Review of The Piano (1993) by Dave J — 03 Dec 2010

It succeeds on many levels, but none more than Holly Hunter's stupendous performance which goes down as one of the best of the nineties.

Jane Campion directs her greatest triumph in The Piano; a dramatic piece revolving around an introverted mute who is sold into a marriage, but experiences a sexual awakening with a man other than her new husband. Although she does not speak, Ada (Hunter) plays the piano incredibly well and relies upon her young daughter (Paquin) to communicate for her.

Hunter's performance as Ada is absolutely astounding. Despite the fact she doesn't utter a single word, she delivers a chillingly beautiful performance that makes The Piano worth watching simply to witness this great acting feat. Few actresses could carry off such a gutsy turn as Hunter does, making it no surprise that she earned Best Actress honours from almost every major awards body. I honestly cannot praise this performance enough.

Beside Hunter, young Anna Paquin-now better known for her roles in the X-Men series and TV show True Blood-also puts in an Oscar winning turn. Paquin was just eleven years old when she picked up her Academy Award, however I can only imagine that the rest of the Best Supporting Actress category must have been particularly weak that year. Though her performance is undeniably very good, I can list at least half a dozen better child performances that have since followed, which have gone completely unnoticed by the Academy.

Campion directs like a true pro, keeping the plot moving at a good pace and capturing an unusual backdrop admirably. The atmosphere she creates jumps from the highly dramatic to the highly erotic and back again, yet manages to retain a continual sense of threat and danger lurking beneath the surface, or perhaps just behind Hunter's tightly shut lips. Had Spielberg not unleashed Schindler's List the same year, Campion may well have found herself the first woman to win the Best Director Oscar some fifteen years sooner that Bigelow did.

As you would expect from a period piece the visuals are strong. Costumes and photography are both noteworthy, and provide plenty of moments for viewers to nod in appreciation of a strong visual aesthetic. This aesthetic further elevates the dramatic aura of the film, along with a quality score and decent supporting performances from Harvey Keitel and Sam Neill.

The Piano is a subtle yet striking movie that will satisfy any who enjoy high quality drama or period pieces, and furthermore features the performance of a lifetime from Holly Hunter.