The Piano Lesson (film)
Encyclopedia
The Piano Lesson is a 1995
American
TV movie based on the play The Piano Lesson
by August Wilson
. Produced by Hallmark Hall of Fame
, the film originally aired on CBS
on February 5, 1995. Directed by Lloyd Richards
, the film starred Charles S. Dutton
and Alfre Woodard
, and relies on most of its cast from the original Broadway production.
) and his friend Lymon (Courtney B. Vance
) travel from Mississippi
to Pittsburgh, where he wishes his sister Berniece (Alfre Woodard
) to give him the family's heirloom piano so that he can sell it to buy land from Mr. Sutter (Tim Hartman
), a descendent of the family that once owned Willy's own ancestors as slaves. The piano itself had at one time belonged to the wife of the original Sutter, the white former owner of their family... and decades earlier, Berniece and Willy Boy's grandfather had, at the slave master's instructions, carved the black family's Africa
n tribal history and American
slave history into the piano's surface.
When Boy Willy arrives, his Uncle Doaker (Carl Gordon
) tells Willy that Berniece won't part with the piano. Berniece's boyfriend Avery (Tommy Hollis
) and her Uncle Wining Boy (Lou Myers
) also attempt for reasons of their own to get Bernice to sell. As selling the piano would be like turning her back on their people and their past, Bernice continues to refuse.
wrote that the "excellent writing leaps off the screen." While noting that most TV films seem geared "towards the lowest common Nielsen family demographic", they write that "something crafted, filled with inordinate drama and rich, dimensional characters just blares across the airwaves, filling up your deepest, hungry cinematic aesthetic," and that this recognition is the case for the Hallmark Hall of Fame
adaptation of August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize
winning play The Piano Lesson. They noted that Wilson has been long known for "profound, deeply moving portraits of African Americans in the United States," and that he "understands the issues facing minorities better than most modern playwrights do." They called the film a "brilliant analog," and a "fable of magic realism."
TV Guide
wrote that the film is a "a wrenching but flawed cable adaptation of August Wilson
's play," and that while the film was another Wilson "folk tale about the legacy of slavery," that "Sadly, this particular production fails to make any psychological or ectoplasmic ghosts come alive for the audience." They noted this was not because the film did not make the playwright's message clear, the problem was in "its obviousness" in that Wilson belabored his points.
1995 in film
-Top grossing films:-Events:* March 22 - The Dogme 95 movement is officially announced in Paris by Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg.* March 28 - Actress Julia Roberts and singer Lyle Lovett announce their plans for separation....
American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
TV movie based on the play The Piano Lesson
The Piano Lesson
The Piano Lesson is a 1990 play by American playwright August Wilson. The Piano Lesson is the fifth play in Wilson's The Pittsburgh Cycle. Wilson began writing this play by playing with the various answers regarding the possibility of "acquir[ing] a sense of self-worth by denying ones past"...
by August Wilson
August Wilson
August Wilson was an American playwright whose work included a series of ten plays, The Pittsburgh Cycle, for which he received two Pulitzer Prizes for Drama...
. Produced by Hallmark Hall of Fame
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Hallmark Hall of Fame is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City based greeting card company. The second longest-running television program in the history of television, it has a historically long run, beginning in 1951 and continuing into 2011...
, the film originally aired on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
on February 5, 1995. Directed by Lloyd Richards
Lloyd Richards
Lloyd George Richards was a Canadian-American theatre director, actor, and dean of the Yale School of Drama from 1979 to 1991, and Yale University professor emeritus.- Biography :...
, the film starred Charles S. Dutton
Charles S. Dutton
Charles Stanley Dutton is an American stage, film, and television actor and director. He is perhaps best known for his roles as "Fortune" in the film Rudy and "Dillon" in Alien 3...
and Alfre Woodard
Alfre Woodard
Alfre Ette Woodard is an American film, stage, and television actress. She has been nominated once for an Academy Award and Grammy Awards, 17 times for Emmy Awards , and has also won a Golden Globe and three Screen Actors Guild Awards.She is known for her role in films such as Cross Creek, Miss...
, and relies on most of its cast from the original Broadway production.
Plot
Boy Willy (Charles S. DuttonCharles S. Dutton
Charles Stanley Dutton is an American stage, film, and television actor and director. He is perhaps best known for his roles as "Fortune" in the film Rudy and "Dillon" in Alien 3...
) and his friend Lymon (Courtney B. Vance
Courtney B. Vance
Courtney Bernard Vance is an American actor. He was formerly a regular on the NBC/USA television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent as Assistant District Attorney Ron Carver. He was also a series regular on the ABC series FlashForward. As of 2011, he appears on the TNT series The Closer as Chief...
) travel from Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
to Pittsburgh, where he wishes his sister Berniece (Alfre Woodard
Alfre Woodard
Alfre Ette Woodard is an American film, stage, and television actress. She has been nominated once for an Academy Award and Grammy Awards, 17 times for Emmy Awards , and has also won a Golden Globe and three Screen Actors Guild Awards.She is known for her role in films such as Cross Creek, Miss...
) to give him the family's heirloom piano so that he can sell it to buy land from Mr. Sutter (Tim Hartman
Tim Hartman
Tim Hartman is a practitioner of the Filipino martial art of Modern Arnis and Balintawak Eskrima, and the president of the World Modern Arnis Alliance ....
), a descendent of the family that once owned Willy's own ancestors as slaves. The piano itself had at one time belonged to the wife of the original Sutter, the white former owner of their family... and decades earlier, Berniece and Willy Boy's grandfather had, at the slave master's instructions, carved the black family's Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n tribal history and American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
slave history into the piano's surface.
