the piano

The Piano (1993) directed by Jane Campion can technically be categorized as “chick flick”. The protagonist Ada McGrath (Holly Hunter) is a strong female character who overcomes obstacles in an attempt to preserve her music, and eventually finds love against all odds. The emotional struggles, stereotypes, and the themes present within the film could all fit within the parameters commonly used to distinguish a “chick flick”. However, the power and importance of The Piano far exceed the usual role of “chick flicks” in modern cinema.
The Piano is an unusually poignant film. Campion’s discussion of gender roles and human emotion is truly remarkable. By silencing her protagonist she forces her audience to reach inside themselves and discern their own feelings in order to understand and rationalize the characters before them. Instead of having Ada tell her audience what to think Campion forces her audience to come to their own conclusions about the situation she presents to them. Although Ada’s story itself is fairly simple, a basic love triangle, the way it is presented is startlingly original.
As a female writer / director Campion insight into the thoughts, emotions, and motivations of her protagonist that only a woman could understand and reveal. As a female artist she can draw from her own experiences and perspectives. Although the males presented in the film seem to dominate over Ada, she seems to posses a much more controlling role within the story. Campion makes sure to establish the gender roles of men and women in 19th century New Zealand, but though her development of Ada she shows how could women empower themselves.
Ada seems to control her world by clinging to her piano, one of the few familiar things in her strange new home in New Zealand. Her piano becomes a form of communication, a beautiful form of expression that rises above language; music that seems to flow from her soul. Her music binds her to George Baines (Harvey Keitel) while at the same time segregating her from her husband (Sam Neill). In a way the piano itself becomes an extension of Ada herself. A symbol of her captivity; a fact highlighted by Campion’s setting. Ada and her daughter (Anna Paquin) are separated from everything they had ever known. Oceans, forests, and even rain seem to force them inside their lonely home. These are physical barriers that seem to develop the sence of solitude and independence within the film. They help to create a tangible emotion that radiates from the film itself; one cannot help being moved by the ache of Campion’s setting. The piano is so foreign here, out of place, and only by letting it go could Ada begin to start her new life. The only way for her to live was for Ada to put to rest everything she had loved and know, the piano was her past. A lesson that everyone must learn at some point.

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Mother and Daughter

The film The Piano by Australian filmmaker Jane Champion, focuses on the life of Ada McGrath (as played by Holly Hunter), a sensitive and sensual pianist who happens to be mute. Much of the film is dedicated to how she chooses to relate, or not relate to the outside world. The film opens with her narrative, and we are informed this is not her actual voice, but her mind’s voice or the voice inside her head. At the film’s onset, Ada’s strongest relationship is with her young daughter Flora. Through Flora, Ada relates to the outside world. Flora often takes on the role of translator for her mother by communicating her mother’s wishes to others. Both Flora and Ada seem to value their privacy and special bond. Because Flora is sometimes Ada’s only link to the world outside of her head she does hold a bit of power. This unique situation can even be seen as a role reversal, with the precocious Flora being the one who reaches out and interacts with the outside world, while Ada, the mother remains silent and restrained. Although Ada still greatly cares for her daughter and acts as her protector, she is stuck in her own world and cannot, or will not connect or reach out to anyone. As the film progresses, Ada is awakened sexually and emotionally through her relationship with her Piano and Mr. Baines. The sensual relationship is based on touch and music, two things that transcend Ada’s silence. This relationship provides an intimate human connection Ada had been previously lacking in her life. Thus, Ada’s reliance on her daughter and their relationship weakens. This is proven by the example that even though Mr. Baines is illiterate, Ada no longer needs her daughter to translate. Their bond is so strong only Ada’s touch and body language is needed to communicate her feelings. Flora, despite the fact that she has made some friends in the new community and acted in the pageant, begins to feel neglected. She sees that her relationship with her mother is in decline and instead strikes up a partnership with Alisdair. Despite the fact that she swore in the beginning of the film to never call this man ‘papa’ or ‘father’ she soon does. In the climax of the film, Flora’s loyalties are tested. Although she never resumes her role as her mother’s sole human connection to the world, Flora rediscovers her love for Ada.

