Word: campion
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1990-1999
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
directed by Jane Campion...
Apiano stands alone on an empty swath of New Zealand beach while behind it a towering wall of seawaves threatens to obliterate it. That singularly haunting image is at the core of Jane Campion's new film "The Piano." The hoary proverb which states that a picture is worth a thousand words could not be more appropriate. The value of silence, of nonverbal communication, is essential to the theme of Campion's film, which depicts a world in which images and music count as much as words...
...reveal what happens would be unthinkable, for the surprises in the plot are one of the film's manifold pleasures. Campion has said that in writing the screenplay drew on the Bronte sisters. She is faithful to her inspiration, and the violent unleashing of passions and the consequences that follow are portrayed in a manner that does the author of Wuthering Heights proud. In the world portrayed by Campion, the characters have no defense against the passions that threaten to overtake them. They are foreigners transplanted to a strange new land where the senses rule. Life is overpowering here...
...works on so many levels at the same time that at moments you don't know what has hit you. Photographed by Stuart Dryburgh, "The Piano" is visually stunning, but its beauty is not of the empty picture-postcard kind. The visual texture of the movie is integral to Campion's vision. Michael Nyman, best known for scoring Peter Greenaway's movies, has written a haunting score that captures the essence of each character...
...these things would be useless if the film did not contain performances to match. Campion's direction is perhaps her greatest achievement in "The Piano." A nearly unrecognizable Holly Hunter is simply amazing as Ada. Despite the fact that she does not utter a word during the movie, Hunter manages to provide a full-bodied portrait of Ada, so that the audience knows what she is thinking and feeling without her having to articulate it. Ada marks Hunter's best work on screen thus far. Keeping up with Hunter is Anna Paquin as Ada's daughter Flora. Paquin brings...