Rating: 
Summary: Difficult, not for everyone, deep and moving.
Review: Maybe it is only because I play keyboards, or perhaps it is that the music I create is one of my few outlets for feeling that this film affected me as it has. This is a dark, moody film. The performance by Holly Hunter is stunning (and she's not a bit flat-chested!) and the story is far deeper than a dime store romance. Ada speaks and emotes through her playing of her piano. This film shows the difference between an insensitive boor (her husband) and an uneducated man who knows how to listen and to love. Feminists will dislike that Ada is treated as possesion (common for the era). Male chauvinists will choke on the demonstrated need to not merely use, but instead to understand and love a woman. The idea of not being able to express one's feelings should touch everyone. (This review is based upon the Laserdisk release of the film)
Rating:
Summary: excellent
Review: the book goes along with the movie but it's more in detail. END
Rating: 
Summary: Art-House Bodice-Ripper
Review: If the plot to THE PIANO seems familiar, it probably means you've been reading one too many romance novels, or maybe just the back cover of one too many romance novels, or maybe just the front cover--Spunky heroine, about to marry pompous dullard, is rescued/waylaid/etc by rougish, charming scamp. She is unimpressed at first, but eventually she becomes enamored of his many charms and rippling muscles, and soon his Throbbing Manhood is transporting her to reamlms of undreamed ecstasy.There are few differences here; Holly Hunter is a flat-chested mute, the dullard (Sam Neill) explodes into psychotic violence, and the rougish charmer is Harvey Keitel, who is sometimes capable of wonderful work, but is at heart too much the sensible Brooklynite to waste time being rougish. Also, his muscles never quite ripple in the style of Fabio (and, to avoid an "NC-17" rating, Mr. Keitel's Manhood, though visible, is not allowed to Throb). There's also a bratty kid (Anna Paquin, whom any sensible viewer would just love to strangle)and the title Piano, which is obviously meant to be symbolic of something, or maybe was just slapped in because art-house films are supposed to have symbolism, and if you strip away the symbolism, you have a story available for $3.95 in the revolving rack in finer drugstores everywhere. END
Rating:
Summary: This is an excellent movie.
Review: The Piano is a profound, intelligent, and stunning film. It is a must-see for devoted musicians or anyone with a passion for life. The score by Michael Nyman helps make The Piano sound as good as it looks. Outstanding performances by a precocious Anna Paquin and an intriguing Holly Hunter. This is the kind of movie that will leave you pensive, emotional, and inspired. One of my favorites. END
Rating: 
Summary: A moody drama that was very bittersweet.
Review: This is the first film I have seen with Holly Hunter and Harvey Keitel. They both gave good performances, and the movie itself was strange but likeable. Anna Pacquin and Sam Neil also gave great performances. The movie did have a lot of nudity that was really un-neccesary. The cinematography was good and the setting was a cool, dark, but beautiful place. The film was very different and really surprised me, like most films do. I recommend this for romantic buffs, and people who love to watch great performances.
Rating: 
Summary: Sloppily done...
Review: The stars and the title of this review refers to the technical side of the DVD, and NOT of the movie itself (you can read about it in other reviews here). If you want to buy this DVD, note that the DVD is very poorly organized: There is no subtitle whatsoever, and the close-caption is extremely crudely made; there's only one audio track (English); there's no in-movie control, and if you go back to the root menu for some reasons, when resumed, the movie will switch to the other viewing angle (from widescreen to fullscreen, or via versa) by itself! Best to rent it, and buy the soundtrack instead.
Rating: 
Summary: Three stars for everything but the story.
Review: The costuming was lovely, the style, tone, message and imagery were certainly striking... and all of these things cause me to give this highly acclaimed movie three stars. On the other hand, the actual story and acting in this movie would have earned it two or two and a half points, at best. The story is a little disjointed in places, trying to break itself into segments dotted with scenes with characters I never really understood or got involved in (the tribe, the sisters and eccentric uncle figure).
My true grievance lies with the main characters themselves, and the awkward dialogue and behavior they have been written to convey. Our main character doesn't exactly inspire any compassion, care or interest, as she behaves like a spoiled and arrogant looney at times, who has little to no concern for her daughter when things aren't going the way she wants them to. It's difficult to place the point when she decides she's feeling love or attraction, as almost all of her voiceless expressions are inundated with contempt or disdain. The young daughter is probably the most authentic and well-acted of all of the characters.
The scenes meant to horrify and stun the viewer are almost more bizarre than anything else. And the ending of the movie was anti-climatic and stunted. To be completely honest, I find it hard to be impressed by the artistic and symbolic nature of a film when the acting is so flat, and the story so emotionally unreal. I would not purchase or watch this movie again, and I do not agree with the 3.5 out of 4.0 stars that my cable company rated it. I deeply respect what the creators of this story were attempting to convey. I only wish they would have done it in a more feeling, believable way...
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: I love The Piano. The story is excellent and intriguing and the actors bring out the characters beautifully. Holly Hunter, who won an Oscar for this role, does very well in a role that requires no lines. She acts with her face and with her body and the her silence transcends the normal realm of communication. Harvey Keitel, whom I understand is usually the uber macho-man, struck the perfect balance between his macho masculinity and the true depths of George Baines. I'm very disappointed he didn't win the Oscar for this role because I think he does a wonderful job in this film. Jane Campion's directing is beautiful and the whole film reflects that.
Rating:
Summary: Putting my $$ where my mouth is..
Review: I loved 'The Piano.'
AND the reason I looooooved the Emperor's new clothes is because I personally designed them!
I've just ordered the DVD for my collection because I loved the setting of the plot and sometimes want to escape to New Zealand, Why? Because I need to escape the bombardment of the news of the current war/s and their inevetable consequences.
Movies were created I imagine, for us ordinary folk to escape for a couple of hours; get entertained, let our hair down. I believe The Piano provided us that service.
What's wrong with Harvy's member being shown on screen? Everyone's father has/had one! (Shame-based assumptions are, in my opinion, possible signs of emotional or mental instability and quite unhealthy.)
Rating:
Summary: The film was NOT difficult to understand.
Review: It's just difficult -- make that near-impossible -- to sit through. The point about lust and music and all that is abundantly clear. But the film itself is overblown and pretentious, and takes itself WAY WAY WAY WAY (repeat about 25 times) too seriously. First off, Holly Hunter's character was incredibly annoying. Not eccentric, not sensitive, not artistic, not emotional; just annoying as hell. YOu detest her almost from minute one. She's strange, bitchy and nagging. There's nothing --repeat, nothing, positive about her at all except that she does a fantastic Harpo Marx imitation; all she needs is the horn. And Oscar or not, Anna Paquin's character was even more annoying than Hunter's. She was the kind of kid you almost kept wishing would fall off a cliff or something, and quickly. Harvey Keitel looks stoned most of the time, and while there's absolutely nothing wrong with nudity when it truly fits a film, seeing Harv's weenie really did nothing to improve the plot. TMI, y'know? It was simply a tacky, unprofessional way for Campion to make an totally unneeded "equality of nudity" statement. You can easily understand why Sam Neill's character, big an ass as he was, got so PO'd so often. Living with Hunter's character and that kid would make anyone crazy pretty quickly. Maybe he should've aimed his axe higher...
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