THE PHILADELPHIA STORY FILMS. 4 EDITIoN Morley, Sheridan, Katharine Hepbum: A Celebration, London, 1 on the 1939 Broadway production of Philip Barrys play which Bernadoni, James, George Cukor: A Critical Study and filmog starred Katharine Hepburn. The film employs the 1930s screwball Jefferson, North Carolina, 1985 plot device of the idle rich whose wealth has blinded them to the Hunter, Allan, James Stewart. New York, 1985 simple joys of life and the worthiness of middle-class values. Tracy Higham, Charles, and Ray Moseley, Cary Grant: The Lonely Heart, Lord is the arrogant Philadelphia socialite who is planning her New York, 1989 wedding to a stuffy social climber when her ex-husband, C K. Dexter McGilligan, Patrick, George Cukor: A Double Life: A Biography of Haven, arrives at the mansion. Haven is a charming millionaire whe the Gentleman Director. New York. 1992 openly displays his love of life and his disdain of pretentiousness vy,Emanuel, George Cukor: Master of Elegance: Hollywood's while he secretly longs for the reunion with his ex-wife. Ji gendary Director and His Stars, New York, 1994 Stewart and Ruth hussey are the reporters from the scandal sheet spy Ryan, Joal, Katherine Hepburn: A Stylish Life, New York, 1999. Magazine who have been assigned to cover the wedding. Anti- Schickel, Richard, Cary Grant. New York, 1999 romance, verbal and witty relationships, and the tendency to poke fun at the rich are all in abundance providing humorous distractions and Articles. obstacles to Tracy's and Dexters final reconciliation. Director George Cukor here shows his preference for understate Variety(New York ) 27 November 1940 ment in romantic comedies through his emphasis on plot and perform- Ferguson, Otis, in New Republic(New York), 13 December 1940 New York Times. 27 December 1940. ance. Following Frank Capras example in It Happened One Night The Times(London), 3 March 1941 and his earlier success Holiday, Cukor employs a screwball comic style which avoids explicit romance between two leading Tozzi, Romano V, "Katharine Hepburn, "in Films in Review(New He instead pits them against each other, creating romantic courtship York), December 1957. through character tensions Tozzi, Romano V,George Cukor: His Success Directing Women Because the audience knows that the characters are Hepburn and Has Obscured His Other Directional Virtues,in Films in Review Grant, two movie stars who have been paired before in Cukor's Sylvia (New York), February 1958. Scarlett and Holiday and Howard Hawks's Bringing Up Baby, the Reid, John,"So He Became a Lady's Man, "in Films and Filming audience is predisposed to want them to get together. Cukor plays London), August 1960 Cutts, John, in Films and Filming(ondon), July 1962. with this expectation throughout the film but especially in the famous Bureau, Patrick, " Un Etincelant Cukor, in Lettres francaises opening Grant is tossed out the front door, Hepburn appears at (Paris), 1 November 1962. the door where she breaks one of Grants golf clubs; she tosses the clubs after him and slams the door: grant returns to the door and rings Fieschi, Jean-Andre."Ou finit le theatre?. ' in Cahiers du Cinema the bell; when Hepburn answers, he pushes her in the face. (Paris), February 1963 hilippe, Claude Jean, Analyse d'un grand film: Philadelphia Not a single word is spoken in this scene. Its comic success Story, in Telerama( Paris), 8 December 1963 depends as much on Hepburns star image as on the superb timing Retrospective Cukor, "in Cahiers du Cinema(Paris), February 1964. During the latter 1930s, Hepburn headed the list by the Independent Theatre Owners Association of"box-office poison"movie stars Sweigart, William, "James Stewart, "in Films in Review (New Critics found her grating, "mannish, " or too intense. Cukor,who had York), December 1964 Nightingale, B, "After Making Nine Films Together, Hepburn Can directed Hepburn in five previous films, said that she was unattractive Practically Direct Cukor, in New York Times, 28 January 1979. to audiences in the late 1930s because she never was a 'love r hillis,Gene D, ""Cukor and Hepburn, in American Classic a lovable little girl'kind of actress. She always challenged the Screen(Shawnee Mission, Kansas), Fall 1979 audience, and . they felt something arrogant in her playing. In The Bodeen, De itt, "George Cukor, in Films in Review(New York) Philadelphia Story, Hepburn and Cukor capitalized on these aspects November 1981 of her image, turning them to Hepburns advantage by establishing Pavec, J -P, in Cinema(Paris), March 1982. Tracy as a haughty, inflexible snob who becomes lovable when she Tobin, Yann, in Positif( Paris), May 1985 exposes her underlying vulnerability and fragility Journal of Popular Film and Television(Washington, D.C. ) Fall 1985. The Philadelphia Story broke attendance records at the Radio City Reid's Film index (wyong), no 4, 1990 Music Hall in New York City. The critical and popular success of the Shumway, D. R,""Screwball Comedies: Constructing Romance, film was especially sweet to Hepburn, who had selected the film as Mystifying Marriage, in Cinema Journal(Austin, Texas), a vehicle for her return to movies after a two year hiatus. After Holiday and Bringing Up Baby had brought her additional negative Osterman, R, in Hollywood: Then and Now(Studio City), vol 24 reviews, she angrily left Hollywood. Hepburn vowed to return only if no.6,1991 the role and circu cre right. The Tracy Lord character in Viviani, Christian, ""Katharine Hepburn et George Cukor, in Positif The Philadelphia Story not only provided the right role, but Paris), no 425-426, July-August 1996 afforded Hepburn the opportunity to create the right circumstances During her Broadway stint in the play, she acquired the movie rights which she then sold to MGM in a deal that guaranteed her the movie role of Tracy Lord and choice of director and co-stars. The Philadelphia Story is one of the most successful and best The Philadelphia Storys success led to its remake as a film ved screwball comedies of the classical Hollywood era. It is based musical in 1956. Though High Society features music and lyrics by