The Piano

Jane Campion's film The Piano is unique, especially in the way it depicts women and the sexual relationship between a man and a woman. It definitely represents a female viewpoint and it is very apparent that a female wrote and directed it, but in a much different way than the usual happy-go-lucky chick flick. The protagonist of the film, Ada, is very different than the typical female protagonist. This is most obvious in her muteness, which sets her apart from everyone else in the film and which distinguishes her from a typical female lead character. Ada is far from the perky, bubbly Meg Ryan type of character. While her muteness could be seen as a weakness, the way it is portrayed is far from it. Instead, it empowers her because she refuses to communicate along normal modes, but has to pull the men in her life along her ways of communication. Her lack of speaking to her husband is especially an effective way of alienating her from him. Ada does not fulfill the traditional stereotype of a woman, but her intensity and her drive, both in her piano playing and her sexuality, show a new type of female representation. Ada sharply contrasts with the other women in the film, who are more stereotypical representations of chattering ditzes. This is exemplified when one of the women comments on Ada's piano playing, saying that she does not play it the way they do, in a straightforward way that is simply for entertainment. Rather, Ada's piano playing is deeply emotional, and reflects her strong connection with her emotions.

Another aspect of the film which was extremely unique was its frank depiction of sexual desire from a woman's point of view. Usually films portray sexual encounters from a male point of view, in which the woman's body is clearly the object of desire. However, this film is almost unsettling in the way it portrays Ada's sexual desires and blatantly makes the male body the object of desire. It is unsettling because it is something that the audience is not accustomed to. For example, we see all of George's body, full-frontal nudity, but we only get fleeting glimpses of Ada's body. This is a definite reversal from the usual depiction of sexual encounters in films. Ada's husband is almost frightened of her sexuality, and so the film shows that women expressing their sexual desires is frightening even to the objects of this desire. I guess this is why Ada connected with George, because he understood her desires. However, I found their romance somewhat ambiguous. It is clear that George was drawn to Ada because he was enchanted by her piano playing and the intense emotions she experienced during it, and he was drawn to her overall intensity. However, Ada's reasons for her attraction to him were less clear, partly because she didn't speak. She initially refused his advances, but then it seemed that she fell for him after he awakened her sexuality. But she never seems to have that much reason to care for him, other than that he is a stark contrast to her domineering, insensitive husband. This part of the film was problematic for me, especially since George's advances can easily be seen as creepy. Overall I think The Piano was a positive portrayal of women, because it shows how they can transcend traditional stereotypes and express themselves emotionally and physically. However, the romance, while adding to this theme, also detracted from it, since it seems that Ada was settling for him simply because he was there.

the black keys

With male dominance being a main theme in Jane Campion’s film I found it interesting to see how Ada (Holly Hunter) handled Baines’ blackmailing her one sexual favor for one key of the piano. Ada gave in immediately and without thought to his desires excluding the moment when Baines initially touched and kissed the back of Ada’s neck. It was not fully clear to me that Ada had deep feelings for Baines until they had sex. Until then I felt as if she was alright with the sexual behavior because she was receiving more intense pleasure from playing the piano. During the film I was very fixated on the piano and what it meant to Ana. Initially I believed the piano to be her voice and I listened to the music to find out what emotion Ana was trying to express. When Ana freaked out about having other people play her piano I felt as if the piano was an extension of herself, and for someone else to play her instrument would be like having someone violate her own body. Flora (Anna Paquin) really surprised me as the film progressed. I couldn’t understand why Flora was so quick to tell her new father about the piano lessons and then not deliver the key. At the beginning of the movie the bond between Ana and Flora seemed so deep, at times their body language even mimicked one another. Also Flora adamantly told her mother that she was not going to call the new man papa. I thought that Flora would keep her word and stay true to her mother. I feel as if Flora believed herself to be the only one who truly understood her mother’s relationship to the piano. Also Flora must have felt special about being the sole link between her mother and those to whom Ana communicated. As Ada’s relationship with Baines deepened Flora no longer could claim the role of being the means of communication. Perhaps Flora’s sense of abandonment led her to Alisdair Stewart (Sam Neill). While most romantic films often refer to that which is unspeakable in terms of love, The Piano managed to convey all emotion solely through music. To me this deepens the effects of the film and expands the possibilities under which profound romance can occur.

