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Rating: 4 out of 5
Out of all the instruments that I would like to play, the piano is by far the one I would spend the most time on. Don’t get me wrong, playing any instrument is impressive, but the piano is just fantastic in my eyes. Greats like Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder know how to just make a piano sing. I can’t forget about John Legend. Homeboy played that piano and let those smooth skills play to Chrissy Teigen’s heart. I need to start playing the piano. Does this have anything to do with the movie, The Piano? Nope, but I couldn’t think of any way to start this review.
Written and directed by Jane Campion, the Piano revolves around a mute Scottish woman who agrees to get married and move to a remote part of New Zealand with her young daughter. An electively mute Scotswoman named Ada McGrath (Hunter) is sold by her father into marriage to a New Zealand frontiersman named Alisdair Stewart (Neil). Going with Ada is her young daughter Flora, whose baby daddy was Ada’s piano teacher where Ada believes that she seduced through telepathy. Ada has not spoken a word since she was six years old, and no one around her or even herself knows why. She was like, I ain’t talking no more and just stopped. Life in the rugged New Zealand lands is hard at first for Ada and Flora. She is not attracted at all to her new husband, and when her husband sells her piano to his neighbor Baines (Keitel), her world seems crushed. She finds hope when Baines agrees to sell it back to her for piano lessons but with specific terms. As Ada gives the lessons, she soon realizes that she is slowly falling for the man that isn’t her husband.
Everything happened over a piano. Love, jealousy, anger, and passion over 88 keys. I will be the first to admit that I was very uninterested in watching this film. What type of story can you make about a piano that would be interesting? Yet, the piano was the conduit for all the characters in this film. The piano is a speaking tool that Ada can’t live without. Even though her daughter is her voice, it is the tool that brings out her love and passion. Without it, her mind can’t comprehend. Case in point, when Ada and Flora arrive in New Zealand, Alisdair tells Ada there is no room in his small house for the piano and abandons her piano on the beach. Ada, in turn, is cold to him and is determined to be reunited with her piano. When Ada finds out that Alisdair traded her piano for land, she is PISSED! She makes sure there is no lovemaking at all in their relationship.
The story of the piano for Ada and others also has some major DRAMA but also romance. When Ada makes her way to the beach to play the piano, Baines rolls up and says he likes music. Baines suggests that Alisdair trade the instrument to him for some land, which Alisdair agrees to and throws in lessons from Ada. A nice little deal, but the dude doesn’t know that Blaine is highly attracted to Ada. The “lessons” showed Blaines’ weak-ass attempt to seduce Ada. Baines proposes Ada can earn her piano back at a rate of one piano key per “lesson,” provided he can observe her and do “things he likes” while she plays. She agrees but negotiates for a number of lessons equal to the number of black keys only. At this part of the movie, I was like, what the freak is going on. Blaine was creepy and would be straight naked and ask her to undress while playing.
With all of this, a romance developed between to two. Not just a fling but actual and genuine love. When Blaine notices that Ada only does what she has to in order to regain the piano and has no romantic feelings for him, he gives up his sad pursuit and decides to return the piano to Ada. Okay, movie done, and she has what she really wants. Yet, when Ada finally realizes what she really wanted, she sees that she genuinely misses him watching her and returns for some love. Ada’s mood changes because she is really in love.
Now let’s talk about the drama. One man’s gain is another loss, and Alisdair is the one who lost out. First, dude ain’t getting any ass from his wife, and then suddenly, he hears Flora talking about the lessons and decides to check it out. He sees his homeboy straight up banging his wife. This some Jerry Springer shit right here. Yet, dude tries to win her back by locking her up in the house, and when that doesn’t work, he cuts off her fingers, so she cant do what she loves. Then sends Flora, who witnessed this, to Baines with the severed finger wrapped in cloth, with the message that if Baines ever attempts to see Ada again, he will chop off more fingers.
Yet, love prevails because some telepathy supernatural stuff was going on, and Blaine and Ada, along with Flora, get back together and leave Alisdair. The moral of the story is that love conquers all, and if you need some telepathy, you better use it.
First, let me get this out of the way. The setting is in New Zealand. Ain’t nothing wrong with New Zealand but really? I know when Ada and Flora jumped off the boat and looked around, they were like, where the hell are we. I liked how they tried to make some 1870 English society with the natives of the land. There were a few gossip and clashes. A perfect example is when the kids played behind the sheets, and they thought they were murdering someone. Dudes were about to go H.A.M on everyone.
Let’s give some love to Jane Campion. She wrote and directed this film and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director. You know how big-time that is? She was the second of seven women ever nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director. This happened in 1993! I don’t care who won the Academy Award for Best Director. Campion should be applauded for her craft and showing the world that a woman is just as good as any dude.
Now the biggest area of this movie besides the story is the performances. I want to give some MAJOR love to Anna Paquin as Flora McGrath. At age 11, Anna Paquin became the second-youngest competitive Academy Award winner. Homegirl deserved her award because she was definitely the sassy one, as Flora. Sometimes it was hard to believe that this was a kid talking to everyone. She has a child tendencies with lying about things she knows but damn. Paquin was the biggest focus because she was so good in her role. 11 years old and wins the Academy Award. That is freakin big time.
Now for the rest of the cast. Holly Hunter as Ada McGrath was fantastic in her role. Not to say one word through the whole movie is impressive, but showing your emotions through sign language and facial expressions is on another level. You could tell how Ada was feeling by watching. Through the film, you felt her passion when she played the piano.
Now for the men in this film. They were okay. Harvey Keitel as George Baines was a little strange to me. Okay, dude was bizarre. I would say his tattoos threw me off, but the way he acted was weird. Dude was a whaler and did some creepy things to get the attention of Ada. Sam Neill as Alisdair Stewart was that character you felt a little bad for because he did provide for his wife. Still, when he found out that she was messing around, dude didn’t need to snap and cut off homegirl’s fingers. There is a thing called divorce.
The Piano is a good movie. Not one for me, but I was entertained. If you are looking for a unique love story where a little girl talks like an adult and the adult somewhat acts like a child, then here you go? If you are looking for some weird piano lessons that slowly turn to love, this film is for you. This film is all about Anna Paquin and Holly Hunter acting like the queens they are.