THE PHILADELPHIA STORY FILMS, 4th EDITION 940 Morley, Sheridan, Katharine Hepburn: A Celebration, London, 1984. Bernadoni, James, George Cukor: A Critical Study and Filmography, Jefferson, North Carolina, 1985. Hunter, Allan, James Stewart, New York, 1985. Higham, Charles, and Ray Moseley, Cary Grant: The Lonely Heart, New York, 1989. McGilligan, Patrick, George Cukor: A Double Life: A Biography of the Gentleman Director, New York, 1992. Levy, Emanuel, George Cukor: Master of Elegance: Hollywood’s Legendary Director and His Stars, New York, 1994. Ryan, Joal, Katherine Hepburn: A Stylish Life, New York, 1999. Schickel, Richard, Cary Grant, New York, 1999. Articles: Variety (New York), 27 November 1940. Ferguson, Otis, in New Republic (New York), 13 December 1940. New York Times, 27 December 1940. The Times (London), 3 March 1941. Tozzi, Romano V., ‘‘Katharine Hepburn,’’ in Films in Review (New York), December 1957. Tozzi, Romano V., ‘‘George Cukor: His Success Directing Women Has Obscured His Other Directional Virtues,’’ in Films in Review (New York), February 1958. Reid, John, ‘‘So He Became a Lady’s Man,’’ in Films and Filming (London), August 1960. Cutts, John, in Films and Filming (London), July 1962. Bureau, Patrick, ‘‘Un Etincelant Cukor,’’ in Lettres Françaises (Paris), 1 November 1962. Fieschi, Jean-André, ‘‘Ou finit le théâtre?,’’ in Cahiers du Cinéma (Paris), February 1963. Philippe, Claude Jean, ‘‘Analyse d’un grand film: Philadelphia Story,’’ in Télérama (Paris), 8 December 1963. ‘‘Rétrospective Cukor,’’ in Cahiers du Cinéma (Paris), February 1964. Sweigart, William, ‘‘James Stewart,’’ in Films in Review (New York), December 1964. Nightingale, B., ‘‘After Making Nine Films Together, Hepburn Can Practically Direct Cukor,’’ in New York Times, 28 January 1979. Phillips, Gene D., ‘‘Cukor and Hepburn,’’ in American Classic Screen (Shawnee Mission, Kansas), Fall 1979. Bodeen, DeWitt, ‘‘George Cukor,’’ in Films in Review (New York), November 1981. Le Pavec, J.-P., in Cinéma (Paris), March 1982. Tobin, Yann, in Positif (Paris), May 1985. Journal of Popular Film and Television (Washington, D.C.), Fall 1985. Reid’s Film Index (Wyong), no. 4, 1990. Shumway, D. R., ‘‘Screwball Comedies: Constructing Romance, Mystifying Marriage,’’ in Cinema Journal (Austin, Texas), no. 4, 1991. Rosterman, R., in Hollywood: Then and Now (Studio City), vol. 24, no. 6, 1991. Viviani, Christian, ‘‘Katharine Hepburn et George Cukor,’’ in Positif (Paris), no. 425–426, July-August 1996. *** The Philadelphia Story is one of the most successful and best loved screwball comedies of the classical Hollywood era. It is based on the 1939 Broadway production of Philip Barry’s play which starred Katharine Hepburn. The film employs the 1930s screwball plot device of the idle rich whose wealth has blinded them to the simple joys of life and the worthiness of middle-class values. Tracy Lord is the arrogant Philadelphia socialite who is planning her wedding to a stuffy social climber when her ex-husband, C. K. Dexter Haven, arrives at the mansion. Haven is a charming millionaire who openly displays his love of life and his disdain of pretentiousness while he secretly longs for the reunion with his ex-wife. Jimmy Stewart and Ruth Hussey are the reporters from the scandal sheet Spy Magazine who have been assigned to cover the wedding. Antiromance, verbal and witty relationships, and the tendency to poke fun at the rich are all in abundance providing humorous distractions and obstacles to Tracy’s and Dexter’s final reconciliation. Director George Cukor here shows his preference for understatement in romantic comedies through his emphasis on plot and performance. Following Frank Capra’s example in It Happened One Night and his earlier success Holiday, Cukor employs a screwball comic style which avoids explicit romance between two leading characters. He instead pits them against each other, creating romantic courtship through character tensions. Because the audience knows that the characters are Hepburn and Grant, two movie stars who have been paired before in Cukor’s Sylvia Scarlett and Holiday and Howard Hawks’s Bringing Up Baby, the audience is predisposed to want them to get together. Cukor plays with this expectation throughout the film but especially in the famous opening scene: Grant is tossed out the front door; Hepburn appears at the door where she breaks one of Grant’s golf clubs; she tosses the clubs after him and slams the door; Grant returns to the door and rings the bell; when Hepburn answers, he pushes her in the face. Not a single word is spoken in this scene. Its comic success depends as much on Hepburn’s star image as on the superb timing. During the latter 1930s, Hepburn headed the list by the Independent Theatre Owners Association of ‘‘box-office poison’’ movie stars. Critics found her grating, ‘‘mannish,’’ or too intense. Cukor, who had directed Hepburn in five previous films, said that she was unattractive to audiences in the late 1930s because she ‘‘never was a ‘love me. I’m a lovable little girl’ kind of actress. She always challenged the audience, and . . . they felt something arrogant in her playing.’’ In The Philadelphia Story, Hepburn and Cukor capitalized on these aspects of her image, turning them to Hepburn’s advantage by establishing Tracy as a haughty, inflexible snob who becomes lovable when she exposes her underlying vulnerability and fragility. The Philadelphia Story broke attendance records at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The critical and popular success of the film was especially sweet to Hepburn, who had selected the film as a vehicle for her return to movies after a two year hiatus. After Holiday and Bringing Up Baby had brought her additional negative reviews, she angrily left Hollywood. Hepburn vowed to return only if the role and circumstances were right. The Tracy Lord character in The Philadelphia Story not only provided the right role, but it afforded Hepburn the opportunity to create the right circumstances. During her Broadway stint in the play, she acquired the movie rights which she then sold to MGM in a deal that guaranteed her the movie role of Tracy Lord and choice of director and co-stars. The Philadelphia Story’s success led to its remake as a film musical in 1956. Though High Society features music and lyrics by
FILMS. 4th EDItION THE PIANO Cole Porter and stars Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Grace Kelly, it Awards: Palme d'or and Best Actress, Cannes 1993: Oscars for Best lacks the sparkle and comic tautness of the original Actress(Hunter), Best Supporting Actress(Paquin), and Best Origi nal Screenplay, 1993 -Lauren rabinovitz THE PIANO Script Campion, Jane, The Piano, London, 1994 Director: Campion Books Production: Jan Chapman Productions, in association with CIBY 2000, Eastmancolour, 35mm; running time: 120 minutes. Filmed in Gatti, Ilaria, Jane Campion, Recco, 1998 New Zealand., 1992. Wexman, Virginia W, editor, Jane Campion: Interviews, Jack Producer: Jan Chapman; screenplay: Jane Campion; photography: Caputo, Raffaele, and Geoff Burton, Second Take: Australian Film- Stuart Dryburgh; editor: Veronica Jenet; assistant director: Mark Makers Talk, Sydney, 2000 Turnbull, Victoria Hardy, Charles Haskell, and Therese Mangos Margolis, Hamiet, editor, Jane Campions The Piano, New York, 2000 production design: Andrew McAlpine; music: Michael Nyman: sound editor: Gary O Grady and Jeanine Chialvo; sound recording Tony Johnson, Gethin Creagh, and Michael J. Dutton; costu Articles. Janet patterson Stratton, D, Variety(New York), 10 May 1993 Cast: Holly Hunter(Ada): Harvey Keitel (Baines); Sam Neill (Stew- Bilbrough, M, Cinema Papers(Melbourne), May 1993 art); Anna Paquin(Flora): Kerry Walker(Aunt Morag): Genevieve Bourgignon, T, and others, Positif(Paris), May 1993 Lemon(Nessie); Tungia Baker(Hira); lan Mune(reverend) Strauss, F, and others, Cahiers du Cinema( Paris), May 1993. Ciment, M, and T Bourgignon, Positif (Paris), June 1993 Dumas, D, Avanl-Scene(Montreal), July 1993 Bruzzi, Stella, "Bodyscape, in Sight and Sound(London), Octo- Younis, R, Cinema Papers(Melbourne), October 1993 Francke, L, Sight and Sound (London), November 1993 Eggleton, D,""Grimm Fairytale of the South Seas, in Illusions Wellington), Winter 1993 Hardy, Ann, " The Last Patriarch, in Illusions(Wellington), Win- er1993 Greenberg, H, Film Quarterly(Berkeley), Spring 1994 Pearson, H, Films in Review(New York). no. 3/4, 1994 Quart, B, Cineaste(New York), no 3, 1994 Riley, V, "Ancestor Worship: The Earthly Paradise of Jane Campions Universe, in Metro Magazine(St Kilda West), Bell, P,"All That Patriarchy Allows: The Melodrama of The Piano, ' in Metro Magazine(St Kilda West), no. 102, 1995 Buzzi, Stella, and Lynda Dyson, and Sue Gillett, Tempestuous Petticoats: Costume and Desire in The Piano/ The Return of the Repressed? Whiteness, Femininity and Colonialism in The Piano/ Lips and Fingers: Jane Campions The Piano creen(Ox 不i 95 Campbell, Russell, Dismembering the Kiwi Bloke: Representations in Illusions(Wellington), no. 24, Spring 1995 Cleave. Peter, Old New Zealand. New New Zealand. in Illusions Gordon, Suzy, " 'I Clipped Your Wings, Thats All: Auto-Erotism and the Female Spectator in The Piano Debate, in Screen (Oxford). vol 37, no. 2, Summer 1
FILMS, 4 THE PIANO th EDITION 941 Cole Porter and stars Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Grace Kelly, it lacks the sparkle and comic tautness of the original. —Lauren Rabinovitz THE PIANO Australia, 1993 Director: Jane Campion Production: Jan Chapman Productions, in association with CIBY 2000; Eastmancolour, 35mm; running time: 120 minutes. Filmed in New Zealand, 1992. Producer: Jan Chapman; screenplay: Jane Campion; photography: Stuart Dryburgh; editor: Veronica Jenet; assistant director: Mark Turnbull, Victoria Hardy, Charles Haskell, and Therese Mangos; production design: Andrew McAlpine; music: Michael Nyman; sound editor: Gary O’Grady and Jeanine Chialvo; sound recording: Tony Johnson, Gethin Creagh, and Michael J. Dutton; costumes: Janet Patterson. Cast: Holly Hunter (Ada); Harvey Keitel (Baines); Sam Neill (Stewart); Anna Paquin (Flora); Kerry Walker (Aunt Morag); Genevieve Lemon (Nessie); Tungia Baker (Hira); Ian Mune (Reverend). The Piano Awards: Palme d’or and Best Actress, Cannes 1993; Oscars for Best Actress (Hunter), Best Supporting Actress (Paquin), and Best Original Screenplay, 1993. Publications Script: Campion, Jane, The Piano, London, 1994. Books: Gatti, Ilaria, Jane Campion, Recco, 1998. Wexman, Virginia W., editor, Jane Campion: Interviews, Jackson, 1999. Caputo, Raffaele, and Geoff Burton, Second Take: Australian FilmMakers Talk, Sydney, 2000. Margolis, Harriet, editor, Jane Campion’s The Piano, New York, 2000. Articles: Stratton, D., Variety (New York), 10 May 1993. Bilbrough, M., Cinema Papers (Melbourne), May 1993. Bourgignon, T., and others, Positif (Paris), May 1993. Strauss, F., and others, Cahiers du Cinéma (Paris), May 1993. Ciment, M., and T. Bourgignon, Positif (Paris), June 1993. Dumas, D., Avant-Scène (Montreal), July 1993. Bruzzi, Stella, ‘‘Bodyscape,’’ in Sight and Sound (London), October 1993. Younis, R., Cinema Papers (Melbourne), October 1993. Francke, L., Sight and Sound (London), November 1993. Eggleton, D., ‘‘Grimm Fairytale of the South Seas,’’ in Illusions (Wellington), Winter 1993. Hardy, Ann, ‘‘The Last Patriarch,’’ in Illusions (Wellington), Winter 1993. Greenberg, H., Film Quarterly (Berkeley), Spring 1994. Pearson, H., Films in Review (New York), no. 3/4, 1994. Quart, B., Cineaste (New York), no. 3, 1994. Riley, V., ‘‘Ancestor Worship: The Earthly Paradise of Jane Campion’s Universe,’’ in Metro Magazine (St. Kilda West), no. 102, 1995. Bell, P., ‘‘All That Patriarchy Allows: The Melodrama of The Piano,’’ in Metro Magazine (St. Kilda West), no. 102, 1995. Bruzzi, Stella, and Lynda Dyson, and Sue Gillett, ‘‘Tempestuous Petticoats: Costume and Desire in The Piano/ The Return of the Repressed? Whiteness, Femininity and Colonialism in The Piano/ Lips and Fingers: Jane Campion’s The Piano,’’ in Screen (Oxford), vol. 36, no. 3, Autumn 1995. Campbell, Russell, ‘‘Dismembering the Kiwi Bloke: Representations of Masculinity in Braindead, Desperate Remedies, and The Piano,’’ in Illusions (Wellington), no. 24, Spring 1995. Cleave, Peter, ‘‘Old New Zealand, New New Zealand,’’ in Illusions (Wellington), no. 24, Spring 1995. Gordon, Suzy, ‘‘‘I Clipped Your Wings, That’s All’: Auto-Erotism and the Female Spectator in The Piano Debate,’’ in Screen (Oxford), vol. 37, no. 2, Summer 1996
PICKPOCKET FILMS. 4 EDITIoN Payette, P,""The Piano as Maternal Melodrama, ' in Michigan leave the island with Baines-the piano strapped to the fragile boat. Academician vol 28. no. 3. 1996 When the piano is thrown into the ocean to lighten the vessels load Siskel, Gene, "Ms Campions Opus, ' in TV Guide, vol. 45, no. 13, Ada purposely entangles her foot in a rope connected to the piano and 29 March 1997 plunges to a watery grave. Strapped to the piano Ada begins her long Chumo. Peter Keys to the Imagination: Jane Campions The descent into the depths of the sea, but she struggles free and rises to Piano, 'in Literature/Film Quarterly(Salisbury), vol 25, no. 3, the surface. Thus the piano, the symbol of her expression July 1997. repression, is no longer needed. Ada has liberated herself Dapkus, Jeanne R, "Sloughing off the Burdens: Ada's and Isa- Ada is a wilful. stubborn character. Half adult. half child. she bel's Parallel/Antithetical Quests for Self-Actualization in Jane combines an iron will with a deep and passionate nature. She has beer Campion's The Piano and Henry James's Novel The Portrait of mute since the age of six, for no apparent reason other than she simply a Lady, in Literature/Film Quarterly( Salisbury), vol. 25, no. 3 does not wish to speak-she has retreated into a world in which the July 1997 piano is her only friend and only source of expression. In the end it is Goldson, Annie, ""Piano Recital, "in Screen(Oxford ), vol 38, no 3, ironic that it is the piano, or a part of it, which betrays her. She writes Autumn 1997 a message on one of the keys and gives it to her daughter to give to Perkins, R, "Imag(in )ing Our Colonial Past: Colonial New Zealand Baines. Flora, her daughter, gives it to Stewart instead, beginning the on Film from The Birth of New zealand to The Piano-Part Il. "in chain of tragic events which result in her mother's disfigurement. Y Illusions(Wellington), no 26, Winter 1997. in a sense, Adas choice to withdraw into herself, to keep her voice inside her head, is also about control. She is a woman existing in Gothic: Jane Campion's The Piano Silence, Sex, and Feminism: a patriarchal society--who has no rights, even over herself. She is Examination of The Piano s Unacknowledged s to go to a completely new world because of her sex. In choosing not to speak, Ada is Literature/Film Quarterly(Salisbury), vol 26, no 2, April 1998. exercising control over one of the few things left for her to control Combs, R, ""Boxing Ada, in Metro Magazine(St Kilda West),no 113/114,1998 Stewart and Baines are contrasting images of masculinity and of European culture. While Stewart is tied to managing his female family, and his European social customs despite the inappropriate ness of his behavior. baines is dissolute and lewd. He consorts with the natives and lives a comparatively wild and lascivious life. while Set in the 1800s, Jane Campions The Piano is a tale of repressie Stewart and his family are buttoned-up tightly in their oppressive and sensuality. Ada(Holly Hunter) is a mute, who goes to New clothes, Baines is seen naked, or dressed in stained, sweaty clothes. Zealand, with her nine-year-old daughter to marry a man she has Campions The Piano is a superbly filmed piece of cinema. The ever met; essentially sold off by her father, Ada leaves Scotland for scope and composition of the cinematography allows the viewer to he wilderness and beauty of a new country. She comes to the country witness New Zealand through Adas eyes. The heat and oppressive completely unprepared for her new life and armed only with her most ness of the climate and landscape are mirrored in the restrictiveness of beloved possessions: her daughter and her piano. Adas apparel. As Ada gives in to passion and frees herself from her Music is Ada's way of communicating. She puts all of her societys rules, she loosens her ties to the piano, and to her former repressed passion and sexuality into her piano playing. When her new silent self. At the end of the film, Ada is slowly shaping words, husband Stewart(Sam Neill) refuses to bring the piano up to his showing