When Boy Willy arrives, his Uncle Doaker (Carl Gordon
Carl Gordon
Carl Gordon was born in Greenock on 13 March 1931, and attended Mearns Street School and Greenock High School. His maternal grandfather was from Copenhagen and when he left school at the age of 14 he had already started to teach himself Danish...
) tells Willy that Berniece won't part with the piano. Berniece's boyfriend Avery (Tommy Hollis
Tommy Hollis
Tommy Hollis was an American actor. A native of Jacksonville, Texas, he starred as Earl Little in the Spike Lee-directed movie Malcolm X . He died in New York City of a heart attack.-External links:...
) and her Uncle Wining Boy (Lou Myers
Lou Myers
Lou Myers was a cartoonist and short story writer.He was the first person since James Thurber to contribute both cartoons and articles to The New Yorker...
) also attempt for reasons of their own to get Bernice to sell. As selling the piano would be like turning her back on their people and their past, Bernice continues to refuse.
Cast
- Charles S. DuttonCharles S. DuttonCharles Stanley Dutton is an American stage, film, and television actor and director. He is perhaps best known for his roles as "Fortune" in the film Rudy and "Dillon" in Alien 3...
as Boy Willie - Alfre WoodardAlfre WoodardAlfre Ette Woodard is an American film, stage, and television actress. She has been nominated once for an Academy Award and Grammy Awards, 17 times for Emmy Awards , and has also won a Golden Globe and three Screen Actors Guild Awards.She is known for her role in films such as Cross Creek, Miss...
as Berniece Charles - Carl GordonCarl GordonCarl Gordon was born in Greenock on 13 March 1931, and attended Mearns Street School and Greenock High School. His maternal grandfather was from Copenhagen and when he left school at the age of 14 he had already started to teach himself Danish...
as Doaker - Tommy HollisTommy HollisTommy Hollis was an American actor. A native of Jacksonville, Texas, he starred as Earl Little in the Spike Lee-directed movie Malcolm X . He died in New York City of a heart attack.-External links:...
as Avery - Lou MyersLou MyersLou Myers was a cartoonist and short story writer.He was the first person since James Thurber to contribute both cartoons and articles to The New Yorker...
as Wining Boy - Courtney B. VanceCourtney B. VanceCourtney Bernard Vance is an American actor. He was formerly a regular on the NBC/USA television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent as Assistant District Attorney Ron Carver. He was also a series regular on the ABC series FlashForward. As of 2011, he appears on the TNT series The Closer as Chief...
as Lymon - Zelda HarrisZelda HarrisZelda Harris is an American actress.Harris was born in New York City, New York to Karen and Philip Harris. She has a sister, Kenya. She attended Princeton University, where she was a member of the Class of 2007.- Filmography :...
as Maretha - Tim HartmanTim HartmanTim Hartman is a practitioner of the Filipino martial art of Modern Arnis and Balintawak Eskrima, and the president of the World Modern Arnis Alliance ....
as Sutter - Rosalyn Coleman as Grace
- Tommy Lafitte as Ace
- Lynne Innerst as Miss Ophelia
- Harold Surratt as Papa Willie Boy
- Elva Branson as Mama Berniece
- Ben Tatar as Watermelon Man
- Alice Eisner as Watermelon Lady
- Bob Tracey as Nolander
Recognition
DVD VerdictDVD Verdict
DVD Verdict is a judicial themed website for DVD reviews. The site was founded in 1999. Current editor in chief is Michael Stailey, who also reviews for Rotten Tomatoes...
wrote that the "excellent writing leaps off the screen." While noting that most TV films seem geared "towards the lowest common Nielsen family demographic", they write that "something crafted, filled with inordinate drama and rich, dimensional characters just blares across the airwaves, filling up your deepest, hungry cinematic aesthetic," and that this recognition is the case for the Hallmark Hall of Fame
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Hallmark Hall of Fame is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City based greeting card company. The second longest-running television program in the history of television, it has a historically long run, beginning in 1951 and continuing into 2011...
adaptation of August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
winning play The Piano Lesson. They noted that Wilson has been long known for "profound, deeply moving portraits of African Americans in the United States," and that he "understands the issues facing minorities better than most modern playwrights do." They called the film a "brilliant analog," and a "fable of magic realism."
TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
wrote that the film is a "a wrenching but flawed cable adaptation of August Wilson
August Wilson
August Wilson was an American playwright whose work included a series of ten plays, The Pittsburgh Cycle, for which he received two Pulitzer Prizes for Drama...
's play," and that while the film was another Wilson "folk tale about the legacy of slavery," that "Sadly, this particular production fails to make any psychological or ectoplasmic ghosts come alive for the audience." They noted this was not because the film did not make the playwright's message clear, the problem was in "its obviousness" in that Wilson belabored his points.
Awards and nominations
- 1996, Emmy AwardEmmy AwardAn Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
nomination for Outstanding Made for Television Movie - 1995, Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Costume Design for a Miniseries or a Special
- 1995, Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Costume Design for a Miniseries or a Special
- 1995, Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Directing for a Miniseries or a Special
- 1995, Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Editing for a Miniseries or a Special - Single Camera Production
- 1995, Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Drama Miniseries or a Special
- 1995, Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing for a Miniseries or a Special
- 1995, Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Special
- 1995, Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special
- 1996, Won Cinema Audio Society Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Movie of the Week, Mini-Series or Special
- 1996, Won Peabody AwardPeabody AwardThe George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
- 1996, Won Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries
- 1996, Won Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series
- 1996, Image Award nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series
- 1996, Image Award nomination for Outstanding Television Movie or Mini-Series
- 1996, Golden Globe AwardGolden Globe AwardThe Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV