Sound in The Piano

The Narrative feature of Sound is a big part of the film The Piano. Both silence and music are used to create meaning.

Silence

The film The Piano has a lot of silence in it. One big reason for this is that the main character, Ada, does not speak. The scenes with her in them are filled with mystery and the audience is intrigued as to what she is thinking, and what she will do next. Scenes such as the one at 74:23, when Ada visits Baines, are slightly uncomfortable and eerie. The fact she doesn’t speak creates a lot of tension between the characters and makes the audience feel this tension. Adas silence symbolizes her anguish at being oppressed and her feeling like she cannot  express herself in her society. The silence utilised in The Piano is very different from other films, and I believe it breaks the convention of many romance movies. The audience cannot focus or sing along to the classic rom-com music, so the audience notice more about the characters, mise en scene, and visual elements. Ada is silent, and this is creates a very peculiar dynamic in scenes. The silence is long and drawn out, and so are the words that are spoken. The silence makes the audience really listen and try to interpret the things the characters say. I believe the silence really helps contribute to the dark and grim undertones of the movie, and enforces Adas feeling of opression and feeling like she cant express herself in her society.   

Music

Music plays a big part in The Piano. The music score is mostly piano music, and one song in particular is repeated throughout the film. The music actually represents Ada’s voice, her thoughts and her feelings. We can listen to the music and know what she feels. Ada herself says “I do not make myself quiet. That is because of my Piano.” The same song is repeated throughout the film. This helps show the continuity of Ada's character throughout the movie, mirroring the way she is always stubborn and refuses to stay in her gender role. However, the song is played differently in different parts of the film. There are different intensitys, tempos, volumes, that help to create a different meaning, moods and atmospheres in different scenes.
For instance, in the climax scene, it is played getting louder, and keeps doubling in speed. This is a big part of the building intensity and creating the effective climax the scene is. The change in the tune shows the audience Adas changing feelings and thoughts. The past pace and loud playing of the music in the finger cutting scene shows the audience Ada feels threatened and scared. As the fight moves outside, the tempo doubles again, mirroring the fright and desperation Ada is feeling in this scene.
Another scene is when Ada must leave the Piano on the beach. The song is played slowly and with sadness, showing Ada doesn’t feel comfortable with leaving the piano. It is played softly and thoughfully, showing that Ada is thinking about the importance of the piano and expression to her. 
When Ada visits the Piano on the beach, she plays the song quickly and spritely. This shows she feels happy that she can again express her feelings.
 Another example of the music accurately mirroring what Ada is feeling Is when Ada plays in her sleep. The music is loud and she plays angrily, stabbing at the keys. This shows her anger at her husband for keeping her locked up. The careless and angry sound of the song, and loud tempo of the song at this point in the movie gives Ada a chance to express herself. The audience sees her exasperation at being confined to her gender role, and being opreesed by her husband, two main themes from the film.  
When Ada is in Nelson at the end of the movie, the music is steady and played in major. This gives the audience the impression that Ada is fulfilled and finally happy. The sad undertones are gone and the conflict has been resolved. Using the piano music as another outlet to create characters emotion helps the audience see yet another aspect to how they are feeling. The tone of the actual music gives a feeling to the audience.  I have never seen a movie where the music has such an impression on the audience, and has passed a mood through me.