The Piano

The Piano is an intensely emotional film about a love affair between a married woman and a New Zealand man played by Harvey Keitel. It is evident that the film was written and directed by a female, because the strongest character in the story is the leading female role, a woman torn between two men. Ada is a mute woman who is very much alone in the world and her only cares in the world are for her daughter and her piano, which Ada uses as a vehicle for her voice and emotions. Keitel wins Ada over by saving her piano and showing her a loving touch and attraction she has never felt from a husband she was married off to. The two male characters are similar to those of many stories, the possessive husband and the caring lover. The movie does not have many action scenes where the story takes a dramatic turn, but is carried by its characters and their emotions. Jane Campion, the film’s writer and director is successful in keeping her characters consistent, making the audience recognize them easily and keep closer to their characters. Campion emphasizes the power of attraction of Ada through making her deaf. Even though Ada cannot speak, she has both men feeling for her. She falls for Kietel because of his appreciation of her piano, which she and him connect over and understand each other through. Another interesting point Campion makes, is that in this time period woman were treated less equally and were purely objects of beauty and the mothers of the children. Ada’s inability to speak symbolizes this facet of the era, and even without a voice she still is powerful as a female as she finds love and defies her husband even after her cuts her finger off.

The Piano

The Piano tells a story which obviously triggers emotions. It could be considered a Chick Flick because women may find it easier to empathize with the main character, and therefore feel the emotions on a deeper level.
Throughout the film there seems to be an inner strength to Ada. She cannot speak, and yet she tends to communicate in an, almost outspoken manner. She speaks through her daughter and her paper, and perhaps communicates things that would be considered innappropriate for a lady to speak. For example, when she tells the sailor she would rather . . (I forgot what she said exactly but it was bad) . . than get back on his ship. She is able to convey a stronger opinion and have them overlooked because of her muteness. She may be taken advantage of because people know she cannot speak up for herself (for example when the maids are running around in the kitchen with her wedding dress on) . . if she could speak I doubt they would do that. However, Ada does portray a kind of inner strength through her muteness.
Another prominant theme in The Piano was the use of a womans sexuality to get what she covets. Ada may not have much power in choosing when she would like to use her sexuality, but it is a power she holds over men. Ada is put in more than one compromising situation. Her sexuality is a tool but a burden at the same time. She is obviously not comfortable with the situatons, but she understands that her sexuality presents an opportunity to get what she wants.
The Piano offers women the opportunity to sympathize with another woman, who lived hundreds of years ago. Although it may not be the happy, cute, funny, girly movie we have come to recognized as Chick Flicks- it does trigger a range of emotions that especially women can relate to. We can image being betrayed by a loved one, or having a secret affair- the movie does not shine the best light on men, but it is wonderful at triggering emotions.

The Piano

I thought that The Piano was an interesting film. I'm not sure if it's because it was written and directed by a woman, but it seemed very character driven. That is to say that the plot of the movie was moved along by the characters rather than events or the situations surrounding them.

