Conference bookie::movies

    Yes, this is a very POWERFUL film for me.  There is one particular
    scene that held so much meaning that I sobbed.  
    
    The scenery is spectacular, though I hear that they don't really have
    that much mud where it was shot in the North Island of New Zealand
    (from a person that vacationed on that beach).
    
    I do so enjoy the Australian/New Zealand film industry.  The movies are
    so REAL!  They really need to be brought to the world's attention.  We
    have female directors that are excellent and appreciated.
    
    This movie is a MUST, whenever it gets to the US shores.....
    
    
    Sooz

    RE: .1
    
>    Yes, this is a very POWERFUL film for me.  There is one particular
>    scene that held so much meaning that I sobbed.  
    
    Which scene are you referring to?  Just curious.
    
>    The scenery is spectacular, though I hear that they don't really have
>    that much mud where it was shot in the North Island of New Zealand
>    (from a person that vacationed on that beach).
    
    I guess they just hit a rainy spell. ;-) It definitely wasn't the type
    of movie you want to have set in sunshine...
    
    John

    'lo John,
    
    It's THE scene.  I can't tell which one for those that haven't seen it. 
    The symbolism of it, especially as a woman, is incredible!  For me
    anyway....
    
    The setting was very effective however it was attained.
    
    So you enjoyed?
    
    
    Sooz

Hi Sooz,

>    So you enjoyed?

Yes I thought it was one of the better I have seen recently.  I think it
is probably too artistic to attract the bulk of the general public but I
enjoyed it.

>    It's THE scene.  I can't tell which one for those that haven't seen it. 
>    The symbolism of it, especially as a woman, is incredible!  For me
>    anyway....
    
Spoiler follows...


I take it then that you are talking about the axe scene? Yes, that was very
dramatic.  By the sounds I heard in the audience I don't think anyone was
ready for it...

I was just wondering whether you might have meant the part at the end, when
she and the piano went overboard, which I thought was also a memorable scene.

John

    Is this movie playing in Boston yet?  I haven't seen it in the paper.
    
    Lorna
    

    Yes the first spoiler John.
    
    The B.....d misused power.....
    
    You are right, it is an arty film.  I was surprised how empty the
    theatre was even after it won the Cannes award.
    
    I hope this film reaches the US shores and you all can enjoy it's
    uniqueness and exquisiteness!!                 
    
    Sooz

    "The Piano" is opening in Boston on November 19. (Check your local
    listings, etc...)
    
    -b

	Saw it this weekend.  Our first three choices (Age of Innocence,
	Remains of Day, and Farewell My Concubine) were all sold out at both
	cinemas despite being 30 minutes early (first Harvard Sq and then ran
	over  to the Nick), so we saw this one rather than going home [based on
	the rave reviews I read here for it being an artistic film].

	My reaction to the film is "just OK".  I didn't find the movie deep
	personally.  I can see someone calling it romantic.  But visually empty
	for me, the cinematography was bland and undistinctive.  I think the
	story makes for a much better novel than a film.  Just four characters
	including the little daughter without a lot of supporting subplots or
	complexities like you'd see in Room with a View or as I'd expect also
	in Remains of the Day.  There was no richness on screen to occupy your
	aesthetics (no striking costumes, interior architecture, food,
	paintings, etc).  The music wasn't even very moving, no great fantastic
	piano scenes - the piano performances were just lukewarm, played
	without much flair or feeling.  (However I heard that Hunter learned to
	play the piano herself for the role, to give her a lot of deserved
	credit as a novice).  

	And of course, very little conversation.

