Genres

Visitors Review

anonymous 2012-05-23 20:27:58

The Power of a Woman

A movie which portrays the power which women have over men.We can beattracted to them or seduced by them but will never be able to explore thegreat depths of their minds.The movie's center point is the presence of anenigmatic heroine and it's a wonderful journey through her mind whichdirector Jane Campion dares us to go through.If it wasn't for Schindler'sList it was a sure shot Oscar winner.

enzedder 2012-05-23 16:25:06

Just a correction.

To R-Mcharg, Harvey Keitel´s character was from Hull, in Yorkshire, not inScotland.As I need to write a bit more to get my comments printed, I just want to saythat the Piano was a great film and I saw it 3 times at the movies when itcame out, which for a 15 year old was quite a lot I reckon, considering thatit wasn´t Jurassic Park.

BDC-2 2012-05-23 21:24:50

The most haunting movie I have ever seen!

A powerhouse of a movie! Mesmerizing Michael Nyman soundtrack andperformances by the four leads. Perfect integration of score and script.Stunning cinematography and editing. One of the all-time great art films.Absolutely unique - will haunt you forever.

alannarmiller 2012-05-23 03:34:19

I felt the need to just replace the previous ignorant comment

The Piano is a beautiful film in many different respects. In terms ofcinematography, I've seen few like it. It is dark and beautiful andcompelling. The story seems, on paper, as a torrid love story withoutmuch originality. But the sensuous portrayal of Harvey Keitel and HollyHunter and the complex acting of a young Anna Paquin allow this storyto ring true. I was skeptical upon viewing a film so lauded by criticsand film snobs, but found myself both moved and connected to the filmthat holds strangely relevant themes for modern times. It is rare thatI love both a film's visual beauty and it's script as well. This isthat rare occasion.

2012-05-21 21:20:28

The Piano

This review is from: The Piano (DVD) Great performances by all actors involved, and a dark, beautiful tale of forbidden love, raw passion, jealousy, wanting, contrasting cultures and personalities. The story is tender and sweet one moment, a psychological thriller the next; a sensual, humorous, curious, fabulous film with spectacular cinematography.

David Bogosian 2012-05-21 10:24:43

Interesting, but not very convincing

"The Piano" has a lot going for it: a strong cast, a unique premise,great on-site scenery, but somehow the combination left me flat andunmoved.The story follows a young English mute woman (Holly Hunter) who is sentto New Zealand to become a bride for a local settler (Sam Neill). Herpassion is her piano which she brings across the ocean, but her newhusband has no interest in it. Instead, one of his native workers (acuriously miscast Harvey Keitel, who doesn't look Maori for a moment)is drawn to her, and thus we have our triangle.Some of the scenes showing the interplay of Maori and English cultureswere fascinating. The views of New Zealand, both the large-scale andalso the smaller-scale views of jungles and mud (there is LOTS of mud!)were very enjoyable. The idea of someone being forced to expressherself solely through music, and then finding herself in thiswilderness totally devoid of culture, that too was interesting.But this story lives and dies on the basis of its characters, andsomehow the main ones (the men especially) were baffling and, worst ofall, unsympathetic. Neill's character treats his new wife with coldnessand indifference at first, though he does seem to warm to her later on.Keitel's character is even less plausible. He is drawn to her sexually,and realizes he can use the piano as a bargaining tool to achieve hiscarnal desires. Halfway there, though, he relents. In the meantime,Hunter's character warms up to him, even though he was abusing her.Hunter does the best acting, even though she can't speak any words,still she conveys the frustration and anger and resentment at herpredicament very well.More could have been made of the piano as a metaphor for civilizationout in the wilderness among the savages, but it wasn't. In fact therewas the opposite: the native man feigns interest in the piano, only toensnare the beautiful woman. One never feels that his interest in thepiano was truly musical or artistic.Again, it's hard to explain exactly why, but the combination ofcharacters just did not click very well for me.I found the score hopelessly anachronistic; at no point does the pianoplay any of the music one would have expected during that period(Liszt, Chopin, Brahms, etc.), but it's still decently pretty. And bewarned, there is plenty of male nudity, including the full frontalvariety, and a little female as well.It's worth seeing, but I walked away thinking that a very interestingpremise was somehow mishandled and left untapped.

