La pianiste (2001)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Michael Haneke

Writers:

Michael Haneke (writer)
Elfriede Jelinek (novel)

Release Date:

31 August 2001 (Finland)

Genre:

Drama | Music

Plot:

A young man romantically pursues his masochistic piano teacher.

Plot Keywords:

Sex | Piano Teacher | Pianist | Sex Shop | Audition

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 12 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

Isabelle Huppert	...	Erika Kohut
Annie Girardot	...	The Mother
Benoît Magimel	...	Walter Klemmer
Susanne Lothar	...	Mrs. Schober
Udo Samel	...	Dr. Blonskij
Anna Sigalevitch	...	Anna Schober
Cornelia Köndgen	...	Mme Blonskij
Thomas Weinhappel	...	Baritone
Georg Friedrich	...	Man in drive-in
Philipp Heiss	...	Naprawnik
William Mang	...	Teacher
Rudolf Melichar	...	Director
Michael Schottenberg	...	Teacher
Gabriele Schuchter	...	Margot
Dieter Berner	...	Singing teacher

Also Known As:

Die Klavierspielerin (Austria)
Pianistka (Poland)
The Piano Player (International: English title)
The Piano Teacher (International: English title)
Пианистка (Russia) [ru]
A Pianista (Portugal) [pt]
A zongoratanárnö (Hungary) [hu]
I daskala tou pianou (Greece) [el]
Klaveriõpetaja (Estonia) [et]
La pianista (Italy) [it]
La pianista (Spain) [es]
La profesora de piano (Argentina) [es]
Pianisten (Sweden) [sv]
Pianisten (Denmark) [da]
Pianistka (Czech Republic) [cs]
Pianolärarinnan (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
Pianonopettaja (Finland) [fi]
Piyanist (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]

MPAA:

Rated R for aberrant sexuality including violence, and for language.

Runtime:

131 min

Country:

Germany | Poland | France | Austria

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Portugal:M/18 | Ireland:18 | Australia:MA (TV rating) | Singapore:R21 (cut) | Italy:VM14 | Czech Republic:15 | Philippines:R-18 (MTRCB) | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Brazil:18 | Canada:R | Finland:K-15 | France:-16 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:III | Iceland:16 | Japan:R-18 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Peru:18 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:18 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:18 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18 | USA:R (cut) | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Konzerthaus, Vienna, Austria

Company:

Arte

Trivia:

The part of Erika's mother was originally offered to Jeanne Moreau

Movie Connections:

Featured in Indie Sex: Extremes (2007) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Piano Sonata in A Major, D.959

Huppert Is Extraordinary

Erika (Isabelle Huppert) is a fortyish piano teacher with deeply repressed sexual feelings. She lives with her mother (Annie Girardot), a controlling, oppressive woman, and deals with her erotic longings through voyeurism, visits to sex shops and self mutilation. She still sleeps with her mother. The film largely takes place at the conservatory where she teaches and at the apartment she shares with her mother.

Huppert in an excellent on-disc interview says Erika longs to be loved but is frightened of seduction. She treats her students coldly but is drawn to one who is vain and handsome, and played by Benoit Magimel. The rest is the story of her creating and accepting a masochistic relationship with the young man that spirals down into her own psycho-sexual collapse.

This movie won't be everyone's choice for an evening with the kids. It's a serious, disturbing film for adults that looks grimly at repressed feelings and emotional self destruction. For the grownups, it might put you off sado-masochism for a few days. It's a first-rate film.

Isabelle Huppert is one of my favorite actors. Like Depardieu, she has no apparent screen vanity; she'll do what it takes for the role. She also has the rare ability to express deep, unsettling feelings with an absolute economy of expression. She is incredible in this film.

I'm happy to have the movie, but to tell you the truth I'm not sure how many more times I'll watch it.