Jane Campion’s THE PIANO: Great To Be Nominated
April 14th, 2008 by Andre Soares
Writer-director Jane Campion’s Gothic drama The Piano, the best of the 1993 Best Picture Oscar nominees and one of the greatest — and greatest-looking — films of the 1990s, will be screened as the first feature in the fifth and final season of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences‘ "Great To Be Nominated" series. The Piano screening will take place on Monday, April 21, at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. Afterwards, actor Cliff Curtis and U.S. casting director Victoria Thomas will take part in a discussion about the film.
Set in the mid-19th century, The Piano follows the emotional struggles of a mute Scotswoman, beautifully played by Holly Hunter, sent off with her quirky daughter (Anna Paquin, delivering one of the two or three best child performances ever) to an arranged marriage with a landowner (Sam Neill) in New Zealand. Once there, however, she falls for her husband’s neighbor (Harvey Keitel — the one weak link in the film’s cast), a free spirit with Maori tattoos on his face.
The Piano received a total of eight Academy Award nominations, winning Oscars for Actress in a Leading Role (Holly Hunter), Actress in a Supporting Role (Anna Paquin) and Writing – Screenplay written directly for the screen (Jane Campion). The film also received nominations for Best Picture (Jan Chapman, producer), Cinematography (Stuart Dryburgh), Costume Design (Janet Patterson), Directing (Jane Campion) and Film Editing (Veronika Jenet).
Michael Nyman’s score, one of the most dramatically cogent in film history, was ignored by the Academy’s Music Branch. Also ignored was Andrew McAlpine’s first-rate production design.
Frédéric Back’s Oscar-nominated animated short Le Fleuve aux grandes eaux / The Mighty River, about the environmental history of the St. Lawrence River and narrated by Donald Sutherland, will be screened prior to the feature.
Passes for all 17 screenings in part five of "Great To Be Nominated" are $30 for the general public and $25 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. A $5 discount is available for those who wish to renew their passes from parts one, two, three or four of the series. Individual tickets are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. Passes and tickets may be purchased online at www.oscars.org, by mail, in person at the Academy during regular business hours or, depending on availability, on the night of the screening when the doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Curtain time for all features is 7:30 p.m., and pre-show elements will begin at 7 p.m. The Academy is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. For more information, call (310) 247-3600.
Photos: Courtesy of the Margaret Herrick Library
Technorati Tags: The Piano, Jane Campion, Holly Hunter, Anna Paquin, AMPAS, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Harvey Keitel, Sam Neill
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