Great Soundtrack / Bad Acting

Rating: 5/10 (3 May 2004)

It is amazing how a soundtrack can blind the audience. The first 20-30 times that I saw The Piano, it was from a projection booth with only the clicking of the projector for sound. I could not hear the soundtrack. I quickly realized why Jane Campion (writer/director) fought with her producers to have Holly Hunter removed. Try watching the movie without sound and you will see it also...
When Holly wants to portray sadness, she opens her mouth and stares off into the distance. When she wants to portray happiness, she opens her mouth and stares off into the distance. When she is excited, she opens her mouth and stares off into the distance. When she is scared, she opens her mouth and stares off into the distance. Throughout the film, she doesn't change a single bit. What does change is the soundtrack.
After being tortured with this film for a month-long run at the theater, I finally saw it on video and I thought it was OK. The soundtrack makes the film. It makes it appear that Holly Hunter can act.
So, all in all, I'd suggest just getting the soundtrack and listening to it. However, you won't get a very brief shot of Harvey Keitel's penis. I was utterly amazed at the number of people who came to the movie just for a few frames of an ugly guy's penis.
Side note: One woman told me that she was planning to rent the movie, but she stopped watching art movies after the 'cutting off the finger' scene in Farewell My Concubine. I really wanted to tell her she would love The Piano, but I was nice. I told her to go get a snack when Sam Neill got the axe.