The Sound of Silence

The movie The Piano (1993) is a movie directed by Jane Campion and starred Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Anna Paquin, and Sam Neill. It’s an award winning movie which is about a mute pianist, her daughter, and her lovers. The movie won three awards in the 66^th Academy Awards which includes best actress by Hunter, best supporting actress by Paquin, and best original screenplay and many other awards from different bodies.

The Piano is a story of Ada, a mute woman yet very talented in playing the piano, and her matured-like daughter Flora. As Ada was sold to marry a man she doesn’t know, she and her daughter travels to an island in New Zealand and finally meets the man who is Alistair (Sam Neill). There with them Alistair’s friend Baines (Harvey Keitel) who at first was very cold. Then he turns out to be a helpful friend for Ada and Flora with him bringing the piano near after being abandoned in the seashore. Later feelings bloomed caused by the piano, as Baines is aroused when Ada plays and he watches in so much attraction to her leading him to ask some things. It begins their infidel affair which eventually was discovered by Ada’s husband. He became jealous and furious and this triggered him to do _rude things to her. Eventually they have been made to go away by Alistair along with the piano. After some unfortunate events in the end they lived happily ever after.

In a deeper view, the movie tells us about the importance of silence. When it is silent, we concentrate, we are intent and ironically that’s the time we truly listen. Understanding a silent person is a big challenge because you don’t really listen with the ear, but you listen with your heart. If you don’t pay much attention to silence you will never understand the things hidden in it. Silence is a mystery and it takes much to unfold it.

Also, it conveys a message of the beauty of music. Music is the voice that speaks when one couldn’t say enough. Personally music speaks for me. In every mood I am on I could not express any better than using music. Like Ada in the film, when she was very lonely she played slow pieces, at some time when she’s angry the piece she played sound very furious and hard, and when she was in love it was like a tune of emotions that are smooth and flowing.

Some downfalls of the movie though are some very minimal flaws. Such example is the boat in which it carried too many people and things when in fact it was very small and the waves of the sea were very huge. I am bothered by that. Also, I observed some flaws in lighting especially on the seashore scenes.

Overall the movie was good, the story though it is traumatic for children is very good – if not for that it wouldn’t be that attention sustaining, the music was very good and I salute Holly Hunter for she actually played real piano in the shoot. Finally, The Piano will leave viewers to rethink about what love really is and how it crosses boundaries. As Ada said, “God loves dumb creatures, so why not me?”.