a truly beautiful film.

Rating: Null/10 (4 June 1999)

The performances in "the Piano" are absolutely magnificent. This is the first Holly Hunter film i've seen, and she truly impressed me a great deal.
Hunter is to marry by arrangement, a man she never met before (sam neil) and a man whom she would never learn to love. She leaves her home, to New Zealand, along with her young daughter (anna paquin) and with her beloved piano, in which she is clung to, and the only thing she really loves. There in New Zealand, she meets Harvy Keitels character. From there, Keitel understands that she cannot live without her piano, and they fall in love. This romance causes jealousy to Neil. And so on.
Everyone in this film is superb, especially by Hunter and young Paquin. Anna is really adorable, and her acting and accent are flawless, at such a young age! Holly's performance haunted me. As her role required her to be a mute, and she didn't not say a word (besides her narration), i came to the conclusion that she is one of the best actresses out there, better than most actresses who actually have dialouge in their films. Harvey proves to me, that he is a virtuoso actor, and he is more capable of more serious roles, not that i didn't enjoy him in BAD LIEUTENANT. And Sam doesn't surprise me, as his performance was splendid.
Everything else in the film was great, including the photography, the dark/bluish scenes, the direction, and especially the music. Holly's piano playing is astonishing. I strongly recommend this film!