The Piano poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Sam Neill, Anna Paquin, Kerry Walker ... see more see more... , Genevieve Lemon , Karen Colston , Peter Dennett , Julian Lee , Diana Rowan , Greg Johnson , Ian Mune , Pete Smith , Bruce Allpress , Jon Brazier , Te Whatanui Skimworth , George Boyle , Alison Barrett , Susie Figgis , Cliff Curtis , Eru Potaka-Dewes , Tungia Baker , Stephen Hall

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 Victo... read more read more...rian 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, Rovi

Flixster Users

85% liked it

45,546 ratings

Critics

90% liked it

49 critics

R, 2 hr.

Directed by: Jane Campion

Release Date: November 19, 1993

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: January 13, 1998

Get It:

Stats: 2,730 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

The Piano (1993) Holly Hunter, Anna Paquin - The Piano Holly Hunter - Ada. Harvey Keitel - Baines in The Piano (1993) Anna Paquin - Flora in The Piano Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, in Piano Holly Hunter in The Piano Holly Hunter, Anna Paquin - The Piano Holly Hunter, Sam Neill, Anna Paquin - The Piano Anna Paquin in The Piano Holly Hunter Harvey Keitel - Baines in The Piano (1993) Anna Paquin & Holly Hunter in The Piano Sam Neill - Stewart in The Piano (1993) Anna Paquin in The Piano Holly Hunter, Anna Paquin - The Piano The Piano Anna Paquin in The Piano Anna Paquin
Upload a Photo | View All The Piano Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (2,730)

  • ajaymuthecooldevils
    November 30, 2010
    ajaymuthecooldevils
    3 Academy Awards winning movie of 1993 for Best Original Screenplay, Best Leading Actress (Holly Hunter), and Best Supporting Actress (Anna Paquin)... The beginning of this movie was a little boring, I was a little confused to get the story... But since Ada (Holly Hunter) met Bai... read morenes (Harvey Keitel) for a piano lesson, the story becomes more interesting to be watched... Yet I'm surprised with how good Anna Paquin's performance... She is a very young actress and she can act that great, and that just amazed me and she really deserve the Oscar... Overall, the movie was a really good one, even though the story was a little bit confusing, but the performance from 2 great actress here (Holly Hunter and Anna Paquin) was a joy to behold...!!!
  • matertenebraum
    August 24, 2010
    matertenebraum
    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 under... read morestanding, 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.
  • DrBenway
    March 8, 2010
    DrBenway
    A very interesting character study filmed with impressive cinematic
    artistry that is more poetry than melodrama. Although the Oscar went to Campion for screenwriting, as well as Holly Hunter and Anna Paquin, the film still fell victim to bad marketing. So at first glance, The ... read morePiano, much like Breaking The Waves, looks like a straightforward romance flick, but it's too well scripted to ever call it such.

    Like most art films, its' narrative is often strange. However, this is unlikely to turn away true lovers of film who may be interested in familiar stories of need/desire being told differently. Set in the surreal Victorian times of female oppression with a central theme being, "Why waste life being pointlessly prude?" One one hand, Ada (Holly Hunter) could spend the rest of her days against her will as the model Christian, mail-order bride of Sam Neill or live out "her" life with Harvey Keitel, both who put in brave performances.

    Photobucket
  • RossCollinsUK
    February 13, 2010
    RossCollinsUK
    Sex in the prudish Victorian society of New Zealand. I couldn't relate to the characters so didn't find their motivations particularly plausible, but it's apparently popular amongst the ladies. The famous Michael Nyman score dates the movie somewhat, but there's some enjoyable ci... read morenematography to complement it.
  • emilebond007
    August 8, 2009
    emilebond007
    Absolutely beautiful.
  • RCCLBC
    March 26, 2008
    RCCLBC
    Some people refer to this as a "chick flick", but that couldn't be farther from the truth.

    This film covers a gamut of emotions and subject matters, that any thinking, compassionate person should be able to relate to.

    To me this is quite possibly one of the most beautiful f... read moreilms I have ever seen.

    The story is heartbreaking, yet full of passion and hope.

    The acting is superb on all counts. Though (11 year old?) Anna Paquin is truly amazing.

    The music is sublime.

    Cinematography is exquisite.

    My only complaint is that the ending (last five minutes) didn't work for me. It was a little to 'happily ever after'.

