The Piano

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Paul H An interesting historical concept, with some stand-out performances, but ruined for me by Paquin's cringeworthy over-the-top performance and riduculous attempt at a Scottish accent. Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 08/06/24 Full Review Leprechaun K Considering it was made 30 years ago, the movie didn't age well in my opinion. The writing didn't make a whole lot of sense, especially the bits involving the natives. There was little depth regarding the indigenous population. The implied acceptance of infidelity (particularly for a period piece) was a put off. Not sure what the all fuzz was about at the time of release, but to me, The Power of the Dog was a much better movie. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/13/25 Full Review Farah R Holly Hunter's performance is the only admirable quality about Campion's The Piano, a dull and disturbing period drama that sucks the joy out of the movie viewing experience. It's baffling how such a film scored so high among both critics and average audiences. It's one of the worst movies I've ever suffered through. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 08/16/23 Full Review Emilliano Jr S A timeless masterpiece! Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/11/23 Full Review Ben D What emotions are conjured from the imagery of a repressed, Victorian woman playing a piano on a secluded beach? Holly Hunter, a classically trained concert pianist, is the mute (by choice) protagonist, Ada. Ada and her daughter, Flora (Anna Paquin), are sold to a frontiersman (Sam Neill) in New Zealand in the mid-1800s. The piano is Ada's only release from a society that doesn't value her. Through the piano, Ada finds passionate love with a Scottish settler, George (Harvey Keitel), a man who has learned the Maori language and even indulged in a few facial tattoos. Through touch, George draws Ada's attention away from the piano and reminds her that sex is good. Back in 1993, the "sex scene" still mattered. With this couple, approximately half of it is seen through the voyeuristic gaze of Flora, and then, more scandalously, through Alisdair's (Neill). Marketed as a love story, I find Ada much more interested in her blossoming sexuality than just in George as a man. Had Alisdair not been such a weirdo and possessed an iota of the passion as George, it's reasonable to believe he and Ada would've had a healthy relationship…once getting over the whole infidelity thing, of course. Ada's message to George only comes after Alisdair displays a lack of sexual interest in his wife. His wife is the operative language there, and although Alisdair doesn't seem interested in becoming a husband, father, or partner whatsoever, he cannot bear knowing Ada's love for another and resolves to ruin her life not by killing George, but by removing an index finger with an ax. The climax is shocking and thrilling and the writing was smart not to have Alisdair narrate his intent, making his dragging of Ada to the stump that much more suspenseful. However, I really did believe the whole hand was coming off when I realized what he planned to do with that ax. Paquin as a little girl is fantastic and makes the movie better as a child actor whereas so many have to just not make it worse. There's something visceral about a child completely nuking a situation when they honestly believe they're doing the right thing that will almost make me pull the covers up to my eyes. They don't seem to make love stories like The Piano anymore. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 06/07/23 Full Review Don J This was honestly one of the worst movies I've ever seen. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 06/05/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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