Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/990701
26 CINEMONTAGE / Q2 2018 THIS QUARTER IN FILM HISTORY disclosed by Claire Corbett in an essay drawn from her diary that appeared in the 1999 book, Piano Lessons: Approaches to ' The Piano.' Second assistant editor on both The Piano and Sweetie, Corbett describes photos in the editing room of actors and crew members, both male and female, wearing dresses on set, remarking, "Jane always has a dress day at least once during her shoots; all cast and crew have to wear dresses… Jane says she feels much closer to her male crew members once she's seen them in a dress." Corbett started work in the movie's Sydney editing facility during the first month of a four-month fine cut process. Working with editor Veronika Jenet, who has edited five of Campion's films, she thought the two-and- a-half-hour first cut of the film was "already powerful." Corbett added, "We were especially lucky to have Michael Nyman's music flowing through the cutting rooms for hours every day." Joining the post-production team as sound designer was this year's picture editing Oscar winner for Dunkirk (2017), Lee Smith, ACE, who told CineMontage, "I was doing quite a bit of sound design at that time. In Australia, as sound designer I'm in charge of everything other than the music — the same job as sound supervisor but creating sound as well as supervising." Campion asked him to join her film after seeing (and hearing) his work in Phillip Noyce's Dead Calm (1989); he later was sound designer for two more of her films. Exploring the full range of New Zealand's natural sounds, Smith contacted a wildlife expert with a large collection of recordings of native birds and animals. "We even used sounds of wildlife that no longer exist," he explained. These and sounds of the natural elements in every scene express the vivid sense of an untouched environment. Smith also paid heed to all the intricate personal actions: Ada tapping on piano keys in close ups, Baines' finger touching the hole in Ada's stocking, etc. Focusing on the mute Ada, he said, "We heightened the sense of everything she could hear" and, in a violent scene, altered the acoustics of the rain to better convey her state of mind. "Campion loved all the detail that we could put into the sound," he added. "It was one of my favorite jobs." After the final mix, the original title was shortened to The Piano to avoid confusion with August Wilson's unrelated 1987 play. Bob and Harvey Weinstein's distribution company Miramax, which bought the American rights, launched an aggressive ad campaign for its release. Despite Keitel's nudity, the Motion Picture Association of America gave it an R rating. The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards, with Campion the second woman ever nominated for Best Director and Jenet the first Australian in contention for Best Editor. In a disturbing irony given last year's disclosures of Harvey Weinstein's history of sexual assault, and the subsequent rise of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, Miramax proudly ballyhooed that seven of the nominations were for women, including producer Chapman for Best Picture and Janet Patterson for Best Costume Design. The eighth nominee was Dryburgh for Best Cinematography. The film won three Oscars — Campion for Original Screenplay, Paquin for Supporting Actress and Hunter for Actress. Accepting the award, Hunter added thanks to "…Eileen Parrish, my first piano teacher, and I need to thank my parents for letting me take those lessons." A full synthesis of sound and imagery inseparable from Hunter's performance, The Piano keeps on touching us beyond the screen. Its depth of feeling makes tangible the possibility of an emotional ground on which woman and man may regard one another as equals. f CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24 The Piano. Miramax/Photofest