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
@Malith- RIP Indeed. I’m probably missing some but 9 films in the archives right now:
1979- My Brilliant Career
1981- Possession
1988- A Cry in the Dark
1989- Dead Calm
1990- The Hunt For Red October
1993- Jurassic Park
1993- The Piano
2017- Sweet Country
2017- Thor: Ragnarok
Sally Ann Howes in The Halfway House delivers her dialogue and acts in an eerily similar way to Anna Paquin here in The Piano. Loud, telling tall tales.
Neill and Keitel are superb here. They easily could have been stereotypical characters but the screenplay subverts expectations and makes them more human. With both making heartfelt sacrifices when you don’t expect them to. Keitel by not continuing to take advantage of Hunter and giving The Piano back to her and Neill by letting everything go. They are stronger than Paquin. I don’t get hung up on the Academy Awards but it’s a shame these two were not nominated and also considering Neill was never nominated and Keitel has his nomination for Bugsy of all things (not his big ones like Fingers, Mean Streets, Bad Lieutenant).
Also, I wonder if Paquin ever actually saw the Sally Ann Howes performance in The Halfway House because they are very similar performances.
And I think TSPDT got the rating for this film right. It’s intriguing at all times (the screenplay is brilliant), the cloudy grey exterior cinematography is beautifully balanced out by warmly lit interiors. It’s a stunning film and a major achievement. The only nitpick I would have is with the depiction of the natives. Especially during the theatre raid scene.
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
“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”
Nope. Not at all. The Finale is a bookend with the opening. With the voice-over from the Hunter character. The only time we hear her voice. It’s a strong choice when she is silent for the rest of the film.
@Malith – that’s a fair point, the way the film actually ends is stronger from a formal perspective. Her going down with the piano would be more emotionally walloping. Apparently Jane Campion feels this way:
@James Trapp – Have you ever managed to catch Fingers [1978] (or The Gambler [1974])? I do not believe Fingers was available on home media until recently but the new restoration certainly looks gorgeous with plenty of art decor in it.
@James Trapp- Yeah. Keitel didn’t consistently get lead roles but when he did he knocked them out of the park. There is an intensity and vulnerability to his performances that many other American actors simply don’t have. He always gave it his all when he had a prominent role. Despite his vocal range being limited. And there definitely is more range in there than people give him credit for. And The Piano is an essential part for that. He is very sensitive here away from his tough guy roles. And this is set in a different period and place than New York. I like that he went to Greece to do Ulysses’ Gaze for Angelopolous rather than another character actor role for Tarantino or something. I will probably seek that one out next.
The Piano is too low for my liking, but Taste of Cinema has a solid ranking of Keitel here.
Keitel also has a memorable role in The Two Jakes (playing the other Jake much like the other Duellist in The Duellists) with a cool but fatal scene which is probably his most expensive film as a co-lead or lead. And imo, he outshines Nicholson here. And looks to have more potential. Which kinda was the case (I’d take Bad Lieutenant, The Piano, Reservoir Dogs over About Schmidt, A Few Good Men, As Good as It Gets). The film is fine. It is reminiscent of The Godfather Part 3 in many ways actually. But not as well directed in general.
James Trapp
October 12, 2025 at 1:31 pm
@Malith – Do you know where I can watch Fingers (1978)? I also still need to see Blue Collar (1978) which came out the same year. I will probably get to it at some point when I do a Paul Schrader Study (admittingly not on my short list but will get there eventually). Smoke (1995) has quite the cast as you have Harvey Keitel, William Hurt, Forest Whitaker, and a few other big names
@James Trapp- The Gambler (1974) would make a great double billing with Fingers. I haven’t seen that one in a minute but both films are about a person who is aspiring for high social standing but gets drawn into the low life. The endings of both films and the final closeup are very similar. But honestly, the reason the character is drawn into low-life is much more relatable in Fingers (it is to satisfy his aging father and the responsibility towards him) and while The Gambler’s finale comes out of nowhere there is build up towards the finale in Fingers. Not to mention the art decor achievement in Fingers which is nowhere to be seen in The Gambler from what I remember. But the Gambler is a solid film in its own right. The James Caan one I mean, not the Mark Wahlberg one.
@Malith – thanks, I will check it out. I saw the Mark Wahlberg remake of The Gambler when it first came out, found it disappointing but have not seen the original
@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.
@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.
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.
I feel like the ending of The Piano is heavily inspired by The Big Blue.
RIP Sam Neill
@Malith- RIP Indeed. I’m probably missing some but 9 films in the archives right now:
1979- My Brilliant Career
1981- Possession
1988- A Cry in the Dark
1989- Dead Calm
1990- The Hunt For Red October
1993- Jurassic Park
1993- The Piano
2017- Sweet Country
2017- Thor: Ragnarok
@Drake- Have you seen Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)?
