The Piano (1993)

Directed by

Jane Campion

Genre

drama film, romance film

Country

New Zealand, Australia, France

Runtime

2h 01m

Rated

R

Rating

7.4 of 10 from 1,661 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

In the 19th century, a mute Scottish woman travels with her daughter to a remote part of New Zealand for an arranged marriage. She forms a tense and passionate connection with a local settler, leading to emotional and violent consequences.

intensemelancholicslow-burnvisually lushromantictragicsensualbleak

What happens

The Piano is a 1993 historical romance film produced, written and directed by Jane Campion. It stars Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Sam Neill, and Anna Paquin (in her first major acting role). The film focuses on a mute Scottish woman who travels to a remote part of New Zealand with her young daughter after her arranged marriage to a settler. The plot has similarities to Jane Mander's 1920 novel, The Story of a New Zealand River, but also substantial differences. Campion has cited the novels Wuthering Heights and The African Queen as inspirations. An international co-production between Australia and France, The Piano premiered at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival on May 15, 1993, where it won the Palme d'Or, rendering Campion the first female director to achieve that distinction. It was a commercial success, grossing US$140.2 million worldwide against its US$7 million budget. The film was also noted for its crossover appeal beyond the arthouse circuit in attracting mainstream popularity, largely due to rave reviews and word of mouth. The Piano earned numerous accolades, including three Academy Awards (for Hunter as Best Actress, Paquin as Best Supporting Actress, and Campion for Best Original Screenplay), a WGA Award, a Golden Globe Award, three BAFTA Awards, and eleven Australian Film Institute Awards. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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