Australia / New Zealand / France,
1993, 121 min
(Alternative: 116 min)
Directed by:
Jane CampionScreenplay:
Jane CampionCinematography:
Stuart DryburghComposer:
Michael NymanCast:
Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Sam Neill, Anna Paquin, Kerry Walker, Geneviève Lemon, Ian Mune, Pete Smith, Bruce Allpress, Cliff Curtis, Hori Ahipene, Mika X. (more)Plots(1)
Ada (Holly Hunter), mute since birth, her nine year old daughter (Anna Paquin), and her piano arrive to an arranged marriage in the remote bush of nineteenth century New Zealand. Of all her belongings her husband refuses to transport the piano and it is left behind on the beach. Unable to bear it’s certain destruction, Ada strikes a bargain with an illiterate tattooed neighbour (Harvey Keitel). She may earn her piano back if she allows him to do certain things while she play’s - one black key for every lesson. The arrangement draws all three deeper and deeper into a complex emotional, sexual bond remarkable for its naïve passion and frightening disregard for limits. (Icon Home Entertainment)
(more)Awards
- Winner
- Nominations
Academy Awards
- 1994 - Holly Hunter (Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role)
- 1994 - Anna Paquin (Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role)
- 1994 - Jane Campion (Best Original Screenplay)
- 1994 - Best Motion Picture of the Year
- 1994 - Jane Campion (Best Achievement in Directing)
- 1994 - Stuart Dryburgh (Best Achievement in Cinematography)
- 1994 - Best Achievement in Film Editing
- 1994 - Best Achievement in Costume Design
Independent Spirit Awards
- 1994 - Jane Campion (Best International Film)
British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA)
- 1994 - Holly Hunter (Best Leading Actress)
- 1994 - Best Costume Design
- 1994 - Best Production Design
- 1994 - Best Film
- 1994 - Jane Campion (Best Director)
- 1994 - Jane Campion (Best Original Screenplay)
- 1994 - Stuart Dryburgh (Best Cinematography)
- 1994 - Best Editing
- 1994 - Michael Nyman (Best Music)
- 1994 - Best Sound
César Awards
- 1994 - Best Foreign Film
Robert Awards (Danish Film Awards)
- 1994 - Jane Campion (Best Foreign Film)
Guldbagge Awards
- 1993 - Jane Campion (Best Foreign Film)
Amanda Awards
- 1994 - Jane Campion (Best Foreign Language Film)
Golden Globes
- 1994 - Holly Hunter (Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama)
- 1994 - Best Motion Picture – Drama
- 1994 - Jane Campion (Best Director)
- 1994 - Jane Campion (Best Screenplay)
- 1994 - Anna Paquin (Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture)
- 1994 - Michael Nyman (Best Original Score)
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards
- 1993 - Jane Campion (Best Director)
- 1993 - Holly Hunter (Best Actress)
- 1993 - Anna Paquin (Best Supporting Actress)
- 1993 - Jane Campion (Best Screenplay)
- 1993 - Stuart Dryburgh (Best Cinematography)
- 1993 - Best Film
- 1993 - Michael Nyman (Best Music Score)
New York Film Critics Circle Awards
- 1993 - Jane Campion (Best Director)
- 1993 - Holly Hunter (Best Actress)
- 1993 - Jane Campion (Best Screenplay)
- 1993 - Best Film
- 1993 - Stuart Dryburgh (Best Cinematographer)
Cannes Film Festival
- 1993 - Jane Campion (Golden Palm - Official Competition)
- 1993 - Holly Hunter (Best Actress)
Norwegian International Film Festival Haugesund
- 1993 - Jane Campion (The Audience Award)