I felt like the audience was afforded a lot more insight into the inner workings of the characters as well. As though the characters inner needs and wants were on display, and especially the men. This made them seem much more vulnerable than the stoic male archetype typically portrayed.

the piano

The Piano was one of the most unique films I have ever seen. It tells the story of a woman named Ada who is married off. The thing that makes her unique is her love for the piano and that she hasn’t spoken since she was six. She used the piano and her music as her form of expressing emotions and as communication. Although this film was directed by a female director, the male sex was much more prominent in the movie. Ada was rather passive aggressive and she seemed to lack a lot of self respect. She also had her life dictated by men. This movie had a rather large emphasis on the mother-daughter relationship which I thought was rather feminine. Although it took a turn at the end of the film when Ada’s daughter turned on her. There were many disturbing parts to this film. I find the part of when Ada was giving herself up to George just to keep her piano degraded women. I also found it rather unique how the actor who played George was filmed fully naked. It is rare that you see a full frontal shot of a naked man in a movie. This portrayed a female director. I also felt that it was obvious the film was directed by a woman by how they portrayed men. The male sex was portrayed as dominant and heartless and pretty dirt-baggy. This was a rather feminine approach. I found it really interesting and unexpected when the relationship between Ada and her daughter changed. They were extremely close the entire movie and then towards the end her daughter switched sides to favor Ada’s new husband. I found the part when she turned on her mother and caused her to get her finger cut off really disturbing and twisted. Although the movie was not the type I would watch on my own, it was definitely like no other movie I have seen.

the piano

The Piano was one of the most unique films I have ever seen. It tells the story of a woman named Ada who is married off. The thing that makes her unique is her love for the piano and that she hasn’t spoken since she was six. She used the piano and her music as her form of expressing emotions and as communication. Although this film was directed by a female director, the male sex was much more prominent in the movie. Ada was rather passive aggressive and she seemed to lack a lot of self respect. She also had her life dictated by men. This movie had a rather large emphasis on the mother-daughter relationship which I thought was rather feminine. Although it took a turn at the end of the film when Ada’s daughter turned on her. There were many disturbing parts to this film. I find the part of when Ada was giving herself up to George just to keep her piano degraded women. I also found it rather unique how the actor who played George was filmed fully naked. It is rare that you see a full frontal shot of a naked man in a movie. This portrayed a female director. I also felt that it was obvious the film was directed by a woman by how they portrayed men. The male sex was portrayed as dominant and heartless and pretty dirt-baggy. This was a rather feminine approach. I found it really interesting and unexpected when the relationship between Ada and her daughter changed. They were extremely close the entire movie and then towards the end her daughter switched sides to favor Ada’s new husband. I found the part when she turned on her mother and caused her to get her finger cut off really disturbing and twisted. Although the movie was not the type I would watch on my own, it was definitely like no other movie I have seen.

Sleepless in Seattle

“Sleepless in Seattle” is a reknowned film of a love story and is considered to be a “chick flick.” It is directed and has a screenplay written by a woman, Nora Ephron, who creates a romance about a character, Sam (played by Tom Hanks) who is a vulnerable man that finds love after the death of his wife. It is a unique story, as it is the male who is very vulnerable and shaken that falls in love with a woman from the other side of the country who nurtures him back to happiness, unlike most love stories where the man falls in love with a vulnerable woman and saves her from whatever peril she is in. Tom Hanks is not a particular attractive man, does not make a lot of money, and is not looking for a relationship until he finds his love in Meg Ryan’s character. This story is very different from “Clueless,” a movie about attractive high school students trying to find a boyfriend or experiencing love at a young age. While “Clueless” is about an independent female trying to find happiness, “Sleepless in Seattle” is a story about a man and a woman who are meant for each other and find happiness in one another. Ephron uses her characters to build on one another and find love, while Amy Heckerling, the writer and director of “Clueless” uses all her characters to build off Cher, the lead actress. While Heckerling focuses on a female figure who can achieve whatever she wants, Ephron portrays Tom Hanks as a sensitive man who needs Ryan , and Ryan as a compassionate woman who needs the vulnerable Hanks.

