The Piano (1993)

A mute woman is sent to 1850s New Zealand along with her young daughter and prized piano for an arranged marriage to a wealthy landowner, but is soon lusted after by a local worker on the plantation.

Director:

Jane Campion

Writer:

Jane Campion

Stars:

Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Sam Neill

Won 3 Oscars. Another 60 wins & 56 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Holly Hunter	...	Ada
Harvey Keitel	...	Baines
Sam Neill	...	Stewart
Anna Paquin	...	Flora
Kerry Walker	...	Aunt Morag
Geneviève Lemon	...	Nessie (as Genevieve Lemon)
Tungia Baker	...	Hira
Ian Mune	...	Reverend
Peter Dennett	...	Head Seaman
Te Whatanui Skipwith	...	Chief Nihe
Pete Smith	...	Hone
Bruce Allpress	...	Blind Piano Tuner
Cliff Curtis	...	Mana
Carla Rupuha	...	Heni (Mission Girl)
Mahina Tunui	...	Mere (Mission Girl)

Storyline

It is the mid-nineteenth century. Ada cannot speak and she has a young daughter, Flora. In an arranged marriage she leaves her native Scotland accompanied by her daughter and her beloved piano. Life in the rugged forests of New Zealand's North Island is not all she may have imagined and nor is her relationship with her new husband Stewart. She suffers torment and loss when Stewart sells her piano to a neighbor, George. Ada learns from George that she may earn back her piano by giving him piano lessons, but only with certain other conditions attached. At first Ada despises George but slowly their relationship is transformed and this propels them into a dire situation.

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Plot Keywords:

mute | piano | mute woman | triple f rated | f rated | 

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Genres:

Drama | Music | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for moments of extremely graphic sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

New Zealand Australia France

Language:

English British Sign Language Maori

Release Date:

11 February 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Piano

Filming Locations:

Auckland, New Zealand

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$40,158,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

CiBy 2000, Jan Chapman Productions, The Australian Film Commission

Technical Specs

Runtime:

121 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby (Dolby 5.1)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Flora's (Anna Paquin's) name is never mentioned throughout the entire film.

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Goofs

Pianos of the period portrayed in the film were made almost entirely of wood, no metal framing at all, and the piano would therefore float, not sink.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Ada: The voice you hear is not my speaking voice - -but my mind's voice. I have not spoken since I was six years old. No one knows why - -not even me. My father says it is a dark talent, and the day I take it into my head to stop breathing will be my last. Today he married me to a man I have not yet met. Soon my daughter and I shall join him in his own country. My husband writes that my muteness does not bother him - and hark this! He says, "God loves dumb creatures, so why not I?" '...

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Connections

Referenced in Coupling: Inferno (2000)

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Soundtracks

The Heart Asks Pleasure First/The Promise
Michael Nyman

User Reviews

A sensual and surprising film

Jane Campion's Oscar-winning movie follows Ada (played by Holly Hunter), an immigrant to the New Zealand outback and an arranged marriage, who has not spoken for years and lives her life through the sound of her piano. Her husband (played by Sam Neill) is a man without much understanding, who tries to break the connection between his new wife and her piano; in contrast to him is the wild illiterate Baines (played by Harvey Keitel), a tattooed loner, who reaches into Ada's soul and helps her to regain contact with her emotions and ultimately, her voice too. The film is visually compelling, with its muted colours and wide open spaces, and uses the soundtrack by Michael Nyman in such a way so all the elements fit together. Keitel and Hunter give excellent performances within a sensitive and sensual screenplay, while Anna Paquin is impressive as Ada's wise daughter, always watching and always aware. Campion managed to make the story touching, involving, and sexy, and it well deserved the plaudits heaped on it.