The Piano (1993)

Australian working title:
“The Black Keys”

Directed & Written by: Jane Campion

Starring: Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Sam Neill

Running Time: 2 hours

Rating: R

Pre-Conceived Notions: This is the movie for which Anna Paquin set a record for the youngest winner of the Best Supporting Actress Oscar. All that really comes to mind about this film is that they carry a piano across an ocean? Maybe? And Holly Hunter’s mute, which makes sense, because her southern accent wouldn’t jive in the time period or location where this movie is set. I think Holly Hunter is great, but has she ever played anyone who spoke that wasn’t southern?

Why I Haven't Seen This Film: The title is really boring. The Piano. Doesn’t really say, “Go out and see this film!”, does it? No, it does not.

2 hours later…: He chopped her finger off! Her only solace and means of expression was that piano and he chopped her finger clean off! That was pretty much the only excitement that whole entire movie.  Except during the theatre scene when one of the natives thought all those women were actually beheaded and stormed the stage. That was pretty funny. The rest was a yawnfest. Seriously. It moved really slowly. 

But there are a couple things I’d like to say about Holly Hunter. To do a role without speaking a word is not an easy achievement. You really have to rely on so many other things to get your intentions across. But I guess that kind of part is an actor’s dream because there are no lines to memorize. Also, she did all of that piano playing herself! She had to have been a classically trained pianist beforehand. I mean, woah. She blew me away. I loved that they included it in the credits, too. Her Wikipedia article doesn’t say anything about being a trained pianist. I guess when you don’t have very many lines to learn, you learn the piano. 

What was with the nudity? I guess it was there to add realism, but I could have done without seeing Keitel’s Little Soldier. Although, it wasn’t as traumatizing as that scene where Sam Neill chopped her finger off. In front of her child! Dude! Seriously? There are plenty of fish in the sea. And now you have absolutely no chance with her because chopping someone’s finger off is probably the opposite of romantic. Call me crazy, but there ya go.

Final Thoughts: 3.5 out 6 slices of pizza. The cinematography was great. The acting was good, although I’m not sure why Anna Paquin actually won the Oscar for this. But the story just crept along. And the landscape with all that mud and stuff was kind of depressing.