its a beautiful beautiful movie. Poetic writing. Holly Hunter giving top 5 performance of the decade. She is haunting. Haunting score. One of the best period movies that are not hyper-stylized. The screenplay can be taught in literature schools, which to my shock was not adapted by a Nobel Prize winning writer’s book.
I agree with you almost everytime but this time I have to be with tspdt. They have it as #1 of 1993 , #160ish of all time. It’s kinda hard to chose between this and Schindler’s list. If there’s a year when I have to call a tie for my #1 pic, it’s gotta be 1993.
[…] The Piano – Campion […]
This film is rightfully getting the 4K Criterion treatment!
https://www.criterion.com/films/30424-the-piano
Got the Criterion 4K, quality is phenomenal.
Jane Campion has a background in theatre in Zealand as her parents were artists and she has a background in painting as she went to art school in Sydney, Australia. She puts this background to great use here; the color palette is absolutely gorgeous, I love the blue/green color palette especially
5:45 Holly Hunter’s character Ada arrives on the beach with ridiculous European clothing which could not be more inconvenient due to the area/landscape
15 min mark has one of the films best shots with Ada forced to part with her piano which is left on the beach
16:40 great contrast from the dark blue/green coloring to intensely lite inside of a cabin
Anna Paquin’s Flora is a phenomenal storyteller “at the same moment my father was struck dead, my mother was struck dumb”
22:40 great frame again at 23:19 Ada and Flora
The Sam Neill character views everything in a transactional way like Ada was a purchase, this is contrasted with Keitel’s Baines who takes an interest in her piano playing
24:32 museum shot
The interplay between Hunter and Paquin is fascinating, at times the parent/child roles seem reversed with the young girl speaking for her mother
Keitel is impressive as well; this is quite different from any of his other roles
Voyeurism in several scenes, this seems in tune with the film’s themes of sexual repression
Starting around 56 min scene inside community theatre is light by candlelight/orange lighting
1:05:33 breathtaking image of Ada and Flora in forest with distinct blue/green palette
1:21:00 to 1:22:00 constant juxtaposing of color palettes from blue/green in the woods to orange lighting indoor inside the cabin
1:35:00 clouds foreshadowing along with the canted angle shot at 1:36:00 and Sam Neill running down the hill with an axe
The close up shot on Holly Hunter’s face after the axe scene is permanently imprinted into my mind, absolutely haunting
1:48:28 belongs in a museum, again at 1:49:43
I do wonder if the film is stronger with her going down with the piano rather than the semi-happy ending, still I cannot complain
The score is one of the best of the decade loved this from my 1st viewing, I have now seen 4 times and it gets better with each additional viewing, A Masterpiece