    I feel like it would have been more true to the character of Ada if her passion for her piano (the one thing that was a constant for her) was ultimately more important then they make it in the end. I feel like she would have rather died with her piano then live without it.
  • ebs90
    September 17, 2007
    ebs90
    It's amazing to find a movie in which all the performances are better than just standard good. I think The Piano, though, can be placed in that category. Holly Hunter is just incredible as a mute woman sent to marriage, along with her daughter, to a landowner in 1850s New Zealan... read mored, played by Sam Neill. She uses her piano as a way to express herself without words, playing and pouring all her thoughts and feelings into every note. Unfortunately, her husband forbids her from taking the piano along with her to the house and leaves it on the beach. One of his employees, an illiterate countryman (Harvey Keitel - terrific, just terrific), rescues the piano. I don't want to go into specific details, but I can say that he and Ada (Holly Hunter) make a connection thanks to the piano that awakes life in her that had been supressed, that allows her to defy authority and tradition in order to just reach the happiness she didn't know she wanted. The results are incredibly beautiful, but not necessarily happy at all. I felt really bad for Ada while I watched this... it doesn't usually happen but it really attacked me. I guess it's a difficult movie to take in; the injustice and the pain are just so aggressive, and even though she's quite serene all the time, you can feel Ada's pain, and her strength.
    I'll just encourage everyone to give it a try -the cinematography is amazing and the performances and the direction are flawless. The story is strange and it seems outlandish but it's easy to identify with at least one of its many aspects. All in all it's emotionally stressful; daring, and yet classically well-made.
  • YosemiteSamFan
    August 8, 2007
    YosemiteSamFan
    An exotic move to a muddy New Zealand wilderness with a cranky woman (Holly Hunter), her daughter (strange little Anna Paquin), her husband (stern Sam Neill) and her freakin' piano! I didn't like Holly Hunter's character much. An ugly tattooed Harvey Kietel saves Holly's piano, b... read moreut wants a grimey affair in exchange. Sure, Holly can play the piano well, but it leads to disaster. It's interesting how things turn out. A memorable movie with strange scenes.
  • jennifxu
    June 7, 2007
    jennifxu
    visceral but boring.
  • kenstachnik
    May 16, 2007
    kenstachnik
    You get to see Harvey Keitel's balls

View All The Piano Reviews

Critic Reviews

Jonathan Rosenbaum
May 10, 2007
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

Sweetie and An Angel at My Table have taught us to expect startling as well as beautiful things from Jane Campion, and this assured and provocative third feature (1993) offers yet another lush parable. Full Review

Vincent Canby
May 20, 2003
Vincent Canby, New York Times

Ms. Campion somehow suggests states of mind you've never before recognized on the screen. Full Review

Hal Hinson
January 1, 2000
Hal Hinson, Washington Post

[An] evocative, powerful, extraordinarily beautiful film from the Australian director Jane Campion. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The Piano is as peculiar and haunting as any film I've seen. Full Review

Desson Thomson
January 1, 2000
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

The Piano plays itself with such contrapuntal richness, it resonates in you forever. Full Review

James Berardinelli
January 1, 2000
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

The Piano is a solid motion picture with a universal message and occasional splashes of genius, but it is remarkable only as Holly Hunter's performance is concerned. Full Review

Cole Smithey
August 26, 2011
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com

[VIDEO] "The Piano" is a powerful film for its slow, inevitable inertia of drama. Full Review

Wesley Lovell
August 15, 2011
Wesley Lovell, Oscar Guy

A melancholy film exploring the despair and passion that arises from difficult situations. Full Review

David Gurney
January 1, 2011
David Gurney, Common Sense Media

Charged tale of a woman's awakening for older teens and up. Full Review

Tim Brayton
August 18, 2009
Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy

A stunning mood piece and a haunting adult fairy tale. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Sleeping Beauty
    Sleeping Beauty (93%)
  • Chocolat
    Chocolat (71%)
  • Breaking the Waves
    Breaking the Waves (78%)
  • The Seven Year Itch
    The Seven Year Itch (67%)

More Movies like The Piano

Facts

Submit a Fact | View All
    • Ada McGrath: 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?' Twere good he had God's patience, for silence affects everyone in the end. The strange thing is, I don't think myself silent. That is because of my piano. I shall miss it on the journey.
    • Ada McGrath: At night! I think of my piano in its ocean grave, and sometimes of myself floating above it. Down there everything is so still and silent that it lulls me to sleep. It is a weird lullaby and so it is; it is mine.
    • Ada McGrath: George has fashioned me a metal finger tip, I am quite the town freak which satisfies!
    • Ada McGrath: What a death! What a chance! What a surprise! My will has chosen life! Still it has had me spooked and many others besides!
    • Ada McGrath: The voice you hear is not my speaking voice, but my mind's voice.
Submit a Fact | View All

The Piano : Watch Free on TV

The Piano Trivia

  • This musical movie contains a scene where a man walks upon the piano keys in the song "Make 'Em Laugh".  Answer »
  • Which movie has a group of kids playing an ancient piano to cross a chasm?  Answer »
  • In wich movie did Tom hanks play the piano in the middle of a toy store with his boss?  Answer »
  • What Character is playing the piano in the pub in shrek 2?  Answer »
More The Piano Trivia

Movie Quizzes

Create a Quiz |

All Quizzes

Video Clips

Upload a Video |

All The Piano Videos

Meet Other Fans

Add The Piano to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

tankspice Skin by tankspice
128 Profiles
Add to Profile

More Skins