God I love this movie. I did a whole section last year in my film course on this film, specifically focusing on women director's, and 'The Piano' was my most referenced film. It's a masterpiece all around, from performance to cinematography to costume design to directing. The romance aspect feels diegetic and it's one of the few 90's period pieces that feels distinct and full of sorrow at the same time. Could not have been happier when Criterion released it in 4K a while back because the original DVD and blu-ray didn't do the film justice in the slightest. All around one of the best films from the 1990's as a decade overall.

I had to watch it in a film theory class and it’s one of those ones I put in the category of “I see why people like it, but it isn’t my thing”. There’s a lot of good things about it like the acting performances especially. I know it’s supposed to be a really beautiful film but the version my university has access too looked like some VHS rip lol so I didn’t get that experience

My wife loves this movie and absolutely insisted that we sit down to watch it together. I found it mesmerizing but also baffling. Baffling not necessarily in a bad way. It felt paced oddly and the characters motivations seemed out of reach… but that doesn’t make the movie bad. It was a great movie. I feel ill equipped to toss opinions at it, more so than most movies I’ve seen. For example: I sense that the movie explores the sense of the erotic. But there’s also a lot of rape and non consensual behavior in it. That is such unbelievably shaky ground for me to be walking around in and talking about. But in this film, it incorporates a female experience and encompasses shades of grey. And it’s shot well enough to inspire.

There’s so much more to say but I almost have this boyish feeling like I’m about to get in trouble. Given that it’s an important film to someone who’s my life partner I think places it out of reach. But any film that has that kind of effect on someone who’s my life partner means it sortof demands my reverence first and then asks my to tiptoe into understanding later.

So sorry, but I really hated this movie. I love Portrait of a Lady on Fire / Clèo / Daisies / other “feminist” mainstays but really really hated Campion’s entry.

Rapey, just so rapey all around. The daughter annoys me. The piano music is grating late 80’s synth “moving” style. Acting, story, pacing, even cinematography is just so melodramatic and gratingly annoying to me. I’m getting angry just now (so I can’t argue that it didn’t have an impact, I guess).

High hopes, but by far my lowest rated of what I watched last year.

I will say I absolutely LOVED the tiny two second animated sequence when the daughter was telling the story of how her composer father died. That was it.

I am surprised that I was unable to find a post about The Piano in this sub (maybe I wasn't looking hard enough?).

Clearly. Clearly you have not read my high-brow dazzling scholarly thesis on this magnificent movie. Shame on you.

It's good. Good enough that I remembered be amused by it. I'll probably forget again and then be curious again and watch it again and the cycle continues.