	I'd suspect that the New Zealand board of tourism must regret this film
	terribly, as it portrays NZ as an entirely dark, dank, muddy, and
	raining dreary place.  There were only a few scenes with sunshine, and
	those were a big deal (ie the boards removed off the window scene).  I
	got 'winter depression' just by watching the film. :-)

	The movie was OK.  My SO rated it a little better than I did, entirely
	for it's romantic story.  I like the story as well, but the found the
	side aspects with everything else that makes a movie too lacking and
	simple for it (the movie) to grab me.  It felt like a lower budget PBS
	television show in its production/cinematography values, which looks OK
	for TV but not for film.  It was an interior movie without a striking
	interior, without striking conversations, and without striking
	complexities and subplots, which are largely the things I appreciate
	with an interior movie.  For an artistic movie, the movie contained no
	striking visual arts, beauty, or even landscapes (dark rainy muddy
	woods don't count or didn't work as beauty for me).  I'd have enjoyed
	the story much more in book form, where the addition of perhaps
	intriguing word choice and writing style would provide the story with a
	much deeper and richer environment.  I did not find the film too
	'artsy', quite the opposite actually (simple and devoid of art).
    	
	While I didn't dislike the film, I'm not raving about it either.
	Forget about the label artistic, as it didn't apply in my opinion.  But
	go for the story and you'll enjoy it.  I put a lot (perhaps too much
	for some) into the cinematography of a film, particularly for a
	well-crafted 'artistic' film.  I think you would be able to receive the
	exact same experience at home on TV when the movie is released on video
	as I had in the theatre, fwiw.

	*** out of *****, entirely for the story content.

	-Erik

    
    my biggest problem with it is that i *hate* the music. my second
    biggest problem with it is that i find it unbearably creepy. i know
    alot of folk think this is an incredible movie, and i'll grant that
    it has wonderful acting (holly hunter) and cinematography, but i'm
    not enthusiastic.
    

    I better make a spoiler
    
    I liked it, but was disappointed about the ending - I didn't expect
    a happy ending. I would have left her where she already was....
    
    A.
    

I didn't care for the music, myself, but it seemed in keeping with the New
Age-y aspect of the story (i.e.  the mute woman expressed herself through the
music, and also seemed to have some telepathic ability.) 

Most of the film seemed shot in very dim light, too, which I assumed was
characteristic of the rain forest where most of the story took place -- though
it probably functioned on other levels as well.

An odd, romantic, sort of 19th-century colonial gothic love story, though not
at all old-fashioned in style or conception.  Holly Hunter was, indeed, 
remarkable, and the effectively photographed wild New Zealand setting an 
important part of the film.  The comic colonial folk and Maori tribespeople, 
with their different views of the world, were amusing.  

I was gripped by the movie, and I guess I enjoyed it (in spite of the music). 
But while I recognize that it is an intelligent and well made movie, somehow 
I'm not particularly enthusiastic...  
                         

I am amazed at the universally great reviews that this movie is
getting.  I really didn't enjoy it that much.  I do think that it is a
great film visually with lots of dramatic cimematography and
interesting settings.  Also the acting was excellent throughout as
well, especially Holly Hunter's performance.  I just didn't enjoy the
story.

I loved the strong portrayal of Hunter's character at the beginning.
I felt for her as she allowed herself to be used to get what she
wanted.  What I could not understand was why when she was released
from this abusive situation would she then have feelings for the man
who created the situation in the first place.   This idea seems so
offensive to me.  I couldn't believe a woman made this movie.

I also didn't understand the motivation for certain scenes.  There are
so many scenes where Keitel is trying to convince Hunter to go further
sexually that don't seem to advance the plot at all and just seem
gratuitous.  And the scene that everyone talks about, though a great
scene and very intense, didn't make sense for me in the context of the
plot.

By the way, Holly Hunter is an accomplished pianist who considered a
career in music - she didn't have to learn the piano for this part.  I
enjoyed the New Agey music, and the imperfect way that Holly Hunter
played it.  It seemed to fit in with the mood of the movie.

Adam

    The score to this film is by Michael Nyman, who is primarily known for
    his soundtrack scores for Peter Greenaway films.
    
    - Dave
    

    I enjoyed this movie but I didn't think it was great.  The acting was
    good.  The piano music was okay.  It didn't bother me, but I won't be
    buying the soundtrack.  I'm very greatful I never had to live in a rain
    forest in those times.  Yuck.  I thought the story was gloomy and
    depressing.  However, it was a nice change to see Harvey Keitel play a
    nice person!  After last seeing him in The Bad Lieutenant, it was
    refreshing.
    
