In Jane Campion's dramatic and societal film “The Piano”, scenes 112 to 119 are essential to convey Campion's messages around the restricted society depicted in the mid-19th century era in which the film takes place. These scenes constitute the emotional and thematic pinnacle of the film, fleshing out and building on the established imbalance existing between two of the main characters, Alasdair Stewart (Sam Neill) and his imported, mute wife Ada McGrath (Holly Hunter), and using atrocious violence to condemn a restrained society. Throughout the film, these two characters are portrayed as the antithesis of each other in terms of their adherence to this restrictive and restricted society – Stewart values ​​the patriarchal system of the time and views women, including Ada, as subordinate and requiring control and management. . In contrast, Ada is portrayed as socially deviant, evident through her state of elective muteness, but also through the stubborn nature she displays when dealing with men. The unease existing in the relationship between these two ultimately turns out to be a result of the restricted society they live in and the disparity between the two in terms of viewpoints and societal expectations. Scenes 112-119 are basically the most significant moment of the film in which Campion condemns the sober nature of society, through the heinous violence on the part of Stewart and the society he comes to represent, by cutting the finger his wife in an intensely brutal manner. manner. In these scenes, and in the seminal scenes that precede them, Campion employs cinematic techniques such as the use of music, lighting, framing, costumes and casting in order to emphasize the clear intentions of these scenes as described in the script, in order to make them more realistic. more visually arresting and effective in prompting the viewer to align with Campion's negative view of the restricted society of the time. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay. These intentions of scenes 112 to 119 depend heavily on both the respective characters of Ada and Stewart and the nature of the relationship existing between the two characters. two. The characters contrast with each other in their adherence to societal expectations, particularly in terms of gender roles. Ada is consistently portrayed as a woman who goes against the grain of society at the time, in which women were generally treated as beings destined to live under a set of restrictions valuing sober and dignified behavior. This is conveyed very holistically throughout the film, despite Ada's muteness, through the casting of Hunter in the role and the visually striking performance she gives which helps transform Ada's character. This is illustrated in scene 10, in which Ada expresses vigorous disregard for the sailors' wishes, and does so by employing a sign language consisting of lively and agile movements, evoking a socially deviant and defiant spirit in dealing with the men, while Women, according to the societal values ​​of the time, were expected to wither in confrontational situations with men. This challenge is further reinforced by Ada's facial expression in this scene, with an incredibly firm look used by Hunter in this scene. One of the main reasons Campion chose Hunter to play Ada over another actress was that "her look was beautiful" – Campion obviously places great importance on Hunter's ability to convey her naturestubborn and strong-willed through her facial expressions, in order to highlight Ada's character. societal deviance. Neither the nature of sign language nor Ada's facial expression are dictated in the storyline, and therefore transform and embellish Ada's character to leave the audience with a distinct impression and understanding of the true stubborn and deviant from Ada, implying her lack of societal sense.membership. Stewart, on the other hand, is portrayed in the film through many cinematic facets, as well as dialogue, as a typical patriarchal colonialist of the era who values ​​the restrained manner in which society generally expects people to behave. The casting of Sam Neill as Stewart was important to Campion because she wanted the character to have charm and attractiveness, which contributes to Neill's portrayal of Stewart as a character who has difficulty accepting confrontation that he lives in the hands of Ada's deviant and distant nature. An example of this can be found in scene 49 in which Stewart asks Ada if he should give her a kiss goodnight. Ada of course stays silent, phased Stewart and making him pause awkwardly for a moment before leaving the room without speaking. The atmosphere of the room Stewart enters is described as "impenetrable" in the script, indicating that he finds it incomprehensible and out of place. Neill's portrayal of Stewart in this scene is key in accentuating this inscrutability and imbalance that exists between the two, in terms of the nervousness and unrest conveyed by Neill's outdated facial expressions, which work in tandem with his charm and its initial tenderness. character as played by Campion, after being confronted with a woman who symbolizes the confrontation of all his societal beliefs. This is further transformed from the storyline