The Piano

Exquisite erotic classic
Jane Campion's "The Piano" does what many truly great films do: It inspires fascinating discussion and provokes mixed reactions. The male friend with whom I saw it back in 1993 and I were so enthralled that we kept our significant others waiting to leave for our respective Christmas vacations because we kept phoning each other to discuss symbolism and interesting themes in the movie. While I continue to absolutely love the film, I also recognize why some viewers have not shared my reaction. Perhaps you have to have at least considered a forbidden love affair or perhaps you have to have found yourself trapped in a relationship where you feel you have lost your voice to appreciate what Campion explores.

The story centers around Ada (Holly Hunter in an Oscar-winning performance) and her daughter, Flora (Anna Paquin--who also won an Oscar for her extraordinary performance). They leave their upper-class home in Scotland after Ada's father (apparently) arranges her marriage. Ada,...

Disturbing - Beautiful - Brilliant
I missed this movie in the theaters 10 years ago, and saw it for the first time purely by chance on HBO recently. I was so enchanted that I watched each of the next three showings in the very same day, and then bought the DVD for my collection. It is one of the most unique, truly deep, thought provoking, awe-inspiring, movies I've seen in a while. The drama is almost Biblical, the love story almost Shakespearian in quality (think Othello). I was enraptured by the music, the crashing waves, and the amazing synergy between the players.

And Harvey Keitel - who knew? Those gangster/tough guy roles just don't even touch this man's talent. George Baines is intense, tender, passionate, a total jerk - so it would seem - but underneath the gruff exterior lies the heart of a prince. Keitel really puts it all out there, literally and figuratively. It's a risky role and it works for him.

Holly Hunter was spectacular, as usual, but in this film the fast-talking, high-energy woman you came...

Great Film - Sub-standard Blu-ray
By the artwork I believe this Blu-ray to be an import from Australia and the bad news is that it is a terrible transfer.

Having purchase this disk I offer the following review based on the assumption that it is the same product.

The back cover states that this disk has been mastered to 1080i Standard. Why on earth 1080i???????

Why was the film not re-mastered from film stock and to 1080p Standard?

The interlacing is apparent from the very start. The title sequence background has very obvious horizontal streaking. An ominous beginning.

This Blu-ray suffers from too much green and too much grain. Most of the red seems to have been filtered out thereby making the film darker than it should be. As a result the flesh tones are unnatural. Having seen the film in the theatre, to me this print has been made unusually dark for no apparent reason. The opening sequence where Ada McGrath is looking at the light between her fingers is strange...

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