The Piano

The Piano begins with males being in control and taking care of the females. It first shows Holly Hunter, who plays Ada, being put into an arranged marriage by her father. A scene in the beginning that also shows male control is when the men carry Ada and her daughter from the boat to the shore. It not only outlines the social power over women, but also the physical and total control over their lives. This movie shows many instances of a woman being totally controlled by a man, such as when Ada's finger, her one tool to make her have a connection to the hearing world, is cut off because of her emotional choice in a forced situation. This male control is a big theme is female made films, and is significant in this movie because the main character's entire experience focuses around these relationships. The woman in this film overcomes the men, this empowerment is a very common theme in female made movies.
Full male frontal nudity is used in this film in an artistic and intimate way. In class we discussed that this is not a common theme, usually just the backside is generally shown with men. I believe Campion showed more naked body because it shows the personal struggle and loosening of emotions during the chararacters' transitions. In addition, highly visual and graphic sexual scenes are shown only to evoke and show deeply personal emotions. It is obvious that the scenes that use nudity and sexuality are present because they show changes with the character's feelings, and are not there primarily to have a quota of naked people fulfilled. Unlike in films controlled by men, this sex scene is not primarily to show nudeness. This can be shown by the highly charged and sexual scene where Baines looks at Ada's ankle, then inspects the hole in her stocking. Although there is no nudity, it is not needed to convey the emotions present. This is important because the film is made by a woman, and although there is nudity shown, it is obviously not necessary. This movie shows elements that are present in films made by women, in addition to the ones mentioned is the emotional aspect, which the film is centered around.

Clueless

Clueless is a film clearly written and directed by a woman, with its female leading role and main characters and its most prominent theme of female independence. It is a story of the obstacles a teenage girl faces at her high school, with her friends, and in her love life. Cher is a typical “popular high school girl” foil, with looks, money, and confidence. Although Cher seems naïve and ditsy, the movie’s main theme of independence permeates through every one of her actions. Cher’s personality, similar to that of the characters in the film “Mean Girls,” is a mask hiding her compassion and intelligence. Unlike the teenage girls of “Mean Girls,” Cher spends her time trying to help a “clueless” new girl adjust, without malice or backstabbing, and arranging the romance of two of the faculty at her high school in order to raise her grades. Contrary to her ditsy character foil, Cher knows exactly who she is and exerts her independence and confidence in order to get her way through being a female. She uses her sense of fashion, amongst many other assets to help the outsider new girl fit in, and uses her knowledge of romance and the male sex to spark a relationship between her two teachers. Although she has money, and a father who has influenced her talent in argument and persuasion, Cher grew up without an important female role model, her mother. Her upbringing, lacking that major maternal element, reinforces her personality as a independent girl who knows what she wants and how to get it. Amy Heckerling, the writer and dierector of the movie, uses her lead actress in that way to portray a strongwilled young woman who knows who she is.

The Piano

The Piano was a pretty disturbing movie in my opinion. First of all, I found it very strange that the woman did not speak eventhough she was perfectly capable of speaking. Second of all, I found it odd that she slept on a beach until her new husband arrived without any fuss. Third of all, I don't understand why she fell in love with a man who essentially bribed her to please him sexually in a really strange way. In addition, I found the scene where her husband chopped off her finger disturbing and disguisting. The most moving part of the movie for me was I felt bad for the woman's daughter. The poor thing had a mute mother, was sent off to a random island, had a mother who was cheating on the man she actually felt comfortable enough to call Papa eventhough she said she wouldn't, saw her mother having sex with another man, was stuck outside a man's house for hours while her mother had sex with that man, was not allowed to play with the other children on the island, saw her mother's finger being chopped off because of her mistake, and saw her mother nearly drown to death. Although sceptical of the movie, I did appreciate how Baines developed during the movie. Although he came off as a jerk because he bribed her to please him in order for her to be with her most prized possession, but he also showed a sensitive side by taking her to the piano and falling in love with her. At the end, he had fully developed into a sensitive man by giving Ada the piano before the deal ended, comforting the daughter after seeing her finger cut off, and insisting that the piano go in the canoe at the end of the movie.

The Piano

Upon watching the film I found the main character Ada very interesting. I think Jane Campion’s depiction of Ada is done in such a way that the audience understands and feels for her even though she never speaks. There is a connection between her sign language and facial expressions. Also, the way Campion uses the piano as Ada’s voice is a unique approach, which allows the audience to see how she finds happiness. This is especially evident when George takes her back to the beach to play the piano and we see her smile for the first time.

