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The Piano Lesson

Play trailer Poster for The Piano Lesson PG 1995 1h 35m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 4 Reviews 76% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
Boy Willie (Charles Dutton), a sharecropper, travels to Pittsburgh in the 1930s hoping that his sister, Berniece Charles (Alfre Woodard), will let him have the piano that their enslaved uncle engraved in pre-Civil War Mississippi. Willie hopes to parlay proceeds from selling the instrument into ownership of the land his uncle once worked. But when Berniece has other ideas, it becomes clear that the piano represents very different things to the siblings.
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The Piano Lesson

Critics Reviews

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Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com 08/01/2005
2/5
Sarah Chauncey Reel.com 06/08/2004
4/5
Jamie Gillies Apollo Guide 06/19/2003
70/100
There is an element of magical realism to this story, not unlike Toni Morrison's Beloved, and that comes across well. Go to Full Review Mary Ann Brussat Spirituality & Practice 08/30/2002
Passionate screen adaptation of August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play about two siblings forced to clarify their values about tradition, money and desire. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Keysha E 11/28/2024 Excellent movie, cast, and performances! One of my all-time favorites ❤️ See more 08/13/2015 Excellent cast & storyline. See more 03/28/2013 Where the 2000s have been dealing with Tyler Perry's terrible "black cinema", this made for television film is a superbly acted and well made drama about life as an African American in the 1930s. Even though it isn't perfect this film works as a period piece and as a current piece. See more 04/10/2012 Some of the plot elements are completely ridiculous and over dramatic, but The Piano Lesson is saved by its competent actors and underlying family unity theme. See more 03/15/2012 Excellent cast & storyline See more 03/10/2009 A great play about one black family and their different feelings about the past and the importance of a particular piano. A great cast headed by Alfre Woodard and Charles Dutton. See more Read all reviews
The Piano Lesson

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Cast & Crew

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Lloyd Richards

Director

Charles S. Dutton

Boy Willie

Alfre Woodard

Berniece Charles

Carl Gordon

Doaker

Tommy Hollis

Avery

Lou Myers

Wining Boy
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The Piano Lesson

The Piano Lesson (1995) The Piano Lesson (1995) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Boy Willie (Charles Dutton), a sharecropper, travels to Pittsburgh in the 1930s hoping that his sister, Berniece Charles (Alfre Woodard), will let him have the piano that their enslaved uncle engraved in pre-Civil War Mississippi. Willie hopes to parlay proceeds from selling the instrument into ownership of the land his uncle once worked. But when Berniece has other ideas, it becomes clear that the piano represents very different things to the siblings.
Director
Lloyd Richards
Producer
August Wilson
Screenwriter
August Wilson
Production Co
Signboard Hill Productions, Craig Anderson Productions, Hearst Entertainment, Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions
Rating
PG, TV-PG
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (TV)
Feb 5, 1995
Runtime
1h 35m
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