    It didn't seem strange to me that she fell in love with Harvey Keitel's
    character.   Compared to her husband he seemed like prince charming! 
    She was lonely and didn't have much to choose from.
    
    Lorna
       

    
    re:.13
    ah! i don't like peter greenaway either...
    

    	I really enjoyed this film - kind of poetic to me.  I thought Holly
    Hunter, Harvey Keitel, and the daughter were very good.  One of my
    favorite films of the year, and I've seen many, many films.  One of the
    reasons I enjoyed it so much was that it was different than the typical
    Hollywood movie - new perspective.  I really hesitated to see it
    because the previews and basic plot didn't seem to appealing to me - I
    was pleasantly surprised.
    
    Jean 

I saw this movie over the weekend, and was disappointed after all
of the hype.  I didn't really dislike the movie, but I didn't really
like it either.  It left me sort of lukewarm.  I liked the character
of the daughter a lot, and thought that Holly Hunter did a nice job
with her role.  But, the rest I found uninspiring, and I didn't see
the motivation for a few key scenes.

.1> Ada (Hunter) is an unwed mother in Scotland around 1850.  Since the
.1> age of 6 she has not spoken a work and her only form of expression
.1> has been through the piano.

I was surprised to see this statement, and I really disagree with it.
Ada expressed herself in a lot of ways.  She used sign language to 
communicate with her daughter.  She wrote notes on pieces of paper she
kept in a container which she always wore around her neck to communicate
with everyone else.  She expressed her anger by slamming and throwing
things.

This is something that bothered me about the movie.  Her silence was 
unexplained.  I would have more sympathy if something something horrible 
happened to her which left her isolated from the world, but it seemed
as if her silence was self-imposed.  Because she remained silent while still
communicating, it struck me as very self-indulgent.

					Tracy

    
    I want to ask, how did you guys feel when it was raining onto the
    piano or when it was being carried carelessly through the damp forest?
    
    As the piano was being abused it was like someone squeezing my heart.
    
    As I always say, one should protect instruments like one would protect
    books. They are equally precious.
    
    Lale

    
    I loved this movie. Truly loved it. Very very original. The story
    is nothing like I have ever seen in any other movie. Holly Hunter
    and the little girl playing her daughter were just fabulous. I loved
    the piano, the way she played it and the music. The two very dramatic
    scenes were just that, very dramatic, breath taking. After the movie,
    I was exhausted, drained and I knew I would remain affected for a
    while and I still am.
    
    During the holidays, we watched numerous movies, in theatres and at
    home. Most movies we have seen were great. The Piano was the best.
    Definitely one of the greatest movies I have seen this year.
    
    Everything about the movie was unusual, the subject, the characters,
    the location, the plot, everything.
    
    <spoiler warning>

    I agree with one of the noters who said that it would have been a
    better movie had Ada been left together with her piano, thus an
    unhappy ending, but that would have broken my heart so much to see that
    lovely little girl left alone without her much beloved mom.
    
    I adored the relationship between the mom and daughter, the way they
    played, talked and made music. I have a daughter about that age and
    almost as cute, the more they giggled the more I wished I had my
    daughter beside me.
    
    If I have to say one negative thing about this movie, then it would
    have been about the male actors (doesn't the word "actor" imply
    male anyway?). I don't like either of them, I would have preferred
    some other actor at least in George Baines role.
    
    Other than that, great movie, oscars should pour towards this one.
    
    Lale
    

    I've got a couple of questions, both spoilers if you have
    not seen the movie.  So, behind the formfeed ...
    
    
    
    Well, maybe one more <FF> for good measure...
    
    
    
    
    
    Question #1
    
    	Why did the piano sink?  And not slowly, but RAPIDLY,
    	with considerable force.  Are they not mostly wood?
    	Or have things changed dramatically since the vintage
     	of the piano?
    
    Question #2
    
    	Didn't Harvey Keitel's character mention that he could
    	not read?  And someone had to read something to him?
    	If so, why did Holly Hunter extract the piano key, 
    	*write on it*, and send it to him?  If she knew he could
    	not read, it makes no sense;  if she didn't know, it
    	casts the gesture (and what follows) in a strange light --
    	tragically pointless?
    
