This DVD item from Kino International was reviewed on 29-Mar-2009. The Piano Teacher (R-Rated Edition) Reference DVD. Classifications : General Art House & International Genres DVD Video Drama France By Country Art House & International Genres DVD Video General France By Country Art House & International Genres DVD Video General AAS F . Click the following link to view the cover of The Piano Teacher (R-Rated Edition). Related topics: 2001. General. Genres. DVD. Video. Drama. France. By Country. Genres. DVD. Video. requestid: 9360e726-4b21-472f-99bd-a82690e061c1
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1) DVD DVD The Piano Teacher (R-Rated Edition) by Kino International. A cold, emotionally-repressed piano teacher under the thumb of a domineering mother finds release in a variety of inappropriate, unhealthy ways, including peeping into the car window of a young couple being intimate at a drive-in movie and smelling dirty tissues from the trash can of a porn shop video booth. Apologies for being so graphic, but potential viewers should be alerted about what they´re getting here. Eventually, the teacher´s actions escalate from the inappropriate and mildly criminal activities described to psychotic episodes including the maiming of one of her students.
To be fair, the movie is well acted, somewhat interesting, and never becomes boring (the worst sin of a creative work, in my opinion), but in the end the unpleasantness, grossness and endless depressing scenes outweigh the artistic value of the piece, making the film an ordeal to finish. Obviously, other reviewers here on Amazon feel differently, but this is my take. And, if you check out my other reviews, you´ll see that I don´t need a film to be light and feel-good to enjoy it.
There´s a twenty-minute interview with actress Isabelle Huppert on the DVD, where she says that the crux of the film is the main character´s desire to be loved in an old-fashioned way ("like something out of a nineteenth century novel") in a world where men only want to seduce her. "Really?" I said to myself, "but how does that explain her desire to be tied up and beaten, as well as the premeditated criminal maiming of her student?" I guess I´ve gotten out of practice with French cinema from the days when I used to enjoy Truffaut films.¤ 2) DVD DVD The Piano Teacher (R-Rated Edition) by Kino International. I was sold when I saw how many ratings this proclaimed 5 star movie it had received but to my disappointment, it was just a waste of time and money. If you really want to see a good movie about a piano or pianist with a good story to it then I recommend "The Piano".
This movie was somewhat sickening and pointless. There was no real good story behind the movie. Just 2 puzzling demented sicko´s who´s only purpose was to make you vomit and throw that movie away. I´d like to give a synopsis about the movie but the truth is, is that there´s really no good plot to talk about a synopsis.
Do yourself a favor and skip this movie. You´ll save time and money. Not all 5 star movies have earned their stars.¤ 3) DVD DVD The Piano Teacher (R-Rated Edition) by Kino International. It´s hard to say what this film is about. The plot has been repeated by others. In summary, the piano teacher follows her sexual fantasies down a path that leads to her destruction. It is as others have said a disturbing film, but for me this is not a compliment. There is little in the film worth taking away. The teacher herself is not especially interesting. She is abusive, mean-spirited, aggressive and destructive as a teacher. She maims one of her charges because the young girl dares to smile at the teacher´s new sex toy, a young stud who has convinced himself, unconvincingly, that he loves his tyrant teacher. She is not just perverse; she is criminally insane. Her mother, who is every bit as sick and twisted, is a sexual voyeur and tormentor who exploits her daughter´s bizarre sexual predilections which include porn shop cruising, drive-in movie peeping, and self-mutilation. Once she gets her hands on her new charge, she presents him in writing with a list of perverse demands. The handsome boy realizes that he is dealing with a sicko and runs for the hills. She stabs herself. I got little out of watching this mess. Who´s to know what it all means or what the author intended. I came up with the idea that this "World" is meant to be "Vienna," Europe´s literal or symbolic music capital, a city of beautiful music and the birthplace of Hitler and the author, even though Paris has been used as the film´s setting by the director. These two "sides" of Europe seem to coexist, according to the author, but we are given no hint as to what one is meant to do with this knowledge.¤ 4) DVD DVD The Piano Teacher (R-Rated Edition) by Kino International. I cannot deny that this was a powerful film. There are scenes in this film that are so strong that they simply cannot be ignored. Most of you have probably read the synopsis already, so I´ll just go on with my review. This film is either one of two things. Either it´s a sorry excuse to torture the audience, or it is a richly textured character study of a woman who has some deeply rooted problems. I believe it´s a bit of both - and I am no prude. I am always up for a challenging film, but there were times during The Piano Teacher where I just wanted to look away. I came close to cutting it off. However, I have set a strict rule for myself, in that the first time I watch a film, I watch it in it´s entirety. I finished it, and I am glad that I did. There would have been no point in stopping it prematurely. The performances were excellent all around. Isabelle Huppert is totally and utterly convincing in what had to have been a difficult, exhausting role. Haneke´s direction was amazing as well. The end was very powerful, and haunted me for a week.
I still can´t stop thinking about this film, however I don´t think that I could recommend it, either. Watch if you must.
¤ 5) DVD DVD The Piano Teacher (R-Rated Edition) by Kino International. This one mixes classical music and weird sexual perversion. I didn´t know whether to chuckle or take it seriously. It is one of the more surreal movies you´ll ever watch, debate or not about what it says about women and men. Very French, and by that I mean minimal, yet saying a lot, or seeming to, anyway. The whole thing is pretty senseless, in the end, I thought. The mother-daughter scenes will make you wince, or worse.¤ 6) DVD DVD The Piano Teacher (R-Rated Edition) by Kino International. Studio: Kino International Release Date: 11/05/2002 Run time: 125 minutes Rating: R¤ Page Updated: Robert N. Goolsby, 26-Apr-2009, 738329026424, ESB-U4B-ECB-9KB-MGB-QAB-HIB-8 
The Piano Teacher (R-Rated Edition), DVD, Image © Kino International
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