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The Piano is a 1993 Academy Award-winning film about a mute pianist and her daughter, set during the mid-19th century in a rainy, muddy frontier New Zealand backwater. The film was written and directed by Jane Campion, and stars Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Sam Neill and Anna Paquin. It features a score for the piano by Michael Nyman that became a bestselling soundtrack album. Hunter played her own piano pieces for the film, and also served as teacher for Paquin, earning herself three different screen credits. The film was an international co-production by Australian producer Jan Chapman with the French company Ciby 2000. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Jane Campion (born April 30, 1954 in Wellington, New Zealand) is an Academy Award-winning film maker. ... Jan Chapman is an Australian film producer. ... Jane Campion (born April 30, 1954 in Wellington, New Zealand) is an Academy Award-winning film maker. ... Holly Hunter (born March 20, 1958) is an Academy Award-winning American actress. ... Harvey Keitel (born May 13, 1939) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor from New York City. ... Anna Helene Paquin (born July 24, 1982) is an Academy Award-winning and Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated Canadian actress. ... Sam Neill (born Nigel John Dermot Neill), DCNZM, OBE (born 14 September 1947) is a New Zealand-Australian film and television actor, and owner of the Two Paddocks winery in Central Otago. ... Michael Nyman (born March 23, 1944) is a British minimalist composer, pianist, librettist and musicologist, perhaps best known for the many scores he wrote during his lengthy collaboration with the British filmmaker Peter Greenaway. ... Miramax is a Big Ten film distribution and production company. ... is the 139th day of the year (140th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... The Cannes Film Festival (French: le Festival de Cannes), founded in 1939, is one of the worlds oldest, most influential and prestigious film festivals. ... is the 217th day of the year (218th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 316th day of the year (317th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Māori or Te Reo Māori, commonly shortened to Te Reo (literally the language) is an official language of New Zealand. ... British Sign Language (BSL) is the sign language used in the United Kingdom (UK), and is the first or preferred language of an unknown number of Deaf people in the UK (published estimates range from 30,000 to 250,000 but it is likely that the lower figures are more... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ... This article is about motion pictures. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jane Campion (born April 30, 1954 in Wellington, New Zealand) is an Academy Award-winning film maker. ... Holly Hunter (born March 20, 1958) is an Academy Award-winning American actress. ... Harvey Keitel (born May 13, 1939) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor from New York City. ... Sam Neill (born Nigel John Dermot Neill), DCNZM, OBE (born 14 September 1947) is a New Zealand-Australian film and television actor, and owner of the Two Paddocks winery in Central Otago. ... Anna Helene Paquin (born July 24, 1982) is an Academy Award-winning and Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated Canadian actress. ... A short grand piano, with the lid up. ... Michael Nyman (born March 23, 1944) is a British minimalist composer, pianist, librettist and musicologist, perhaps best known for the many scores he wrote during his lengthy collaboration with the British filmmaker Peter Greenaway. ... A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music from a particular feature film. ... In filmmaking, an international co-production is a film made by production companies from different countries. ... Jan Chapman is an Australian film producer. ...

Synopsis

The Piano tells the story of Scotswoman Ada McGrath (Hunter), who is sold into marriage by her father to frontiersman Alistair Stewart (Neill). She is shipped off with her young daughter Flora (Paquin) to live with Stewart as his wife in his native New Zealand. She has not spoken a word since she was six years old, expressing herself instead through sign language (for which her daughter serves as the interpreter) and through her piano playing. It is never made clear why she ceased to speak at such a young age, and she repeatedly displays a difficulty in receiving physical affection throughout the film, which might be seen as an indication of sexual abuse. It has been suggested that Scottish ethnicity be merged into this article or section. ... Two sign language Intepreters working as a team for a school. ... Interpreter can mean one of the following: In communication, an interpreter is a person whose role is to facilitate dialogue between two parties that do not use the same language. ...

Her new husband does not understand its emotional value, however, and due to lack of manpower to carry all her belongings, he abandons the piano on the beach where Ada and her daughter had been unceremoniously deposited by the ship that ferried them from Scotland. When the instrument is sold to their neighbour George Baines (Keitel) in exchange for land, Ada is asked to give him piano lessons. Baines offers Ada the return of her piano, initially in exchange for piano lessons but eventually adding escalating sexual demands. She gradually develops affection for Baines and trusts his touch, and the pair pursues an affair. Meanwhile, Alistair is hoping that she will warm up to him, but their bed stays cold. This article is about the country. ...

When her husband discovers the affair, he initially tries to lock her into their house, then attempts to trust her. Ada sends her daughter to deliver a package to Baines, containing a single piano key with an inscribed love declaration. Her daughter Flora disapproves of the affair, instead informing Stewart who punishes Ada by chopping off one of her fingers and threatening further mutilation if she continues the affair with Baines.

Finally, Ada and Stewart divorce, and Ada moves away together with Baines. She attempts to drown herself during the boat journey to their new home by ordering the piano to be thrown overboard and placing her foot in the loops of rope so that she is pulled into the sea with it. However, as she sinks through the water, she chooses to live instead, untangles herself, and swims to the surface, leaving the piano on the ocean floor.

In an epilogue she describes how she is living with Baines in Nelson and has started to give piano lessons in their new home. She has also started to learn how to speak, and adds that she is regarded as the town freak - "which satisfies." But she dreams at night of her piano in its ocean grave, and of herself still tied to it. The City of Nelson is situated very close to the centre of New Zealand. ...

Responses

The film won the 1993 Palme d'Or (Golden Palm, shared with Chen Kaige's Farewell My Concubine) and a Best Performance Prize for Holly Hunter at the Cannes Film Festival. In 1994, the film won Academy Awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Holly Hunter), as well as Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Anna Paquin) and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen. Anna Paquin was the second youngest person to win an Academy Award. It was nominated for Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Director, Best Film Editing and Best Picture. Hunter's award was notable for being the only time the award has been presented to an actor who does not speak onscreen. Palme dOr The Palme dOr (Golden Palm) is the highest prize given to a film at the Cannes Film Festival. ... Chen Kaige (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chen Kai-ko) (born August 12, 1952) is a Chinese film director. ... Farewell My Concubine is a 1993 Chinese film directed by Chen Kaige which depicts the effects of various Chinese political turmoils during the 20th century on a Peking opera troupe. ... The Best Actress Award (French: Prix dinterprétation féminine) is an award presented at the Cannes Film Festival. ... Holly Hunter (born March 20, 1958) is an Academy Award-winning American actress. ... The Cannes Film Festival (French: le Festival de Cannes), founded in 1939, is one of the worlds oldest, most influential and prestigious film festivals. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ... Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. ... The Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the awards given to actresses working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ... // The Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best script not based upon previously published material. ... Charles Rosher the first recipient in 1928 The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is awarded each year to a cinematographer for his work in one particular motion picture. ... This Academy Award was first given for movies made in 1948 when separate awards were given for black-and-white and color movies. ... The Academy Award for Directing is one of the awards given to directors working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. ... The Academy Award for Film Editing was first given for films issued in 1934. ... // The Academy Award for Best Motion Picture is one of the Academy Awards, awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which are voted on by others within the industry. ...

Critical reaction was overwhelmingly supportive. Roger Ebert called it "one of the most enchanting love stories ever made." In an Entertainment Weekly sample of critics at the time of release, The Piano scored a unanimous 'A' rating; a feat that only a handful of other films have been able to manage. Roger Joseph Ebert (born June 18, 1942) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American film critic. ... Entertainment Weekly (sometimes abbreviated EW) is a magazine published by Time Inc. ...

Awards

Won

• Academy Awards:
  • Best Actress (Holly Hunter)
  • Best Screenplay - Original (Jane Campion)
  • Best Supporting Actress (Anna Paquin)
• Australian Film Institute:
  • Best Actor (Harvey Keitel)
  • Best Actress (Holly Hunter)
  • Best Cinematography (Stuart Dryburgh)
  • Best Costume Design (Janet Patterson)
  • Best Director (Jane Campion)
  • Best Editing (Veronika Jenet)
  • Best Film
  • Best Original Music Score (Michael Nyman)
  • Best Production Design
  • Best Screenplay - Original (Jane Campion)
  • Best Sound
• BAFTA Awards:
  • Best Actress (Holly Hunter)
  • Best Costume Design (Janet Patterson)
  • Best Production Design (Andrew McAlpine)
• Boston Film Critics:
  • Best Actress (Holly Hunter)
• Chicago Film Critics:
  • Best Actress (Holly Hunter)
  • Best Score (Michael Nyman)
• Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics:
  • Best Actress (Holly Hunter)
• Golden Globe Awards:
  • Best Actress - Drama (Holly Hunter)
• Independent Spirit Awards:
  • Best Foreign Film, Australia/New Zealand
• London Film Critics:
  • Actress of the Year (Holly Hunter)
  • Film of the Year
• Los Angeles Film Critics:
  • Best Actress (Holly Hunter)
  • Best Cinematography
  • Best Director (Jane Campion)
  • Best Screenplay (Jane Campion)
  • Best Supporting Actress (Anna Paquin)
• National Board of Review:
  • Best Actress (Holly Hunter)
• National Society of Film Critics:
  • Best Actress (Holly Hunter)
  • Best Screenplay (Jane Campion)
• New York Film Critics:
  • Best Actress (Holly Hunter)
  • Best Director (Jane Campion)
  • Best Screenplay (Jane Campion)
• Southeastern Film Critics:
  • Best Actress (Holly Hunter)
  • Best Director (Jane Campion)
  • Best Picture
• Writers Guild of America (WGA):
  • Best Screenplay - Original (Jane Campion)

Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ... The Australian Film Institute (AFI), established in 1958, is an organisation that promotes Australian film and television through the annual AFI Awards, a membership program and AFI film events throughout the year. ... The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), is a British organization that hosts annual awards shows for film, television, childrens film and television, and interactive media. ... 14th Boston Society of Film Critics Awards December 19, 1993 Best Picture: Schindlers List The 14th Boston Society of Film Critics Awards honored the best filmmaking of 1993. ... 6th Chicago Film Critics Association Awards The 6th Chicago Film Critics Association Awards honored the finest achievements in 1993 filmmaking. ... The 1st Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards honoured best filmmaking of 1993. ... 51st Golden Globe Awards January 22, 1994 Picture - Drama: Schindlers List Picture - Musical or Comedy: Mrs. ... 1994 Independent Spirit Awards March 19, 1994 Best Picture: Short Cuts The 1994 Independent Spirit Awards, given by Film Independent on 19 March 1994, honored the best in film for 1993. ... 19th Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards December 11, 1993 The 19th Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards, honoring the best in film for 1993, were given on 11 December 1993. ... 63rd National Board of Review Awards The 63rd National Board of Review Awards, honoring the best in filmmaking in 1993, were announced on 14 December 1993 and given on 28 February 1994. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... 59th New York Film Critics Circle Awards January 16, 1994 Best Picture: Schindlers List The 59th New York Film Critics Circle Awards honored the best filmmaking of 1993. ... 2nd Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards January 1994 The 2nd Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards, honoring the best in film for 1993, were held in January 1994. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Nominated

• Academy Awards:
  • Best Cinematography (Stuart Dryburgh)
  • Best Costume Design (Janet Patterson)
  • Best Director (Jane Campion)
  • Best Editing (Veronika Jenet)
  • Best Picture
• American Cinema Editors:
  • Best Edited Feature Film (Veronika Jenet)
• American Society of Cinematographers:
  • Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases (Stuart Dryburgh)
• Australian Film Institute:
  • Best Supporting Actor (Sam Neill)
  • Best Supporting Actress (Kerry Walker)
• BAFTA Awards:
  • Best Cinematography
  • Best Director (Jane Campion)
  • Best Editing
  • Best Film
  • Best Score (Michael Nyman)
  • Best Screenplay - Original (Jane Campion)
  • Best Sound
• Directors Guild of America (DGA):
  • Best Director (Jane Campion)
• Golden Globe Awards:
  • Best Director (Jane Campion)
  • Best Original Score (Michael Nyman)
  • Best Picture - Drama
  • Best Screenplay (Jane Campion)
  • Best Supporting Actress (Anna Paquin)

Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ... Founded in 1950, American Cinema Editors (ACE) is an honorary society of film editors that are voted in based on the qualities of professional achievements, their education of others, and their dedication to editing itself. ... The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) is not a labor union or guild, but rather an educational, cultural and professional organization. ... The Australian Film Institute (AFI), established in 1958, is an organisation that promotes Australian film and television through the annual AFI Awards, a membership program and AFI film events throughout the year. ... The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), is a British organization that hosts annual awards shows for film, television, childrens film and television, and interactive media. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Golden Globe Awards are American awards for motion pictures and television programs, given out each year during a formal dinner. ...

Soundtrack

For more details, see The Piano (soundtrack).

The score for the film was written by Michael Nyman, and included the acclaimed piece 'The Heart Asks Pleasure First'; additional pieces were 'Big My Secret', 'The Mood That Passes Through You', 'Silver Fingered Fling', 'Deep Sleep Playing' and 'The Attraction Of The Peddling Ankle'. This album is rated in the top 100 soundtrack albums of all time and Nyman's work is regarded as a key voice in the film, which has a mute lead character (Entertainment Weekly, October 12 2001, p. 44). The Piano is the original soundtrack, on the Virgin Records label, of the 1993 Academy Award-winning film The Piano starring Holly Hunter (who won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as Ada McGrath in this film), Harvey Keitel, Sam Neill and Anna Paquin (who won the... Michael Nyman (born March 23, 1944) is a British minimalist composer, pianist, librettist and musicologist, perhaps best known for the many scores he wrote during his lengthy collaboration with the British filmmaker Peter Greenaway. ...

Trivia

Casting the role of Ada was a difficult process. Sigourney Weaver was Campion's first choice, but she turned down the role because she was taking a break from movies at the time. Juliette Binoche was considered for the role at one stage. ([1]) Jennifer Jason Leigh was also considered but she couldn't meet with Campion to read the script because she was shooting the film Rush at the time. ([2]) Sigourney Weaver (born Susan Alexandra Weaver on October 8, 1949 in New York City) is an Oscar-nominated American actress. ... Juliette Binoche (French IPA: ) (born March 9, 1964 in Paris) is an Oscar-winning and Golden Globe nominated French film actress. ... Jennifer Jason Leigh (born February 5, 1962) is an American actress who has appeared in numerous films. ... Rush is a crime drama from 1991. ...

Alistair Fox has argued that The Piano was significantly influenced by Jane Mander's The Story of a New Zealand River.^[1] Mary Jane Mander (April 9, 1877—December 20, 1949) was a New Zealand novelist and journalist. ...

Notes

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

• Cheshire, Ellen. Jane Campion. Great Britain: Pocket Essentials, 2000.
• Kaufman, Cynthia. "Colonialism, Purity, and Resistance in The Piano." Socialist Review 24 (1995): 251-55.

External links

• The Piano at the Internet Movie Database
• Roger Ebert's review

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