that she is rebuilding her world. ines(Harvey Keitel), a man who has reportedly"gone native, buys the instrument and asks Ada to teach him how to play it. -A. Pillai He trades her the piano one key at a time in return for sexual favours Although initially disgusted and shocked by Baines's forwardness, when he finally gives her the piano, Ada goes to him and allows him to make passionate love to her PICKPOCKET The film portrays the absurdity of transferring the social niceti of Western society onto a wild and unknown environment. The France, 1959 rigidity of the European way of life is contrasted with the freedom of the native Maori culture-and the aboriginals silent contempt and Director: Robert Bresson sardonic humour at the expense of Western culture When Stewart learns that Ada is sleeping with Baines, his re- Production: Lux Films: black and white, 35mm; running time sponse is unexpected and shocking. During Stewarts violent out- minutes. Released 195 burst. the audience thinks that his anger will be directed towards the piano--the symbol of Adas hidden self-and is shocked and stunned Producer: Agnes Delahaie; screenplay: Robert Bresson; photogra when Stewart drags Ada out of their house and chops her finger off. phy: L H Burel; editor: Raymond Lamy; sound engineer: Antoine This is the first expression of his feelings that Stewart has shown- Archimbault; production designer: Pierre Charbonnier; music: Lully. llustrating that under his extremely constrained exterior he is a ho bed of seething passions Cast: Martin Lassalle (Michel): Marika Green (eanne); Pierre After Stewart confronts Baines, in a scene reminiscent of the Leymarie (Jacques): Jean Pelegri(Instructor); Kassigi(Initiator); pening one in which Ada arrives on the island, Ada and her daughter Pierre Etaix(2nd accomplice): Mme Scal(Mother) 42
PICKPOCKET FILMS, 4th EDITION 942 Payette, P., ‘‘The Piano as Maternal Melodrama,’’ in Michigan Academician vol. 28, no. 3, 1996. Siskel, Gene, ‘‘Ms. Campion’s Opus,’’ in TV Guide, vol. 45, no. 13, 29 March 1997. Chumo, Peter N., ‘‘Keys to the Imagination: Jane Campion’s The Piano,’’ in Literature/Film Quarterly (Salisbury), vol. 25, no.3, July 1997. Dapkus, Jeanne R., ‘‘Sloughing off the Burdens: Ada’s and Isabel’s Parallel/Antithetical Quests for Self-Actualization in Jane Campion’s The Piano and Henry James’s Novel The Portrait of a Lady,’’ in Literature/Film Quarterly (Salisbury), vol. 25, no. 3, July 1997. Goldson, Annie, ‘‘Piano Recital,’’ in Screen (Oxford), vol. 38, no. 3, Autumn 1997. Perkins, R., ‘‘Imag(in)ing Our Colonial Past: Colonial New Zealand on Film from The Birth of New Zealand to The Piano-Part II,’’ in Illusions (Wellington), no. 26, Winter 1997. Hendershot, Cyndy, and Diane Long Hoeveler, ‘‘(Re)visioning the Gothic: Jane Campion’s The Piano/‘Silence, Sex, and Feminism: An Examination of The Piano’s Unacknowledged Sources,’’’ in Literature/Film Quarterly (Salisbury), vol. 26, no. 2, April 1998. Combs, R., ‘‘Boxing Ada,’’ in Metro Magazine (St. Kilda West), no. 113/114, 1998. *** Set in the 1800s, Jane Campion’s The Piano is a tale of repression and sensuality. Ada (Holly Hunter) is a mute, who goes to New Zealand, with her nine-year-old daughter to marry a man she has never met; essentially sold off by her father, Ada leaves Scotland for the wilderness and beauty of a new country. She comes to the country completely unprepared for her new life and armed only with her most beloved possessions: her daughter and her piano. Music is Ada’s way of communicating. She puts all of her repressed passion and sexuality into her piano playing. When her new husband Stewart (Sam Neill) refuses to bring the piano up to his house, Baines (Harvey Keitel), a man who has reportedly ‘‘gone native,’’ buys the instrument and asks Ada to teach him how to play it. He trades her the piano one key at a time in return for sexual favours. Although initially disgusted and shocked by Baines’s forwardness, when he finally gives her the piano, Ada goes to him and allows him to make passionate love to her. The film portrays the absurdity of transferring the social niceties of Western society onto a wild and unknown environment. The rigidity of the European way of life is contrasted with the freedom of the native Maori culture—and the aboriginals silent contempt and sardonic humour at the expense of Western culture. When Stewart learns that Ada is sleeping with Baines, his response is unexpected and shocking. During Stewart’s violent outburst, the audience thinks that his anger will be directed towards the piano—the symbol of Ada’s hidden self—and is shocked and stunned when Stewart drags Ada out of their house and chops her finger off. This is the first expression of his feelings that Stewart has shown— illustrating that under his extremely constrained exterior he is a hotbed of seething passions. After Stewart confronts Baines, in a scene reminiscent of the opening one in which Ada arrives on the island, Ada and her daughter leave the island with Baines—the piano strapped to the fragile boat. When the piano is thrown into the ocean to lighten the vessel’s load, Ada purposely entangles her foot in a rope connected to the piano and plunges to a watery grave. Strapped to the piano Ada begins her long descent into the depths of the sea, but she struggles free and rises to the surface. Thus the piano, the symbol of her expression and repression, is no longer needed. Ada has liberated herself. Ada is a wilful, stubborn character. Half adult, half child, she combines an iron will with a deep and passionate nature. She has been mute since the age of six, for no apparent reason other than she simply does not wish to speak—she has retreated