The Piano

The Piano
Company type	Film
Industry	Film industry
Founded	1993
Founder	Jane Campion
Products	Period romance film

The Piano is a 1993 period romance film both penned and helmed by New Zealand director Jane Campion. The cast features Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Sam Neill, and Anna Paquin in her breakthrough role. The narrative centers on a mute Scottish woman who relocates to isolated New Zealand with her daughter following an arranged marriage to a settler. Although the storyline incorporates aspects reminiscent of Jane Mander's 1920 novel The Story of a New Zealand River, Campion also drew creative influence from Wuthering Heights and The African Queen.

Produced through an Australian-French collaboration, The Piano debuted at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival on May 15, 1993, where it secured the prestigious Palme d'Or, marking Campion as the first female director to earn this distinction. The film achieved significant box office success, accumulating US$140.2 million globally against a modest US$7 million budget. Its appeal extended well beyond arthouse circles, propelled by critical praise and strong audience recommendations.

The movie garnered numerous honors, including three Academy Awards recognizing Hunter (Best Actress), Paquin (Best Supporting Actress), and Campion (Best Original Screenplay). Additional awards included a Writers Guild Award, a Golden Globe, three BAFTA Awards, and eleven Australian Film Institute Awards.

Plot

Set in the mid-19th century, Ada McGrath, a Scottish woman affected by elective mutism, journeys to colonial New Zealand accompanied by her daughter Flora for an arranged marriage to settler Alisdair Stewart. Ada has been silent since age six, and Flora’s paternal identity remains undisclosed. Ada communicates through piano music and sign language, with Flora serving as her interpreter.

Upon arrival, Ada, Flora, and their custom-made piano are left stranded on a New Zealand shoreline by the ship’s crew. Alisdair appears alongside his Māori workers and neighbor George Baines, a former sailor who has embraced Māori traditions, including facial tattoos. Alisdair refuses to retrieve the piano from the beach, insisting that sacrifices must be made by all parties. In desperation, Ada seeks George’s assistance. Though initially hesitant, George becomes enchanted by her musical talent and the joy she exhibits when playing—contrasting with her otherwise stern demeanor on the farm.

George proposes exchanging land with Alisdair in return for the piano and piano lessons from Ada. Alisdair consents without realizing George’s growing attraction toward Ada. Infuriated yet resigned, Ada agrees to trade lessons for piano keys but restricts instruction to black keys only while resisting George’s romantic advances. She spurns Alisdair’s attempts at intimacy while exploring her own sensuality with George. When George recognizes Ada’s emotional detachment, he returns the piano to Alisdair, confessing his wish for a relationship founded on genuine affection.

Although reunited with her instrument, Ada yearns for George and ultimately goes back to him. Alisdair overhears their encounter and confronts Ada, attempting to force himself on her before coercing her to end their liaison. Ada sends Flora with a package containing a piano key inscribed with a love message meant for George; however, Flora delivers it to Alisdair instead. Enraged by this betrayal, Alisdair amputates Ada’s index finger—crippling her ability to play—and sends the severed finger with Flora as a warning to George.

Later, Alisdair believes he hears Ada speak, urging him to allow George to take her away. He confronts George about this; George denies ever hearing Ada speak. Ultimately, George and Ada depart together with her possessions and piano lashed onto a Māori canoe. As they paddle toward the departing ship, Ada requests George to cast the piano into the sea and attempts suicide by entangling herself in its ropes but manages to free herself and is rescued.

In the epilogue, Ada recounts her new life with George and Flora in Nelson, where she teaches piano lessons. George has fashioned a metal replacement for her lost finger; Ada practices playing again while taking speech therapy lessons. Occasionally she dreams of the piano resting on the ocean floor with herself still attached to it.

Cast

Holly Hunter portrays Ada McGrath
Harvey Keitel appears as George Baines
Sam Neill plays Alisdair Stewart
Anna Paquin takes on the role of Flora McGrath
Kerry Walker features as Aunt Morag
Genevieve Lemon acts as Nessie
Tungia Baker represents Hira
Ian Mune is cast as the Reverend
Peter Dennett plays the chief seaman
Cliff Curtis portrays Mana
Pete Smith appears as Hone
Te Whatanui Skipwith acts as Chief Nihe
Mere Boynton plays Nihe’s daughter
George Boyle is Ada’s father
Rose McIver features as Angel
Mika Haka portrays Tahu
Gordon Hatfield appears as Te Kori
Bruce Allpress acts as the blind piano tuner
Stephen Papps takes on the role of Bluebeard

Production

The film was initially named The Piano Lesson but was retitled The Piano due to copyright conflicts with an American play sharing the original title.

Casting the lead role of Ada proved difficult; Jane Campion’s preferred choice, Sigourney Weaver, declined, and scheduling issues prevented Jennifer Jason Leigh from participating. Although Isabelle Huppert considered auditioning, she later expressed regret for not pursuing the part more vigorously. After selecting Holly Hunter for Ada, a nationwide open casting search was conducted for Flora, targeting girls aged between 9 and 13 who could convincingly portray Hunter’s daughter. From over 5,000 applicants, Anna Paquin was ultimately cast.

To portray Ada’s sign language authentically, Hunter collaborated extensively with instructor Darlene Allen Wittman to create a distinctive hybrid sign language blending elements from American, British, Russian, Indigenous signs, and original gestures. Additionally, Hunter undertook piano lessons to convincingly perform Michael Nyman’s compositions.

