IMDb > The Piano (1993)
The Piano
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The Piano (1993) More at IMDbPro »

Videos (see all 3)
The Piano (1993) -- A mute woman along with her young daughter, and her prized piano, are sent to 1850s New Zealand for an arranged marriage to a wealthy landowner, and she's soon lusted after by a local worker on the plantation.
The Piano (1993) -- MyMovieScripts.com - Trailer (Flash)

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Overview

User Rating:
7.5/10   25,776 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 8% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer:
Jane Campion (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Piano on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
12 November 1993 (USA) more
Genre:
Plot:
A mute woman along with her young daughter, and her prized piano, are sent to 1850s New Zealand for an arranged marriage to a wealthy landowner, and she's soon lusted after by a local worker on the plantation. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Won 3 Oscars. Another 54 wins & 25 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(136 articles)
Bright Star Shines Bright on DVD on January 26th
 (From MovieWeb. 19 November 2009, 8:01 AM, PST)

Harvey Keitel Joins DeNiro in “Little Fockers”
 (From Filmofilia. 13 November 2009, 11:42 AM, PST)

User Comments:
Quite vivid more (201 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Holly Hunter ... Ada McGrath

Harvey Keitel ... George Baines

Sam Neill ... Alisdair Stewart

Anna Paquin ... Flora McGrath
Kerry Walker ... Aunt Morag
Geneviève Lemon ... Nessie (as Genevieve Lemon)
Tungia Baker ... Hira
Ian Mune ... Reverend
Peter Dennett ... Head Seaman
Te Whatanui Skipwith ... Chief Nihe
Pete Smith ... Hone
Bruce Allpress ... Blind Piano Tuner

Cliff Curtis ... Mana
Carla Rupuha ... Heni - Mission Girl
Mahina Tunui ... Mere - Mission Girl
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
La leçon de piano (France)
Pleasure (Australia) (working title)
The Black Keys (Australia) (working title)
The Piano Lesson (Australia) (original script title)
more
MPAA:
Rated R for moments of extremely graphic sexuality.
Runtime:
121 min
Color:
Color (Eastmancolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Before deciding on Holly Hunter, Jane Campion met with several actresses in England, France and the US for the role of Ada. Among the actresses she considered were Sigourney Weaver, Anjelica Huston, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Isabelle Huppert, Juliette Binoche and Madeleine Stowe. more
Goofs:
Continuity: The piano is discorded at Baines place but surprisingly tune when at the beach. more
Quotes:
Ada: 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... more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Cut (2000/I) more
Soundtrack:
The Grand Old Duke of York more

FAQ

How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
What did Ada write on the piano key that she sent to George?
Why can't Ada speak?
more
19 out of 32 people found the following comment useful.
Quite vivid, 31 March 2002
8/10
Author: moonspinner55 from redlands, ca

Jane Campion is a director of quiet unease. I was not a big admirer of her "Angel At My Table", which had enormous possibilities but was suffocated under the filmmaker's penchant for what I refer to as 'ugly beauty'. Even the beautiful passages in this film are undermined by either something ghastly, something about to become ghastly, or something borne from ghastliness. A New Zealand woman in the 1800's becomes a mail-order bride for an uninterested working man; she's a self-elected mute and communicates through her wizened little daughter (Oscar-winner Anna Pacquin, a bit over-the-top) and through her passion for playing the piano, which becomes a point of contention in her marriage. Engrossing human drama with a torrid undercurrent of sexuality and violence. Many people I've talked to about this film could not get with it, but perhaps that's the fault of watching movies at home. In the theater, this was a slightly-dazed, rapturous and enveloping brew that held me spellbound until the lights went up. Movies like this don't hold the same spell when butchered up by ads for the CBS comedies. Holly Hunter, Sam Neill and, most especially, Harvey Keitel do terrific work. Hunter deservedly won a Best Actress Oscar. ***1/2 from ****

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Message Boards

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The Piano on DVD geewhizzerz
Please recomment me movies like The Piano KKyriacoscar
Did anyone else not like Ada?(spoilers) spongebob686
Similar films about female sexuality crushakitty
About Screenplay(spoilers) KKyriacoscar
This movie is CREEPY hoot-16
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