Jugu Abraham 2012-05-20 15:51:07

Clever film that makes you wonder...

I have seen the movie twice. I liked it the first time because it wasrefreshingly different, restrained in some parts, erotic to an extent, withsome brilliant camerawork of Stuart Drybergh and choreography (beach scenewith Holly Hunter, Keitel and Paquin, with the overhead shot and theimaginative designs of footprints in the sand).My second viewing had me reassessing if a viewer can be led to like a filmwithout thinking rationally. Take the example of Paquin carrying the pianokey with the written message. She takes one path, retraces it and takesanother. This crucial action changes the course of the film. Why did shemake that choice? Coincidence? If it was deliberate, the relationshipbetween the child and foster father is not adequately developed. Thedirector persuades us to notice this decision with a high angle shot. We inthe audience know that Kietel's character is illiterate--but the message isfinally read by someone who could read. And so the story gathersmomentum.The "quiet" strength of the film is in the character who chooses to remainmute. A finger is chopped off but there is no howl of pain, only blood, onlya resignation to fate.Despite a great performance by Hunter and impressive direction by Campion, Ibegin to have a nagging doubt if the audience is meant to leave their mindbehind and merely indulge their senses, what they see and hear...On secondviewing, the script seems more manipulative rather than virtuous. In theepilogue, what are we to make of the metal prosthetic finger--that all ishealed? Or was it a convenient way to end the film?

Zip-6 2012-05-20 15:26:42

Skip It

My roomate loves this movie, I don't.I simply couldn't find a character to root for: the woman who just "can't"speak but prostitutes herself? The man taking advantage of her? Or the mail-order man who doesn't care about pleasing his new wife even to the point ofletting hercommunicate.The only redeeming quality in this film is Anna Paquin's performance.The Piano was shot in blue. Campion's Portrait of a Lady is a far betterfilm than this and shows her capability as a director. I'm not sure why theonly color she let through the lens in The Piano is blue but accordingly itwas almost unwatchable.Most people tell me how wonderful The Piano is, and except for Nyman's scoreI just can't see it. If you like movies where there isn't a singlecharacter to identify with go see this one. Just make sure your pupils arefully dilated and you're not Blue-Green color-blind.

PlantGod72 2012-05-18 14:43:44

Silence Speaks Volumes!

A fantastic film by Jane Campion. Not for everyone's taste, it has a strong sexual undercurrent. A fascinating depiction of the Victorian era in far away, strangely exotic and threatening New Zealand, with its native and colonial inhabitants. The film's photography and music combine to form the mystical backdrop for this story of a strong willed woman who may be deliberately mute. Her pain, passions and struggles are played with incredible authenticity by Holly Hunter. It is one of the bravest performances I've seen on film.See this film if you have a taste for movies that explore the darker side of civilization and the need to break free from convention.

2012-05-18 02:41:44

Love and romance with class

This is an excellenct movie for adults. It is a love story with tons of romance, beautiful scenery, and the story behind the movie is a great one. If you want to be entertained and surprised at many different levels this is the movie to watch.

2012-05-12 12:02:30

Simply one of the best films I've ever seen

I have seen the piano at least five times, I stopped counting after that. In the theater, watching for the first time when I was much younger, I was bowled over. Not only because I play piano, not only because I am a feminist, not only because I read romance novels, not only because I am a Holly Hunter fan, and not only because Harvel Keitel shows it all. This film touched both as an artist and as an individual, in that is tells a story about a woman in a situation she cannot control, in a place completely foreign to her, where no one has sympathy or feeling save one person. Her lifeline, her art has been taken away. She expresses herself only through that one passion, and suddenly realizes she is a person, not a thing and makes a conscious decision to start the affair. Those who say this plot is not believable have obviously never been in a position of utter loneliness.--I could go on and on. As a visual artist, I am bowled over by Jane Campion's accomplishment on film.

2012-05-11 18:05:51

'The Piano' - it's overrated and sado-masochistic

Forgive me for saying so, but 'The Piano' is nothing but a disgusting movie. It's just unbelievable that so many hold it in such a high regard. I can only see it as a perfect lesson for a sado-masochistic wannabe? I saw it once many years ago and I will never do it again.

