A unique, beautiful and powerful film

Rating: 10/10 (6 January 2010)

"The Piano", is indeed a joy and pleasure to experience. As an art film, it certainly dazzles with it's cinematography, music score, art direction, costumes and makeup, however it's most crucial strengths are it's writing and acting. Writing and acting are the qualities that set apart the merely good films from the excellent films.
Set in New Zealand, 1850, and photographed on location, the story is about an arranged marriage and an affair. The storytelling is exceptionally beautiful and original.
Producer, writer and director Jane Campion of Australia, does an outstanding job with this film. Campion won the 1993 Palme De' Or award at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, making her the first ever female recipient of this high honor. Campion also won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for this film.
The director should always receive some credit for an excellent acting performance, as they are providing the inspiration and motivation for the actors to do their best. Holly Hunter and Anna Paquin both give powerful acting performances. Most impressively, this was Anna Paquin's first feature length film, and at the age of 11 was nominated for and won an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, making her the second youngest ever recipient of an Academy acting award, after Tatum O" Neal, age 10, for "Paper Moon", 1973.
First feature length film role, only 11 years old, first nomination, and win for an Academy Award for Anna Pacquin. That's a rare feat and great start to any acting career. Most actors never get nominated for an Academy Award, let alone win one during their entire film acting career. Anna Pacquin's film acting career was certainly born with an impressive bang.