into a world in which the piano is her only friend and only source of expression. In the end it is ironic that it is the piano, or a part of it, which betrays her. She writes a message on one of the keys and gives it to her daughter to give to Baines. Flora, her daughter, gives it to Stewart instead, beginning the chain of tragic events which result in her mother’s disfigurement. Yet in a sense, Ada’s choice to withdraw into herself, to keep her voice inside her head, is also about control. She is a woman existing in a patriarchal society—who has no rights, even over herself. She is sold off by her father to Stewart, and is forced to go to a completely new world because of her sex. In choosing not to speak, Ada is exercising control over one of the few things left for her to control. Stewart and Baines are contrasting images of masculinity and of European culture. While Stewart is tied to managing his female family, and his European social customs despite the inappropriateness of his behavior, Baines is dissolute and lewd. He consorts with the natives and lives a comparatively wild and lascivious life. While Stewart and his family are buttoned-up tightly in their oppressive clothes, Baines is seen naked, or dressed in stained, sweaty clothes. Campion’s The Piano is a superbly filmed piece of cinema. The scope and composition of the cinematography allows the viewer to witness New Zealand through Ada’s eyes. The heat and oppressiveness of the climate and landscape are mirrored in the restrictiveness of Ada’s apparel. As Ada gives in to passion and frees herself from her society’s rules, she loosens her ties to the piano, and to her former silent self. At the end of the film, Ada is slowly shaping words, showing that she is rebuilding her world. —A. Pillai PICKPOCKET France, 1959 Director: Robert Bresson Production: Lux Films: black and white, 35mm; running time 75 minutes. Released 1959. Producer: Agnès Delahaie; screenplay: Robert Bresson; photography: L. H. Burel; editor: Raymond Lamy; sound engineer: Antoine Archimbault; production designer: Pierre Charbonnier; music: Lully. Cast: Martin Lassalle (Michel); Marika Green (Jeanne); Pierre Leymarie (Jacques); Jean Pelegri (Instructor); Kassigi (Initiator); Pierre Etaix (2nd accomplice); Mme. Scal (Mother)
FILMS. 4th EDItION PICKPOCKET Publications Articles. Books Green, Marjorie, "Robert Bresson, in Film Quarterly(Berkeley ) Spring 1960. 5 reviewers, The Films of robert Bresson, New York, 1969 Sontag. Susan, ""Spiritual Style in the Films of Robert Bresson, ""in Armes, Roy, French Cinema Since 1946. vol 1, New York, 1970 Cameron, lan, The Films of robert Bresson, London, 1970 Skoller, Donald S, " "Praxis as a Cinematic Principle in the Films of Schrader, Paul, Transcendental Style on Film: Ozu, Bresson, Dreyer, Robert bresson, in Cinema Journal(Evanston, Illinois), Fall 1969. Los Angeles, 1972 Armes, Roy, The Art of Robert Bresson, in London Magazine Pontes Leca, C. de, Robert Bresson o cinematografo e o sinal, tober 1970 Lisbon, 1978. Prokosch, M, " "Bresson's Stylistics Revisited, in Film Quarterly Esteve, Michel, Robert Bresson: La passion du cinematographe, (Berkeley), vol. 15, no. 1, 1972 Polhemusin, H. M,"Matter and Spirit in the Films of Robert Sloan, Jane, Robert Bresson: A Guide to References and Resources Bresson, in Film Heritage(Dayton, Ohio), Spring 1974 Predal,R, ""Leonce H. Burel"(interview), in Cinema(Paris), July Bordwell Narration in the Fiction Film. London 1985 August 1974. Arnaud, Philippe, Robert Bresson, Paris, 1986 Westerbeck, Colin, Jr."Robert Bresson's Austere Vision. in Hanlon, Lindley, Fragments: Bresson's Film Style, Cranbury, New Artforum(New York), November 1976. Bensard, Patrick, "Notes sur Pickpocket, in Camera/Stylo(Paris), Guerrini, Loretta, Discorso per una lettura di l'argent di Bresson January 198 Predal, R, in Avant-Scene du Cinema(Paris), January-February 1992
FILMS, 4 PICKPOCKET th EDITION 943 Pickpocket Publications Books: 5 reviewers, The Films of Robert Bresson, New York, 1969. Armes, Roy, French Cinema Since 1946, vol. 1, New York, 1970. Cameron, Ian, The Films of Robert Bresson, London, 1970. Schrader, Paul, Transcendental Style on Film: Ozu, Bresson, Dreyer, Los Angeles, 1972. Pontes Leca, C. de, Robert Bresson o cinematografo e o sinal, Lisbon, 1978. Estève, Michel, Robert Bresson: La passion du cinématographe, Paris, 1983. Sloan, Jane, Robert Bresson: A Guide to References and Resources, Boston, 1983. Bordwell, Narration in the Fiction Film, London, 1985. Arnaud, Philippe, Robert Bresson, Paris, 1986. Hanlon, Lindley, Fragments: Bresson’s Film Style, Cranbury, New Jersey, 1986. Guerrini, Loretta, Discorso per una lettura di L’argent di Bresson, Rome, 1992. Articles: Green, Marjorie, ‘‘Robert Bresson,’’ in Film Quarterly (Berkeley), Spring 1960. Sontag. Susan, ‘‘Spiritual Style in the Films of Robert Bresson,’’ in Seventh Art (New York), Summer 1964. Skoller, Donald S., ‘‘Praxis as a Cinematic Principle in the Films of Robert Bresson,’’ in Cinema Journal (Evanston, Illinois), Fall 1969. Armes, Roy, ‘‘The Art of Robert Bresson,’’ in London Magazine, October 1970. Prokosch, M., ‘‘Bresson’s Stylistics Revisited,’’ in Film Quarterly (Berkeley), vol. 15, no. 1, 1972. Polhemusin, H. M., ‘‘Matter and Spirit in the Films of Robert Bresson,’’ in Film Heritage (Dayton, Ohio), Spring 1974. Prédal, R., ‘‘Léonce H. Burel’’ (interview), in Cinéma (Paris), JulyAugust 1974. Westerbeck, Colin, Jr., ‘‘Robert Bresson’s Austere Vision,’’ in Artforum (New York), November 1976. Bensard, Patrick, ‘‘Notes sur Pickpocket,’’ in Camera/Stylo (Paris), January 1985. Predal, R., in Avant-Scène du Cinéma (Paris), January-February 1992
PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK FILMS. 4 EDITION Schrader, Paul, " Pickpocket de Bresson, in Positif( Paris), no 400 throughout the film it remains ajar. Since western audiences are June 1994 culturally attuned to the properties of bourgeois space and are Aude, Francoise, and Louis Malle, and Michel Ciment, Louis accustomed to seeing them observed, it is disconcerting to accept the Malle, in Positif(Paris), no 419, January 1996. existence of this unguarded, undefined space. Film en Televisie Video(brussels ). no. 465, October 1996. Conversely, Bresson focuses without scruple on the scenes and Dick, Jeff T, in Library Journal, vol. 123, no. 5., 15 March 1998 bare moments of the crimes, thereby reconsolidating public space as Durgnat, Raymond, in Film Comment(New York), vol. 35, no. 3, private. The human eye can not objectively see a crime being committed. Instead, it perceives the act as it has been sedimented informationally through the media. Thus, television cameras have taken over the task. On film. the action of the crime is meta- communicated by its image. This image of the forbidden act is already Pickpocket, made in 1959 by Robert Bresson, was not considered motivated in terms of its signifying historicity. In Pickpocket, the functional status of this meta- communicated image is that of Jean-Luc Godard termed"psychological realism. "Pickpocket did a palimpsest, allowing the viewer to see it as a diegetic trace. It shows not address the then burgeoning question of cinematic reality, whether but does not interpret or explain the main character's movements in this status must be assigned according to the perception of reality or in the story. Further, this trace, insofar as it does not presuppose terms of its impression. In fact, contrary to the expanding discipline of a narrative closure, re-posits the primordial status of pre-bourgeois, semiotics during the late 1950s and early 1960s Pickpocket was so unassigned space. In terms of discovering the reason why Michel sufficiently depersonalized and unrealistic as to avoid being regarde steals, Bresson intends that it be attributed anagogically, rather than as an example of a film that articulated the way in which film wa accessible through scientific analysis a"language system. The filmmakers of this genre(as it is now recognized)were concerned with the deconstruction of the""Holly -Sandra L. beck wood fiction film and its idiosyncratic stylization of cinematic ality. Bresson was not attempting to contribute cinematically to the ideological canons of the period. Instead, he was interested in PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK d not coincide with New Wave theories of ''distancing' and unrealization. In elucidating the"road to redemption"in Pick- Australia, 1979 pocket, Bresson employs the devices of ellipsis and temporal disten- ion. Close-ups of objects and actions are incriminating and clinical. Director: Peter Weir fragments the body frequently, compartment shown into tight, claustrophobic realms of desire. One senses Michel Production: South Australian Film Corporation and the Australian compulsion to"fill up"some kind of void; there is a relentless but Film Commission: 35 mm; running time: 115 minutes. Filmed on carefully repressed feeling of urgency in the film to experience location at Hanging rock, victoria, australia. a wholeness. With each theft that he both approaches and moves further away from this unrecognized(until the last moment of the Producers: James McElroy and Hal McElroy; screenplay: Cliff film) spiritual yearning. It is the action of the crime itself that interests Green, based on the novel Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay; oth the character Michel and director Bresson, rather than the photography: Russell Boyd; editor: Max Lemon; art director: material gains and narative consequences it may bring In order that we clearly see the acts of"adding and subtracting David Copping; music: Bruce Smeaton; costume designer: Judy Forsman themselves, Bresson deftly shadows the movements of hands and eyes with his camera. At the moment of transference, i.e., when the Cast: Rachel Roberts(Mrs. Appleyard): Dominic Guard(Michael money or the object ceases being owned by the"victim, " the shot of this precarious exchange is held for a few"long"seconds. The Fitzhubert) Helen Morse(Dianne de Poitiers); Jacki Weaver(Minnie) distention of this moment denies verisimilitude to the representation Vivean Gray(Miss MacCraw); Kirsty Child (Dora Lumley Annie of the theft and serves to call it to our attention on a symbolic level. It Lambert(Miranda): Karen Robinson (Irma); John Jarratt(Albert) Margaret Nelsonn(Sara) is at this level that the viewer comes closest, through the metaphoric use of temporal distortion and fragmentation, to grasping the apostatic ngths to which Michel is blindly going, that his emptied soul might find redemption. Publications Pickpocket proves to be an excellent filmic discourse on the boundaries and rules of bourgeois perception. Space is repeatedly Books compartmentalized in the film, being marked out more and more constrictively as the main character becomes further dependent upon Haltof, Marek, Peter Weir: When Cultures Collide, New York, 1996 he illusionary efficacy of his displaced desire. Bresson reverses the Rayner, Jonathan, The Films of Peter Weir, London, 1998. denotational treatment of"public"and""space. The door to Bliss, Michael, Dreams Within a Dream: The Films of Peter Weir Michels room has no lock or any kind of securing device, so Carbondale. 2000
PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK FILMS, 4th EDITION 944 Schrader, Paul, ‘‘Pickpocket de Bresson,’’ in Positif (Paris), no. 400, June 1994. Audé, Françoise, and Louis Malle, and Michel Ciment, ‘‘Louis Malle,’’ in Positif (Paris), no. 419, January 1996. Film en Televisie + Video (Brussels), no. 465, October 1996. Dick, Jeff T., in Library Journal, vol. 123, no. 5., 15 March 1998. Durgnat, Raymond, in Film Comment (New York), vol. 35, no. 3, May 1999. *** Pickpocket, made in 1959 by Robert Bresson, was not considered a ‘‘New Wave’’ film because it did not deal with the problems of what Jean-Luc Godard termed ‘‘psychological realism.’’ Pickpocket did not address the then burgeoning question of cinematic reality, whether this status must be assigned according to the perception of reality or in terms of its impression. In fact, contrary to the expanding discipline of semiotics during the late 1950s and early 1960s Pickpocket was so sufficiently depersonalized and unrealistic as to avoid being regarded as an example of a film that articulated the way in which film was a ‘‘language system.’’ The filmmakers of this genre (as it is now recognized) were concerned with the deconstruction of the ‘‘Hollywood’’ fiction film and its idiosyncratic stylization of cinematic reality. Bresson was not attempting to contribute cinematically to the ideological canons of the period. Instead, he was interested in exploring themes of redemption, a bourgeois preoccupation that did not coincide with New Wave theories of ‘‘distancing’’ and ‘‘unrealization.’’ In elucidating the ‘‘road to redemption’’ in Pickpocket, Bresson employs the devices of ellipsis and temporal distention. Close-ups of objects and actions are incriminating and clinical. He fragments the body frequently, compartmentalizing the parts shown into tight, claustrophobic realms of desire. One senses Michel’s compulsion to ‘‘fill up’’ some kind of void; there is a relentless but carefully repressed feeling of urgency in the film to experience a wholeness. With each theft that he both approaches and moves further away from this unrecognized (until the last moment of the film) spiritual yearning. It is the action of the crime itself that interests both the character Michel and director Bresson, rather than the material gains and narative consequences it may bring. In order that we clearly see the acts of ‘‘adding and subtracting’’ themselves, Bresson deftly shadows the movements of hands and eyes with his camera. At the moment of transference, i.e., when the money or the object ceases being owned by the ‘‘victim,’’ the shot of this precarious exchange is held for a few ‘‘long’’ seconds. The distention of this moment denies verisimilitude to the representation of the theft and serves to call it to our attention on a symbolic level. It is at this level that the viewer comes closest, through the metaphoric use of temporal distortion and fragmentation, to grasping the apostatic lengths to which Michel is blindly going, that his emptied soul might find redemption. Pickpocket proves to be an excellent filmic discourse on the boundaries and rules of bourgeois perception. Space is repeatedly compartmentalized in the film, being marked out more and more constrictively as the main character becomes further dependent upon the illusionary efficacy of his displaced desire. Bresson reverses the denotational treatment of ‘‘public’’ and ‘‘private’’ space. The door to Michel’s room has no lock or any kind of securing device, so throughout the film it remains ajar. Since western audiences are culturally attuned to the properties of bourgeois space and are accustomed to seeing them observed, it is disconcerting to accept the existence of this unguarded, undefined space. Conversely, Bresson focuses without scruple on the scenes and bare moments of the crimes, thereby reconsolidating public space as private. The human eye can not objectively see a crime being committed. Instead, it perceives the act as it has been sedimented informationally through the media. Thus, television cameras have taken over the task. On film, the action of the crime is metacommunicated by its image. This image of the forbidden act is already motivated in terms of its signifying historicity. In Pickpocket, the functional status of this meta-communicated image is that of a palimpsest, allowing the viewer to see it as a diegetic trace. It shows but does not interpret or explain the main character’s movements in the story. Further, this trace, insofar as it does not presuppose a narrative closure, re-posits the primordial status of pre-bourgeois, unassigned space. In terms of discovering the reason why Michel steals, Bresson intends that it be attributed anagogically, rather than accessible through scientific analysis. —Sandra L. Beck PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK Australia, 1979 Director: Peter Weir Production: South Australian Film Corporation and the Australian Film Commission; 35 mm; running time: 115 minutes. Filmed on location at Hanging Rock, Victoria, Australia. Producers: James McElroy and Hal McElroy; screenplay: Cliff Green, based on the novel Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay; photography: Russell Boyd; editor: Max Lemon; art director: David Copping; music: Bruce Smeaton; costume designer: Judy Dorsman. Cast: Rachel Roberts (Mrs. Appleyard); Dominic Guard (Michael Fitzhubert); Helen Morse (Dianne de Poitiers); Jacki Weaver (Minnie); Vivean Gray (Miss MacCraw); Kirsty Child (Dora Lumley); Annie Lambert (Miranda); Karen Robinson (Irma); John Jarratt (Albert); Margaret Nelsonn (Sara). Publications Books: Haltof, Marek, Peter Weir: When Cultures Collide, New York, 1996. Rayner, Jonathan, The Films of Peter Weir, London, 1998. Bliss, Michael, Dreams Within a Dream: The Films of Peter Weir, Carbondale, 2000