    Ada stopped wearing the pad and pencil about 2/3 of the way
    through the film ... symbolic that she had stopped even
    trying to communicate (as little as she tried anyway), or
    a continuity error?  In such a carefully crafted film, it
    seems unlikely to be an error (IMHO).
    
    			dick
    

    
    Answer to your first question:
    
    
    
    Acoustic pianos, especially grand pianos are very very very heavy.
    They would sink just like that very rapidly.
    
    I have an upright piano which two specialized piano movers (yes, there
    is such a trade, they move pianos and pianos only, since pianos need
    special care while moving) could barely lift with difficulty. My
    neighbour has a baby grand which made marks on her new hardwood
    floor even though we glided it on two layer thick area rugs.
    
    Your second question: Now that you mention it, I vaguely remember
    George mentioning that he couldn't read. You might take the note
    on the key as a flaw in the movie or as her symbolic demonstration
    of love even though she knew he couldn't read.
    
    As for the note pad around her neck, I did not notice her not wearing
    it towards the ends, is that really so?
    
    Lale
    

    The strings are strung on a metal frame (wood wouldn't be strong
    enough to keep that many strings at that level of tension unless
    you made a monstrously thick frame--at which point you might have
    trouble getting good vibrations through the frame to the sounding
    board).
    
    		-John Bishop

    I just saw this with my wife and we both thought it excellent. As a
    Kiwi I went looking for locations and was pleasantly surprised by the
    tight shots as they forced me away from this. I thought the green
    filters at the start were overdone but the general murk carried the
    feeling of the NZ bush very well. From what I've read there really was
    that much mud in the old days.
    
    I agree that the characters of the other settlers weren't explored in
    the plot but found that they played against my knowledge and
    expectations as a Kiwi. There have been many American and Australian
    movies showing Anglo/Irish/Scots settlers in those countries but very
    few set in NZ. The playing on the standard Kiwi cringe (that the
    emigrating generation were only of interest before leaving) and on our
    lack of knowledge of their lives made about 30% of the movie for me. I
    thought the sexual politics were over-reviewed - my wife is less
    political than me and didn't see it as a "womens' movie" at all - but
    found it spoke in general terms of coercion and inhumanity. I could
    believe that the female lead would voluntarily go back to Keitel's
    character as he found himself that he lost his power over her by making
    his demands and eventually had to give up the rest of the keys. I also
    found Neill's character's action credible - NZ didn't become a country
    of crude fixes (no 8 will repair anything) and dumb macho attitudes by
    having tender and gentle settlers. The film has an unshown backgound of
    Maori land stealing and the most common weapon (before the distribution
    of muskets by gun-runners like Neill and Keitel) was the hatchet.
    
    I like the point about the writing on the key - I think it is a
    paper-job. The key is the real message but the inscription was
    dramatically necessary for her husband to be sure that she had betrayed
    him.
    
    Mike. 

    What does "no 8 will fix anything" mean?  That there is no "8"
    which will fix anything, or that number 8 will fix everything?
    And what's "8"?
    
    		-John Bishop

    Maybe no. 8 is a Kiwi axe designation.
    
    My wife and I saw this movie over the weekend and were disappointed
    with it. What's the big deal? Yes, Holly Hunter gave a really fine
    performance, and her "daughter" was pretty good too. Neither Sam nor
    Harvey were particularly believable.
    
    It's tough to judge distant countries across centuries, but I couldn't
    buy that Sam Neill wouldn't bring the piano home. He ought to know that
    something that big and that heavy wouldn't be shipped on a lark. And in
    any case he could see how much it meant to his wife. If he's gonna stiff
    her insistent requests, he's got no call to wonder why she won't get
    friendly with him. 
    
    The Maori "rescue" during the play was a pleasant bit of comic relief.
    Cinematography was beautiful but given the location I don't think it
    represents outstanding work. All in all, OK at matinee prices, not worth 
    a second look.
    