The narrative draws inspiration from Jane Mander’s novel The Story of a New Zealand River, incorporates thematic parallels with the "Bluebeard" fairytale (featured in the Christmas pageant), and reflects influences from literary works such as Wuthering Heights and The African Queen. In 2013, Campion disclosed that her initial ending involved Ada drowning after falling overboard in pursuit of her piano.

Principal filming spanned 12 weeks from February through mid-May 1992 across various locations in New Zealand’s North Island. Notable sites included Karekare Beach (where Ada arrives and leaves her piano behind), forest scenes near Matakana and Awakino, and underwater sequences filmed at the Bay of Islands.

Campion sought to position The Piano beyond conventional arthouse circles. According to publicist Simona Benzakein, their approach emphasized making the film accessible and appealing to a wider mainstream audience rather than limiting it to an elite niche.

Critical reception

The performances by Holly Hunter and Anna Paquin received extensive critical praise, culminating in Academy Awards for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress respectively.

Critics responded very favorably. Roger Ebert described The Piano as "peculiar and haunting," calling it "one of those rare films... that explores an entire universe of emotion." Hal Hinson of The Washington Post praised it as an "evocative, powerful, extraordinarily beautiful motion picture."

Ranked among 1993's top films by 86 critics, it emerged as the most celebrated movie of that year. Leonard Maltin awarded it three and a half stars in his 2013 Movie Guide, commending it as a "haunting, unpredictable story of love and sexuality told from a woman’s perspective" and highlighting Campion's innovative direction.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 90% approval rating based on 71 reviews, with an average rating of 8.5 out of 10. The critical consensus reads: "Fueled by Holly Hunter's leading performance, The Piano is a romance exploring truth through the lens of erotic passion." Metacritic assigns it a weighted average score of 89 out of 100 from 20 critics, denoting "universal acclaim."

Box office

The film achieved the status of New Zealand's highest-earning movie ever, overtaking Footrot Flats: The Dog's Tale (1986) with a revenue of $NZ3.8 million. Globally, it amassed over US$140 million, including $7 million from Australia, $16 million from France, and $39 million across the US and Canada, all produced on a modest budget of US$7 million.

Accolades

This film garnered eight nominations at the 66th Academy Awards, securing three wins: Best Actress for Holly Hunter, Best Supporting Actress for Anna Paquin, and Best Original Screenplay awarded to Jane Campion. At just 11 years old, Paquin became the second youngest recipient of a competitive Oscar.

At the 1993 Cannes Film Festival, the movie was honored with the Palme d'Or—a distinction it shared with Farewell My Concubine—making Campion both the first female and first New Zealander to receive this prestigious award. Holly Hunter also earned the Best Actress prize at Cannes.

In 2019, a survey conducted by the BBC among 368 film specialists named The Piano as the leading film directed by a woman.

Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result
66th Academy Awards	Best Picture	Jan Chapman	Template:Nom
	Best Director	Jane Campion	Template:Nom
	Best Actress	Holly Hunter	Template:Won
	Best Supporting Actress	Anna Paquin	Template:Won
	Best Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screen	Jane Campion	Template:Won
	Best Cinematography	Stuart Dryburgh	Template:Nom
	Best Costume Design	Janet Patterson	Template:Nom
	Best Film Editing	Veronika Jenet	Template:Nom
American Cinema Editors Awards	Best Edited Feature Film – Dramatic	Veronika Jenet	Template:Nom
American Society of Cinematographers Awards	Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases	Stuart Dryburgh	Template:Nom
Argentine Film Critics Association Awards	Best Foreign Film	Jane Campion	Template:Won
1993 Australian Film Institute Awards	Best Film	Jan Chapman	Template:Won
	Best Direction	Jane Campion	Template:Won
	Best Actor in a Leading Role	Harvey Keitel	Template:Won
	Best Actress in a Leading Role	Holly Hunter	Template:Won
	Best Actor in a Supporting Role	Sam Neill	Template:Nom
	Best Actress in a Supporting Role	Kerry Walker	Template:Nom
	Best Original Screenplay	Jane Campion	Template:Won
	Best Cinematography	Stuart Dryburgh	Template:Won
	Best Costume Design	Janet Patterson	Template:Won

Soundtrack

The musical score for the movie was created by Michael Nyman, featuring the renowned composition "The Heart Asks Pleasure First," along with pieces such as "Big My Secret" and "Silver Fingered Fling." This collection is recognized among the top 100 soundtracks ever produced. Nyman’s music significantly contributes to the film’s emotional resonance, particularly given the protagonist’s silence. The principal melody draws inspiration from the traditional Scottish tune "Gloomy Winter's Noo Awa'."

Home media

Initially released on VHS on May 25, 1994, the film dispelled early doubts about its artistic appeal by securing multiple Academy Award nominations, which helped it achieve notable success in the home video sector. It ranked within the top 30 most rented videos in the United States during 1994. The movie was later issued on DVD in 1997 by Live Entertainment, followed by Blu-ray editions released in Australia in 2010 and in the U.S. through Lionsgate in January 2012.

On January 25, 2022, The Criterion Collection introduced a remastered edition available on both Ultra HD Blu-ray and Blu-ray formats as part of their inaugural series of 4K presentations, elevating its status in high-quality home viewing options.

External links

The Piano at Ozmovies
The Piano: Gothic Gone South – essay by Carmen Gray at the Criterion Collection