The vulnerability of the men in the film, especially George, stuck out to me, which could be a result of a female director. One instance of this is when Ada returns to George’s cabin upon getting her piano back he tells her he “can’t eat, can’t sleep” because she is gone. This is an example of him letting his guard down and telling her how he feels, which is not common for men to do, making me think Campion had an input here.

Overall I really liked this film, but it is hard to categorize it under one certain genre of film because it has so many elements . There is love, as seen between Ada and George, music, which comes from the piano, shock, as when Alisdair cuts off Ada’s finger, and the jealousy Alisdair feels towards George.

After the discussion this morning, I think it is safe to say that “The Piano” is in no way a chick flick. This movie is anything but predictable, and definitely not lighthearted in anyway, although Ada does end up leaving New Zealand with George, the man she truly loves. Before watching this movie I had no idea what to expect. Although my expectations of the film were extremely wrong, I nevertheless enjoyed it.

Clueless

When Clueless first came out, it was my favorite movie of all time. Now when I look back and watch it, it makes me think how stupid I must have been to worship it so much. I think I loved it so much because I was about 10 and I idolized the older teenage girls in it. All my friends used the phrases they used such as "Baldwin" and "As if" which to us, seemed very cool at the time. When I was younger, I took the movie a lot more seriously than I do now. Before, it was something cool to watch and imitate, now, it is simply a funny chick flick that makes me wonder why my friends and I took it so seriously, and also makes me feel embarassed that I actually tried saying "as if" in normal day language. I still enjoy watching the movie, though. I think it has a good message that helping others is rewarding, and I do enjoy the love story between Cher and her stepbrother. There are also some pretty funny scenes and quotes which still make me laugh after seeing it so many times. There are certain aspects that hint that a woman directed the movie, such as when Cher realizes she loves Josh, she feels as though she can't act the same around him. Also the way Ty acts after Elton doesn't like her really reminds me of some of my friends. Even though there was actually nothing between Elton and Ty, she claims they had a "song" and burns a bunch of stuff that reminds her of him.

we saw an awful lot of Harvey Keitel

The Piano:

I really do not know what to think about the film we saw today. I do not believe I have ever seen a film like that before. Some things, actually man left me wondering about the nature of that flick. First of all, why was the woman, Ade able to comprehend basically everything that someone would say to her through words? Wasnt she deaf? That made me wonder about a lot of things. Then, we saw Harvey Keitel in more ways than one. I think Jane Campion is a little overly erotic to be honest with you The way that scene was set up, I honestly believe that even women would have wished not to have seen that guys male genitalia. It was kind of awkward but okay in adult enviornment. (I guess)

I believe that the woman had no self- respect. I do not care whether she fell in love with that man, she should have told her husband that she was not attracted to him, and she wanted to explore other options. I do not like how there is always some unfaithfulness going on in so many movies these days. The acting was pretty good. I just do not think I have seen a movie like that before. At first I really had no idea what was going on Is that really what New Zealand looks like? I doubt it is always muddy.

I cannot say that this is a chick flick. Other than the full male frontal, this film just kind of portrayed how women were probably treated in the nineteenth century. Another thing was how much I hated the litte girl It seemed like she had such a good relationship with her mother, and then she just turned on her when she saw her mother finally get some love. That was weird to me. The death scene was really strange too. You could not really see that one coming.

All in all I believe that it was one of the strangest movies I have ever seen. I did not think it was bad per se, but I do not know if I would watch it again. I am up for a change sometimes and I can say that I am glad I saw it.

Interview with Meg Ryan about IN THE CUT and Jane Campion

Here is an interview with Meg Ryan about IN THE CUT, which we will be watching on Thursday, but what she talks about is valid for THE PIANO.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWEdi4uf7Eo


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qSvLJlsWh8

The Piano