      John

    re .25, I found it *very* believable that Sam Neill's character refused
    to bring the piano home.  Even in 20th century America, I wouldn't be
    surprised if many men acted the same way.  His actions are certainly in
    keeping with attitudes I have seen displayed by many men towards women,
    in my lifetime.  It has been my observation that there are many men who
    have no respect for what is important to their wives, or other women,
    if it's not also of equal importance to the men themselves.
    
    Lorna
    

    re .25 - sorry to be obscure. 'Number 8' is a grade of wire used widely
    for fences in New Zealand which is quite easily worked as it is thick
    but malleable and durable. It is used (in rural areas) to hold up
    anything from your car's muffler to your underwear and is generally the
    diy equivalent to 42.
    
    Mike.

    re .27, yup, that's obscure alright!  Surprisingly enough, I'm really
    not very familiar with the grades of wire used in fences in New
    Zealand.  :-)
    
    Now what do you mean by "the diy equivalent to 42"?
    
    Lorna
    

    re .28, 42
    
    As we all know from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe,
    the answer to Life, the Universe and Everything is "42".
    
    Alas, we don't know what the question is.  The mice were/are
    working on that.
    
    		-John Bishop

    re .29, yeah, I wondered if it was a reference to the Hitch Hiker's
    Guide, but wasn't sure.  
    
    But what does "diy" mean?
    
    Lorna
    

Do It Yourself.

    re .31, oh, thanks.  It never occured to me.
    
    Lorna
    

    Caught this yesterday, thinking the theater would be empty because of
    that silly little game...but it was sold out!
    
    I liked this movie very much and will see it again.  
    
    And isn't the little girl who played the daughter the same wee Scottish 
    lass we see in the MCI "empowering technology" commercial?
    
    I have a question about one of the scenes, which I will hide, in case
    of spoilage:
    
    <SPOILER>
    
    One scene that stuck in my mind is the first time that Baines, Ada and
    her daughter go down to the beach to see and play the piano.  
    
    At the end of the scene, the camera looks down on the beach, and we see
    the 3 characters and a beautiful sand painting that looked to me like a
    sea horse.  The art looked Maori in design.  There is no dialogue in
    this scene.  Is the sea horse particularly significant in Maori culture?  
    
    The piano is not in this scene, but they appear to be on the same
    beach.  Did the piano symbolically transform into this sand painting? 
    Did George make this for Ada in an attempt to communicate with her on
    some other level, and he was just showing her his handiwork?  Am I
    missing a metaphor?  
    
    Or is this just a visual image that the director inserted to spawn
    discussions?
    
    Andria  
    
    

Reply to .33 ( Andria )
    
    spoiler :
    
    >>At the end of the scene, the camera looks down on the beach, and we see
    >>the 3 characters and a beautiful sand painting that looked to me like a
    >>sea horse.  The art looked Maori in design.  There is no dialogue in
    >>this scene.  Is the sea horse particularly significant in Maori culture?  
   
    >>The piano is not in this scene, but they appear to be on the same
    >>beach.  Did the piano symbolically transform into this sand painting? 
    >>Did George make this for Ada in an attempt to communicate with her on
    >>some other level, and he was just showing her his handiwork?  Am I
    >>missing a metaphor?  
    
   	I assumed that George had drawn it while Ada played - I assumed it
    was to show us some insight into Baines' character.  The seahorse isn't
    a paticularly important symbol in Maori mythology as far as I know, but
    I only know a little of it . . .
    
    			- Jim ( tohunga :-) )
     
    

    Thanks!
    
    Andria

    I just saw this movie last night and I've been thinking about it ever
    since. I liked it and didn't like it simultaneously, a frustrating state of
    mind, and it's taking me awhile to sort my mixed feelings out. One analogy
    I've come up with, is that these characters come together in what's the
    emotional equivalent of a horrible accident. Horrible accidents can be
    perfectly fascinating and hard to turn away from, but one doesn't actually
    enjoy seeing them.

    I'm always quick to criticize movies that are too simplistic, but I have to
    admit, part of my frustration with this film is that it's so complex and
    mysterious, I walked out feeling uncertain that I would be able to figure
    it out. I felt there was something missing. There weren't enough clues to
    allow me to confidently assert my theories about what these people were
    thinking and feeling.  I wanted (and still do) to sit them all down in a
    room and interrogate them about what happened and how they really felt
    about it.

