The Piano is a
1993 film about a
mute female pianist and her daughter, set during the mid-19th century in a rainy, muddy frontier
New Zealand backwater. The film was written and directed by
Jane Campion, and stars
Holly Hunter,
Harvey Keitel,
Sam Neill and
Anna Paquin. It features a score for the
piano by
Michael Nyman which became a bestselling
soundtrack album. Hunter played her own piano pieces for the film, and also served as
sign language teacher for Paquin, earning herself three different screen credits. The film was an
international co-production by Australian producer
Jan Chapman with the French company
Ciby 2000.
Alistair Fox has argued that
The Piano was significantly influenced by
Jane Mander's
The Story of a New Zealand River.