by the way Campion directs this exchange between Ada and Stewart, in which she frames Stewart's face in a very tight, close-up shot, which helps convey the magnitude of the provocation experienced by Stewart following this woman who breaks Stewart's shell of disillusionment with the sober society he knows and which she has come to represent throughout the film. Costumes are also essential in Campion's portrayal of Stewart as an adherent of a restricted society, as he frequently wears heavy, dark, restrictive clothing with many layers and tightly fastened buttons that are described as " muddy and out of place here in the bush.” , implying Stewart's desire to champion traditional European clothing and the restrained nature of society associated with it. In contrast, Baines' socially deviant character, with whom Ada shares a deeper connection, tends to wear lighter, airier, more open clothing, which speaks volumes about Ada's social deviance. After carefully constructing this social imbalance in Ada and Stewart's relationship, it is in scenes 112 to 119 that Campion hopes to convey to the viewer his views and values ​​about restricted society in an emotionally striking and powerful way . In scenes 112 to 119, Stewart is alerted to Ada's attempt to convey her love to her clandestine partner, Baines. Stewart bursts into an unquenchable rage and cuts off Ada's finger with an axe, restricting her primary form of expression by rendering her unable to play the piano. The most significant transformations Campion made from the script in order to condemn the restricted society of the time include the use of music throughout the scenes (as well as the absence of sound), thelighting and camera coloring techniques used and the framing used. especially clichés. These cinematic techniques allow Campion to transform a storyline with thematic bones into an emotionally gripping sequence that transcends the screen and works to condemn Stewart and the restricted society he embodies through the emotionally charged nature of the scene and its heinous violence . According to Campion, the music, composed by Michael Nyman, is "the heart of the film". No musical direction is specified for scenes 112 to 119 in the script, but the musical arrangement within the scene is essential in conveying the critical messages of the scene and therefore constitutes a significant transformation that Campion has made of the script to the film. The music begins once Stewart picks up the ax and works in combination with how the shot is framed. Stewart stumbles, almost blindly, down a steep hill, and the music has an almost trickle or waterfall quality as it gets louder and faster in tempo, helping to emphasize Stewart's emotional and mental unraveling . This helps create tension for the viewer at the beginning of the scene and deepens the foreboding atmosphere of the scene. The music plays its most crucial role, however, when Ada is dragged by Stewart towards the log – as she fumbles to escape and Stewart takes more and more control of Ada, the tempo of the music increases until 'to become a rapid and feverish storm. of sound which here attempts to both emotionally capture and overwhelm the viewer. Another notable feature of the music at this point is that it becomes more asymmetrical and off-kilter, almost unbalanced, deviating from the general rigidity of the rhythm of this piece ("The Heart Asks Pleasure First"). This change of pace most tangibly helps draw the audience's attention to the stage, making them more receptive to the views and values ​​associated with the stage, but it is also representative of the imbalance and stress to which Ada is subjected , and causes her to feel repulsed by Stewart's treatment of Ada, ultimately hoping to engender in the viewer a contempt for the restricted society to which Stewart is fundamentally tied. After Ada's finger is cut off, the intense music immediately disappears, before entering a much softer and slower phase, which evokes a feeling of shock, violation and defilement that Ada experienced at the hands of Stewart here, through depressive and oppressed music, engendering anger against Stewart. Ultimately, the music in scenes 112-119 plays a number of complex roles that help the viewer come to love Ada's plight and engender disgust in the viewer for Stewart's treatment of Ada and societal views restrictive conditions from which this arises. Another significant transformation made by Campion from script to film in order to condemn the restricted society is the atmosphere created and captured in the scene through the use of colors and camera settings. The scene begins in a relatively bright and lush environment, before Stewart learns of Ada's intentions, and here it is evident that a natural color or no color lens is being used on the camera. However, as he becomes enraged, the sky darkens and the camera's color darkens to a blue tint which creates a darker air. The landscape also evolves in this way, moving from the fecundity of the wild New Zealand bush to the harsh, dying trees and mud surrounding Stewart's colonial home. This transition of setting is effective in creating a feeling of worry and disturbance in the viewer which leads them to move further away.