The Piano

“The strange thing is, I don’t think myself silent. That is because of my piano.”

For his all-time classic by Jane Campion, the Palm d’Or was just the starting signal. In 1993, the film strung the praising reviews together, which translated into full cinemas. The general audience also fully embraced the minimalistic music of British composer Michael Nyman. The New-Zealand director Jane Campion won an Oscar and the same prize at Cannes for her main role, and the barely eleven-year-old Anna Paquin won the Oscar for her convincing supporting rol as the daughter, who is also her mother’s interpreter. To this day, THE PIANO is a film you must experience on the big screen, the best setting for the desolate landscapes and compelling music.

Scotland, mid 19th century. The mute Ada (Holly Hunter) travels together with her daughter (Anna Paquin) and her beloved piano to New-Zealand for an arranged marriage with the rich land owner Stewart (Sam Neill) but is quickly desired by a local labourer on the plantation, the intense George (Harvey Keitel). When Stewart sells her piano to George, he proposes a trade. Ada can earn her piano back if she teaches him to play it.

Producer Jan Chapman was immediately convinced of the need for the erotic drama to be made: “There was an essence that went back to Emily Brontë and WUTHERING HEIGHTS in its expression of female desire. It’s ironic, because it is about male and female attraction and sexuality, but it’s also about a private insight into the female version of that. It ignited me, and I thought it was enough to ignite other people.”

With our FILM CLASS PASS, you can attend all screenings and lectures of the film historic season at a reduced rate.