    A day later, my confidence hasn't returned, but I'm actually pleased
    with the experience. I see now that this movie was so well-constructed,
    the characters became alive to the point that they commanded my
    attention much the same way real people do. I am simultaneously
    intrigued, sympathetic and baffled by a lot of people. Of course, in
    real life I have the chance to sit them down and ask them to explain
    themselves. That'll stay a frustration. The film has introduced to me
    to some very interesting people, and shown me some intimate details of
    their lives, but of course, I'm denied the chance of every really
    connecting with them and asking what I need to know to fully
    understand.

    I think this film is going to linger with me for quite some time. I'm
    definitely going to have to study it some more when the video is
    available. I may never come up with answers that completely satisfy me,
    but I think any movie is good that inspires in me an urge to understand
    its characters as if they were living people.

    John

    I thought this was a great movie! I really, really enjoyed it, and was 
    surprised to read some of the negative comments people wrote. 
    Especially the negative comments about the cinematography!  I think the
    cinematography was very nice.  I also thought the piano playing was just
    fine.  If she played like a concert pianist people would have
    complained about that too.  If she was a concert pianist why would she
    have been forced to move to NZ to marry a man she didn't even know!
    I was also surprised that people weren't impressed with Harvey Keitel.
    I thought he played a very interesting character.   One think I always
    like about non-Hollywood movies (like this one) is that none of the
    characters were all good or all evil.  Each of the characters
    personalities were complex.  Each of them did some good and kind
    things, and each of them did some not-so-wonderful things.  Just like
    real people!
    
    My only slight complaint was with the ending.  I'm not sure what I think a
    better ending would be, but I was a little let down.
    
    I agree with the last note - I think this movie is going to stay with
    me for quite some time.  To each his own I guess!!

    I have a (potential) spoiler question:
    
    
    Last chance before *Spoiler*!
    
    While Ada was playing the piano at one point, the side of a key was
    revealed with a message on the side.  The message was two initials
    separated by a heart.
    
    I can't recall what the first initial was - the second was "A" - and I
    don't believe the first was a "G" (George).  I suspect that the first
    initial ("D"?) was perhaps that of her earlier lover who gave her the
    piano?
    
    - Dave

    Response to previous spoiler:
    
    
    
    behind another spoiler:
    
    
    
    I noticed that too. I thought the message was from George. This led me
    to conclude that possibly he was lying about not being able to
    read/write. That would eliminate the nit about why she would write a
    message to him. He certainly didn't get honest until after he fell in
    love, so maybe pretending he couldn't read was just another game.
    
    Anyway, I'm not sure exactly what the letters were, and as my viewing
    companion, Jodi, pointed out, being able to reproduce letters is not
    necessarily a sign of being able to read/write. He might have had just
    enough knowledge to write his and her initials, but not enough to
    spell out love. 
    
    Come to think of it, the heart might be a bit of an anachronism. Was
    that usage commonplace at that time? I can see him carving their
    initials in a heart, but the phrase use, "X <heart> Y", seems kind of
    modern, doesn't it?
    
    John

    Is there a soundtrack available from The Piano?
    
    				Thanks,
    				Donna

    Yes, I saw it at the Wherehouse yesterday.
    
    Jodi-

    I have seen this movies and I loved it.  I have heard some say that it
    is a womans movie.  I agree.  I don't think my husband could sit
    through this and enjoy it.  I mean no car chases, no buildings blowing
    up, no guys being shot in the head.  
    
    I found this film to be very intense and the love scenes beautiful.  I
    am hoping Holly Hunter gets Best Actress she deserves it.    

spoiler alert, per moderator's request:

The New York Review of Books, February 3, has an interesting review of this
film.  Check it out if you had any doubts.

Writing in the New Yorker on Woody Allen's sex troubles, Adam Gopnick
says that culturally we are in a era that is Puritan and voyeuristic.  
The Piano fits the current groove.  If anything,  it is about watching sex.  
It seems amoral, but has a consistent, almost strict detachment that is 
close to anthropologic.  For example, Jane Campion seems to neither 
know nor care that adultery is very cool, but that using one's child 
as a go-between is uncool.  Chopped fingers notwithstanding.

