Sensual, thrilling, poignant - it's not hard to see why Jane Campion's curio seduced both Cannes and Oscar. The hearteningly original plot sees an ivory-tinkling mute (Holly Hunter) travel to New Zealand for an arranged marriage, only to reject hubby (Sam Neill) when he bans her from keeping her titular object of affection. Harvey Keitel then nabs the instrument... and allows her to buy it back for sexual favours. Note-perfect performances (including an 11-year-old Anna Paquin as Hunter's daughter) combine with bewitching visuals and Michael Nyman's hypnotic score to produce a film of rare beauty - but there's obsession, violence and eroticism beneath the beguiling surface.
Read the full The Piano: Special Edition review
Comments