La pianiste (2001)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Michael Haneke

Writers:

Michael Haneke (writer)
Elfriede Jelinek (novel)

Release Date:

31 August 2001 (Finland)

Genre:

Drama | Music

Plot:

A young man romantically pursues his masochistic piano teacher.

Plot Keywords:

Piano | Deception | Teacher Student Relationship | Older Woman Younger Man | Broken Glass

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 12 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

Isabelle Huppert	...	Erika Kohut
Annie Girardot	...	The Mother
Benoît Magimel	...	Walter Klemmer
Susanne Lothar	...	Mrs. Schober
Udo Samel	...	Dr. Blonskij
Anna Sigalevitch	...	Anna Schober
Cornelia Köndgen	...	Mme Blonskij
Thomas Weinhappel	...	Baritone
Georg Friedrich	...	Man in drive-in
Philipp Heiss	...	Naprawnik
William Mang	...	Teacher
Rudolf Melichar	...	Director
Michael Schottenberg	...	Teacher
Gabriele Schuchter	...	Margot
Dieter Berner	...	Singing teacher
Volker Waldegg	...	Teacher
Martina Resetarits	...	Teacher
Annemarie Schleinzer	...	Teacher
Karoline Zeisler	...	Teacher
Liliane Neiska	...	Secretary
Luz Leskowitz	...	Violinist
Viktor Teuflmayr	...	Pianist
Viviane Bartsch	...	Woman in drive-in (as Vivian Bartsch)
Florian Koban	...	Pupil
Thomas Auner	...	Haydn pianist
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Noam Morgensztern	...	The first pupil (voice)
Vitus Wieser	...	Klemmer's Friend (uncredited)

Directed by
Michael Haneke

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Michael Haneke		writer
Elfriede Jelinek		novel

Produced by
Yvon Crenn	....	executive producer
Christine Gozlan	....	executive producer
Veit Heiduschka	....	producer
Michael Katz	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Francis Haines

Cinematography by
Christian Berger

Film Editing by
Nadine Muse
Monika Willi

Casting by
Kris Portier de Bellair
Markus Schleinzer

Production Design by
Christoph Kanter

Set Decoration by
Hans Wagner

Costume Design by
Annette Beaufays

Makeup Department
Françoise Andrejka	....	makeup artist
Fabienne Bressan	....	hair stylist
Ellen Just	....	makeup artist
Thi-Loan Nguyen	....	key makeup artist
Michaela Oppl	....	special makeup effects artist
Waldemar Pokromski	....	special makeup effects artist

Production Management
Roman Haschberger	....	unit production manager
Michael Katz	....	production manager
Gebhard Zupan	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Katharina Biró	....	assistant director
Fritz Noltmann	....	assistant director
Hanus Polak Jr.	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Gerhard Dhor	....	construction crew (as Gerhard Dohr)
Peter Dörflinger	....	construction crew
Peter Ecker	....	props
Katrin Huber	....	property master
Fritz Martan	....	construction coordinator
Hannes Salat	....	props
Peter Wenhardt	....	scenic artist

Sound Department
Pascal Chauvin	....	foley artist
Pascal Dedeye	....	assistant foley artist
Othmar Eichinger	....	sound playback operator
Dominique Eyraud	....	boom operator
Jean-Pierre Laforce	....	sound mixer
Nadine Muse	....	sound editor
Guillaume Sciama	....	sound

Special Effects by
László Kovács	....	special effects coordinator
Hans Wagner	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Geoffrey Kleindorfer	....	visual effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Rainer Barta	....	electrician
Stefan Biebl	....	Steadicam operator (as Stefan Bibl)
Petro Domenigg	....	still photographer
Peter Drittenpreis	....	assistant Steadicam operator
Katharina Frank	....	second assistant camera
Gerald Helf	....	first assistant camera
Regina Höllbacher	....	second assistant camera
Bernhard Pötscher	....	first assistant camera
Harald Staudach	....	assistant Steadicam operator
Reinhard Vince	....	electrician
Wolfgang Vince	....	gaffer
Jörg Widmer	....	Steadicam operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Brigitte Fink	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Yannick Coutheron	....	assistant editor
Alarich Lenz	....	assistant editor
Monica Parisini	....	assistant editor
Franz Rabl	....	color timer
Gabriele Sikuta	....	negative cutter

Transportation Department
Thomas Messer	....	property driver

Other crew
Roman Haschberger	....	location manager
Eva Jürgens	....	production trainee
Andreas Kispert	....	set manager
Ulrike Lässer	....	production coordinator

Production Companies

• Arte
• Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR)
• Canal+
• Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC)
• Eurimages
• Les Films Alain Sarde
• MK2 Productions
• P.P. Film Polski
• Wega Film
• arte France Cinéma
• Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF)

Distributors

• MK2 Diffusion (2001) (France) (theatrical)
• Kino International (2002) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Madman Entertainment (2003) (Australia) (DVD)
• Alta Classics S.L. Unipersonal (????) (Spain) (theatrical)
• ArtCam (2001) (Czech Republic) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Artificial Eye (????) (UK) (theatrical) (subtitles)
• CinemaFilm (????) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Cinemien (2001) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Concorde Filmverleih (????) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Europafilm AS (????) (Norway) (theatrical)
• Kamras Film Group (2001) (Finland) (theatrical)
• New Star (2008) (Greece) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Rosebud (????) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Homescreen (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2002) (New Zealand) (DVD)
• Odeon (????) (Greece) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Listo Video (visual effects)

Other Companies

• Les Audis de Boulogne  post-production
• Moviecam  camera equipment provided by

Also Known As:

Die Klavierspielerin (Austria)
The Piano Player (International: English title)
The Piano Teacher (International: English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for aberrant sexuality including violence, and for language.

Runtime:

131 min

Country:

Germany | Poland | France | Austria

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Portugal:M/18 | Ireland:18 | Australia:MA (TV rating) | Singapore:R21 (cut) | Italy:VM14 | Czech Republic:15 | Philippines:R-18 (MTRCB) | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Brazil:18 | Canada:R | Finland:K-15 | France:-16 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:III | Iceland:16 | Japan:R-18 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Peru:18 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:18 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:18 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18 | USA:R (cut) | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Konzerthaus, Vienna, Austria

Company:

Arte

Trivia:

The character of the mother is based on author Elfriede Jelinek's real life mother.

Movie Connections:

Features "Alphateam - Die Lebensretter im OP" (1997)

Soundtrack:

Piano Sonata in A Major, D.959

Grim but excellent

I saw this film at the 2001 Toronto International Film Festival. La Pianiste reinforces the "Austrians=grim" thesis I'm formulating. Isabelle Huppert won a well-deserved Best Actress award at Cannes for her portrayal of a woman who, in her efforts to attain the artistic ideal, loses her humanity. Trapped by her talent, she suppresses her emotions and her sexuality until they can only be expressed in twisted and terrifying ways. When a younger student falls in love with her, our hopes rise, but are soon dashed by the realization that she cannot experience love the way others can. It is too late for her, and the film's final 30 harrowing minutes are, tellingly, devoid of the beautiful music that carried the first 90 minutes. The message seems to be that the music itself is not enough without the life and beauty it's describing.