I could cast stones, but the ultimate question about The Piano 
is whether it contains "good sex".  Personally, I find Ada and Baines
kinky beyond my tastes.  And I, for one, like piano music very much.
Which reminds me that Casablanca, too, mixed a piano fetish with romance, 
but did a much better job of it.

Brian

I occasionally comment in here, because in the UK we get most of the films that
much later, and most of the points are already made... but I read all the
reviews of the films I see/or intend seeing.

I went to see this film about 2 weeks ago, and my immediate reaction was that
I didn't like it. Rather than stick with my first impression, I have thought
about the film and have decided that I *definitely* didn't like it!

I'm not really a `shoot `em up film' fan, so thought this film might appeal.
It was shot in an interesting location and took on some difficult issues.. but in
my opinion, not very well. I found it difficult to associate with or like *any*
of the characters, they were all so self indulgent and insensitive. (that's
not to imply that I'm compeltely opposite to that ;-)) 

Personally, I wasn't that impressed with Holly Hunter, this it seems is 
contrary to most other views, but I've seen much better portrayals of muteness 
in real life and on TV... and don't think she got close to reality. In fact I 
disliked all the characters so much that I almost found myself liking Baines!

Given that it is possible like a film without liking or understanding the 
characters, I thought about the plot, and again I have great difficulty 
believing it, or many of the characters reactions. As someone else mentioned 
there were not enough clues to anything... which I think in this case was 
an `arty' attempt to cover up the many loopholes. 

Someone mentioned they liked the little girl; well I have a nine year old 
daughter, and I glad she's not like the girl in this film.

*** spoiler  ***

She may have had an excuse given the terrible people around her, but when she
came out with, something like "b*gger her 12 different ways, and make her bleed" 
(about her mother) she sort of lost some of her precocious charm! However I 
think that for a girl her age, it was a good acting performance.

There were a couple of things I liked, like the scene where the piano is thrown
off the boat, and Ada goes with it. My only regret is that she was rescued ;-}
I thought the piano playing was mesmerising... but that's about it.

Initial rating *** out of *****
after thinking about it ** out of *****

Norman

    
    What is the name of the girl who won the best supporting actress for
    this film?
    
    eleanor

    Thanks.  I was watching "Mermaids" (video rental), and I thought that
    the young girl in this movie looked a lot like the girl in the Piano.
    I was wondering if it was the same actress.  Both actresses gave good
    performances, especially for their age.  I am always very impressed
    when a very young person gives such a good performance.
    
    ems

    Sounds like you know that the "Mermaids" young actress is not Anna
    Paquin, but she is the actress who played Wednesday in both of the
    Addams Family flicks.  (But duh, I can't remember her name....)
    
    I thought she was wonderful in "Mermaids"; for some reason my favorite
    scene of hers is when she has the pumpkin on her head and prostrates
    herself in the hall, saying spookily "Rachel Flax..." (her character's
    mother's name).
    
    Leslie

    Christina Ricci

	Finally saw this one tonight on video.  One major warning for
	anyone with children, this is not a movie for the whole family!
	I found it humorous that Harvey Kietal once again displayed
	male frontal nudity (1st time was "The Bad Leutenent").  Also
	is this the first time Holly Hunter has exposed her breasts
	(not to mention the posterior shot of her other privates).

	In any case, I enjoyed this film very much.  I found it for
	the most part different from the standard love story which
	made it very refreshing.

	The only problem I had with the story line was that I felt
	the daughter had turned on her mother a couple of times
	for no apparent reason (ie. she started calling her step-dad
	"dad" and seemed to like him).

[spolier warning]

	In regards to the question of why Ada "wrote" the note on
	the piano key even though the recipient had indicated he
	couldn't read.  Remember her daughter was delivering the
	note and could of read what was written to him.  Though
	the earlier replies theory that he lied about not knowing
	how to read is very plausible because he originaly didn't
	want to take her to the beach.

    	Watched this last night on video. Neither my wife nor I
    	thought much of it.
    
    	Scott