2012-05-10 23:36:21

Breathtaking

The Piano will remain one of the greatest films for years to come. Holly Hunter, Anna Paquin, & Jane Campion all, respectfully, won and deserved Oscars for their work in this fairy tale love story. It is breathtaking, enchanting, miraculous, and a masterpiece.

2012-05-10 07:28:40

Not a Good Movie

To me, this film was not very good. It didn't pass any feelings through me like most good movies. I would say that the story for this movie is sick and kind of stupid, and some of the actors (not to mention any names) did not do a good job playing in it. The movie did entertain me enough, though, to sit through the whole thing. I totally fell in love with the music. To me, just hearing the music in it was worth the long watch.

2012-05-09 12:41:04

Who wants to see Harvey's p _n_ s?

If your answer is yes, then the Piano is your movie. Too bad we only have stars to choose from, I would have definitely given this one two spheres if I could have. It's not a bad movie if you like to watch a mute and see a man who should not be revealing himself reveal himself. I leave it to you, but be warned curiosity killed the cat and damn near took me.Be Careful.Archibald Lasalles

2012-05-08 18:36:26

Sloppily done...

The stars and the title of this review refers to the technical side of the DVD, and NOT of the movie itself (you can read about it in other reviews here). If you want to buy this DVD, note that the DVD is very poorly organized: There is no subtitle whatsoever, and the close-caption is extremely crudely made; there's only one audio track (English); there's no in-movie control, and if you go back to the root menu for some reasons, when resumed, the movie will switch to the other viewing angle (from widescreen to fullscreen, or via versa) by itself! Best to rent it, and buy the soundtrack instead.

2012-05-08 15:52:39

Beautiful and Otherworldly---A True Masterpiece

The Piano is truly a hypnotic film. It takes you away to a bleak, desolate New Zealand island where Ada McGrath, a shy woman who stopped speaking at the age of six is getting off a boat to meet her soon-to-be husband Stewart, arranged by her father, with her daughter Flora. Ada communicates through Flora, who can talk. Ada uses her old family piano as a way to express her feelings, and she needs it to remain calm and stable. The men could not get the piano up to Stewart's house, which frustated Ada immensly. Stewart's neighbor George Baines then brings it to his house after much of Ada's pleading and lets Ada play it in exchange for sexual favors. This is an extremely intriguing, beautiful, unique romantic drama that all interested in film should definitely check out. It is one of my all time favorite movies.The PianoDirected by Jane CampionStarring Holly Hunter, Ann Paquin, Harvey Keitel, and Sam NeillRated R for moments of extremely graphic sexuality

2012-05-08 07:10:28

Doesn't add up

A very impressive performance by Holly Hunter, some gorgeous cinematography, and lots of excellent costumes, can't make up for the fact that the script is unbearably pretentious, and extremely implausible. Art house fare can frequently make for some very compelling movies. "The Piano," however, is NOT one of them.

2012-05-07 09:35:30

BUY IT !!!!!

I am a pianist who spends most of his life playing or teaching the piano. A person who watches this movie without an understanding of the thoughts and emotions of a musician will not ever comprehend the numerous layers of emotion that this movie presents. The Piano meant everything to this woman. Words could never describe this concept but she did say them with her playing. ( The playing is beautifully played by Holly Hunter) One man understands these feelings while another does not have a clue about what the piano means to the woman. The reviews that people have given regarding this movie clearly reflect the feelings that these two men had about the woman. Some reviewers get it and some do not. If you are not a musician, you'll probably not appreciate this movie. If you are, you will buy this movie and watch it over and over again. The woman used her piano to speak words that could never be expressed better in any other way. I understand that totally because my words will never describe how wonderful this movie is. If you are a musician, go and buy this movie !

Matt Murphy 2012-05-07 01:24:02

This is a jaw-droppingly beautiful film.

I couldn't get over how visually stunning this film turned out to be. The New Zealand coast has never looked so beautiful, and the cinematography is intricate and powerfully creative. Additionally, Holly Hunter gives one of the best performances by an actress in the 1990s, and the rest of the cast doesn't slouch either. Even young Anna Paquin gives a winning amount of naive spunk and crafty deceit at the same time - this is some brilliant work for a young girl of 10. I also enjoyed the music but was confused as it seemed to conflict with the time period. This made the general setting rather nebulus. Still, the story was gripping, especially as it moved to the end, and I do highly recommend this film.