# "The Piano"--Brilliant film or a WTF film? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 20, 2003, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-piano-brilliant-film-or-a-wtf-film/149762 "2003-01-20T06:51:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ruffian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71e660/32.png) [@Ruffian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruffian)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-piano-brilliant-film-or-a-wtf-film/149762/1 "2003-01-20T06:51:38Z")
I watched _The Piano_ on DVD tonight. Hmm. The thick accents and mumbling left both of us far too frequently saying, “What? Huh?” and it left us often not knowing what the hell was going on, except in gist. This, I’m sure, significantly impeded our understanding of the film. Seemed, uh, good. A bit…strange…but certainly beautifully acted. Quite erotic once you got past the creepy factor, and quite cerebral in some regards. But I’m left not knowing if I liked it. I’m also left confused as far as what the hell some of that was all about. Kinda like _Raising Arizona_, except in that film the intentional incoherence was farcical. So–what’re your thoughts? Awesome, odd, bland, or sucky? ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-piano-brilliant-film-or-a-wtf-film/149762/2 "2003-01-20T07:20:09Z")
I felt exactly the same way immediately after seeing it. In the ensuing months and years, I came to realize that it was fresh and brilliant and I adored it. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-piano-brilliant-film-or-a-wtf-film/149762/3 "2003-01-20T07:31:25Z")
I liked it better the first time, in the theater, than the second time, at home on video. It lost a lot in the translation to small screen in terms of visual effect, I think. ---
**Author:** ![slackergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@slackergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slackergirl)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-piano-brilliant-film-or-a-wtf-film/149762/4 "2003-01-20T07:47:17Z")
I didn’t really get it the first time either, and I still don’t get the appeal of Harvey Keitel, (and maybe that was the point). It grew on me with repeated viewings, and I love the score. I haven’t seen the movie in years, but I listen to the music at least once a week. I listened to it this afternoon, in fact. ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-piano-brilliant-film-or-a-wtf-film/149762/5 "2003-01-20T07:58:40Z")
Thick accents? Mumbling? What do you think the English subtitles option is for? DVD’s a godsend for me for that reason alone. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-piano-brilliant-film-or-a-wtf-film/149762/6 "2003-01-20T08:40:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Silentgoldfish \* > \*\*Thick accents? Mumbling? What do you think the English subtitles option is for? DVD’s a godsend for me for that reason alone. \*\* You got that right, bubby! The movie Snatch was a whole lot more enjojable for me on DVD that in the theatre. I could finally figure out what Brad Pitt was saying. I don’t care if you weren’t suppose to really understand him, I couldn’t stand all that mumbling. E3 ---
**Author:** ![Ruffian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71e660/32.png) [@Ruffian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruffian)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-piano-brilliant-film-or-a-wtf-film/149762/7 "2003-01-20T15:29:53Z")
> [@](#): > > What do you think the English subtitles option is for? Not an option on this DVD. But, our TV does has close-captioning. A few times I considered using it, but it kinda takes over the bottom half of the screen and can be more distracting. ---
**Author:** ![vibrotronica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@vibrotronica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vibrotronica)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-piano-brilliant-film-or-a-wtf-film/149762/8 "2003-01-20T15:54:51Z")
The Piano is one of two films that feature shots of Harvey Kitel’s penis. ---
**Author:** ![Ruffian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71e660/32.png) [@Ruffian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruffian)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-piano-brilliant-film-or-a-wtf-film/149762/9 "2003-01-20T16:11:21Z")
So **vibrotronica** , does that make it brilliant or a head-scratcher? 😉 (Pus somewhat intended) ---
**Author:** ![Gundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Gundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gundy)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-piano-brilliant-film-or-a-wtf-film/149762/10 "2003-01-20T16:34:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ruffian \* > \*\*(Pus somewhat intended) \*\* Ewwwwww. ---
**Author:** ![Ruffian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71e660/32.png) [@Ruffian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruffian)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-piano-brilliant-film-or-a-wtf-film/149762/11 "2003-01-20T16:56:19Z")
LOL! Now that’s one great typo. 😃 Pu_ **n** _ somewhat intended. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-piano-brilliant-film-or-a-wtf-film/149762/12 "2003-01-20T18:32:41Z")
We saw this movie after having seen _Sommersby, Untamed Heart,_ and one or two other movies that Mr. S. picked out. The following comment contains spoilers about those movies, as well as _The Piano_. You Have Been Warned! I was already pissed at him for having chosen three or four movies in a row where a “good” character dies at the end. When Ada went into the water, I leaned over and whispered to him, “If she dies, so do you!” Luckily I did not have to kill him after all. Otherwise, we both enjoyed it a lot, and still watch it from time to time.