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'Ada, her nine-year-old daughter, and her piano, arrive to an arranged marriage in the remote bush of 19th 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 its certain destruction, Ada strikes a bargain with an illiterate neighbour. She may earn her piano back if she allows him to do certain things while she plays: one black key for every lesson. The arrangement draws all three deeper and deeper into a complex emotional, sexual bond, remarkable for its naive passion and frightening disregard for limits.'
Source: Screen Australia.
Adaptations
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The Piano : The Ballet
Jiří Bubeníček
,
2018
single work
drama
'25 years ago, cinema goers around the world were captivated by an extraordinary tale of desire, violence and hope. The story of Ada McGrath and her daughter Flora, husband Alastair and lover Baines unfolded against the wild grandeur and desolation of Aotearoa, as Jane Campion’s award-winning film took audiences on a visceral journey into New Zealand’s imagined past, as it had never been portrayed before.
'Drawing on the rich inspiration of The Piano, the Royal New Zealand Ballet is honoured to stage the world premiere of this new full-length dance work by Jiří Bubeníček. Originally conceived as a short work for Dortmund Ballet, The Piano: the ballet is now re-imagined and expanded for the RNZB, giving Ada’s story a new and distinctively New Zealand voice and, in dance, a powerful new means of expression. Excerpts from Michael Nyman’s iconic film score are blended with evocative music by Debussy, Arensky, Stravinsky, Schnittke, Brahms and Shostakovich.' (Production abstract)
Affiliation Notes
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Writing Disability in Australia
Type of disability Mutism; digital amputation (traumatic). Type of character Primary. Point of view Third person.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Related Works
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y
The Piano : A Novel
London
:
Bloomsbury
,
1994
Z142858
1994
single work
novel
historical fiction
Based on Jane Campion's award winning film, this novel tells the story of Ada, who with her piano and her nine-year-old, illegitimate daughter Flora, migrates to the remote bush of nineteenth century New Zealand for an arranged marriage. Mute since the age of six, Ada's piano is her voice. When her new husband exchanges it for land, Ada strikes a bargain with the new owner, the tattooed, illiterate Baines. (Libraries Australia record)
Works about this Work
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The Heart Asks Pleasure First : Economies of Touch and Desire in Jane Campion’s The Piano (1993)
2017
single work
column
— Appears in: Senses of Cinema , September vol. 84 no. 2017; -
Primary Producer
2016
single work
column
— Appears in: The Saturday Paper , 19 March 2016; -
The Piano Rewatched – Re-examining the Erotic Via Sexually Charged Music Lessons
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 21 February 2016;
— Review of The Piano 1993 single work film/TV -
Translating Place : 'The Piano' from Screen to Tourist Brochure
2012
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Words, Images and Performances in Translation 2012; (p. 176-193) -
Following the Impossible Road to Female Passion : Psychoanalysis, the Mundane, and the Films of Jane Campion
2012
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Discourse , Spring-Fall vol. 34 no. 2-3 2012; (p. 290-310)
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What Music Is
1993
single work
review
— Appears in: Arena Magazine , October/November no. 7 1993; (p. 46-48)
— Review of The Piano 1993 single work film/TV -
The Piano Rewatched – Re-examining the Erotic Via Sexually Charged Music Lessons
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 21 February 2016;
— Review of The Piano 1993 single work film/TV -
After Viewing 'The Piano' on Video
i
"The pattern of her fingerprints arc",
1999
single work
poetry
— Appears in: Small Packages , no. 4 1999; (p. 60) -
Schindler's List Puts Spielberg on Top
1994
single work
column
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 24 January 1994; (p. 5) -
Sour Notes, Sour Grapes?
1994
single work
criticism
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 18 March 1994; (p. 9) -
y
The Piano
Strawberry Hills
Canberra
:
Currency Press
Australian Film Commission
,
2007
Z1382127
2007
single work
criticism
'The Piano, written and directed by Jane Campion, is one of the most honoured films of the new Australian cinema, and is considered by many critics to be a modern masterpiece. Campion won the Palme D'Or at Cannes in 1993 for the film, making her the first woman ever to win this prestigious award; it also won Best Original Screenplay (Campion), Best Actress (Holly Hunter) and Best Supporting Actress (Anna Paquin) at the 1994 Oscars.
'In 1880 the widowed, and mute, Ada (Holly Hunter) and her young daughter, Flora (Anna Paquin) leave their native Scotland and travel to New Zealand’s remote South Island, as the arranged family of Stewart (Sam Neil), an Englishman who lives and works the land there. With them come Ada’s piano which serves as her outlet of expression, her ‘voice’. Despite fierce insistence from Ada, Stewart leaves the piano on the beach after he decides it is too heavy to carry back to his homestead. Stewart’s neighbour Baines (Harvey Kietel) makes a deal with Stewart for the piano and lessons with Ada, which has dire repercussions for them all.' (Publication summary)
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Tender, But it's Still Harassment
1994
single work
criticism
— Appears in: The Age , 22 March 1994; (p. 15)
Awards
- 1994 nominated Golden Globes (USA) — Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
- 1994 winner Film Critics Circle of Australia — Best Original Screenplay
- 1994 nominated British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards — Best Screenplay - Original
- 1993 winner Writers Guild of America Award — Best Original Script
- 1993 winner National Society of Film Critics (USA) — Best Screenplay Award
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cNew Zealand,cPacific Region,
- 1850s