@Malith- I have- just once, but I have seen it
@Malith- least funny film
Sally Ann Howes in The Halfway House delivers her dialogue and acts in an eerily similar way to Anna Paquin here in The Piano. Loud, telling tall tales.
Neill and Keitel are superb here. They easily could have been stereotypical characters but the screenplay subverts expectations and makes them more human. With both making heartfelt sacrifices when you don’t expect them to. Keitel by not continuing to take advantage of Hunter and giving The Piano back to her and Neill by letting everything go. They are stronger than Paquin. I don’t get hung up on the Academy Awards but it’s a shame these two were not nominated and also considering Neill was never nominated and Keitel has his nomination for Bugsy of all things (not his big ones like Fingers, Mean Streets, Bad Lieutenant).
Also, I wonder if Paquin ever actually saw the Sally Ann Howes performance in The Halfway House because they are very similar performances.
And I think TSPDT got the rating for this film right. It’s intriguing at all times (the screenplay is brilliant), the cloudy grey exterior cinematography is beautifully balanced out by warmly lit interiors. It’s a stunning film and a major achievement. The only nitpick I would have is with the depiction of the natives. Especially during the theatre raid scene.
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
@James Trapp-
“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”
Nope. Not at all. The Finale is a bookend with the opening. With the voice-over from the Hunter character. The only time we hear her voice. It’s a strong choice when she is silent for the rest of the film.
@Malith – that’s a fair point, the way the film actually ends is stronger from a formal perspective. Her going down with the piano would be more emotionally walloping. Apparently Jane Campion feels this way:
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/jul/08/jane-campion-bleak-ending-the-piano
@Malith – by the way, just curious as to how you rate this film?
@James Trapp- Masterpiece
@Malith – nice to see we are on same page about the grade
@James Trapp – Have you ever managed to catch Fingers [1978] (or The Gambler [1974])? I do not believe Fingers was available on home media until recently but the new restoration certainly looks gorgeous with plenty of art decor in it.
@Malith – I have not, but am always happen to check out another Harvey Keitel film
@James Trapp- Yeah. Keitel didn’t consistently get lead roles but when he did he knocked them out of the park. There is an intensity and vulnerability to his performances that many other American actors simply don’t have. He always gave it his all when he had a prominent role. Despite his vocal range being limited. And there definitely is more range in there than people give him credit for. And The Piano is an essential part for that. He is very sensitive here away from his tough guy roles. And this is set in a different period and place than New York. I like that he went to Greece to do Ulysses’ Gaze for Angelopolous rather than another character actor role for Tarantino or something. I will probably seek that one out next.
The Piano is too low for my liking, but Taste of Cinema has a solid ranking of Keitel here.
https://www.tasteofcinema.com/2016/the-15-best-harvey-keitel-movies-you-need-to-watch/2/
Keitel also has a memorable role in The Two Jakes (playing the other Jake much like the other Duellist in The Duellists) with a cool but fatal scene which is probably his most expensive film as a co-lead or lead. And imo, he outshines Nicholson here. And looks to have more potential. Which kinda was the case (I’d take Bad Lieutenant, The Piano, Reservoir Dogs over About Schmidt, A Few Good Men, As Good as It Gets). The film is fine. It is reminiscent of The Godfather Part 3 in many ways actually. But not as well directed in general.
@Malith – Do you know where I can watch Fingers (1978)? I also still need to see Blue Collar (1978) which came out the same year. I will probably get to it at some point when I do a Paul Schrader Study (admittingly not on my short list but will get there eventually). Smoke (1995) has quite the cast as you have Harvey Keitel, William Hurt, Forest Whitaker, and a few other big names
@James Trapp- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Hq1o_Cy5OkyAVn9NXo5TIZRrOc2r_Fw5/view?usp=drive_link
@James Trapp- The Gambler (1974) would make a great double billing with Fingers. I haven’t seen that one in a minute but both films are about a person who is aspiring for high social standing but gets drawn into the low life. The endings of both films and the final closeup are very similar. But honestly, the reason the character is drawn into low-life is much more relatable in Fingers (it is to satisfy his aging father and the responsibility towards him) and while The Gambler’s finale comes out of nowhere there is build up towards the finale in Fingers. Not to mention the art decor achievement in Fingers which is nowhere to be seen in The Gambler from what I remember. But the Gambler is a solid film in its own right. The James Caan one I mean, not the Mark Wahlberg one.
@Malith – thanks, I will check it out. I saw the Mark Wahlberg remake of The Gambler when it first came out, found it disappointing but have not seen the original
This film is rightfully getting the 4K Criterion treatment!
https://www.criterion.com/films/30424-the-piano
[…] The Piano – Campion […]
@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.
@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.
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.