BY STEVE RAMOS

The Piano Teacher

Isabelle Huppert's tour-de-force
The Piano Teacher
Unrated
2001, Kino

Isabelle Huppert delivers plenty of laughs as a complaining spinster in director Francois Ozon's 8 Women, a lively, laugh-out-loud whodunit inspired by classic MGM musicals that's currently playing art-house theaters. But her acting tour-de-force belongs to The Piano Teacher, filmmaker Michael Haneke's drama about a repressed woman's unexpected, aggressive relationship with a young man.

Huppert plays Erika, a Viennese piano instructor at a respected conservatory who lives a loveless existence focused on her teaching and co-dependent relationship with her mother. Erika stifles her lustful feelings, allowing trips to porn theaters and acts of self-mutilation to be her sexual outlets. Everything changes when a handsome conservatory student, Walter (Benoît Magimel), attempts to seduce her. Initially, the teacher spurns the student. When she finally gives in to Walter's advances, their lives take a painful, violent turn.

The Piano Teacher confirms Haneke's status as one of contemporary cinema's most intelligent filmmakers. His previous films, Benny's Video, Funny Games and Code Unknown are scathing critiques of modern society. The Piano Teacher, an adaptation of Elfriede Jelinek's novel, turns out to be his most challenging, forceful film. Its hard-hitting depiction of lust, masochism and repression earned The Piano Teacher plenty of controversy during its U.S. theatrical release. Yet, from the film's early moments, it's clear Haneke has made an intense, challenging drama that rises above the label of art-house erotica.

Before writing scripts and directing films for German television in 1967, Haneke studied philosophy, psychology and drama in Vienna. His probing intelligence and affinity for telling complex, adult stories are evident in The Piano Teacher. Violence, both physical and emotional, stands at the center of his dramas. In The Piano Teacher, Huppert provides a believable, human context for the film's risky scenes and emotional anger. Past Haneke films take a cool and clinical approach to their storytelling. Huppert's fiery passion makes The Piano Teacher more approachable and engaging. We begin to understand the reasons for her actions, despite the negative impact they have on her and the people around her. Ultimately, Huppert makes Erika a sympathetic character.

Discriminating American moviegoers savor Huppert's varied roles. Among American actresses, Julianne Moore is the only one who takes similar risks. Regarding sexual desire, Erika is a variation of Huppert's role in The School of Flesh (L'Ecole de la Chair), where she played a fashion executive who falls for a street-tough gigolo. In The Piano Teacher, Haneke shows audiences how a woman sees herself emotionally and sexually. Huppert is the perfect conduit for such a risky performance.

Huppert may be too quintessentially French for American audiences uninterested in world cinema, but The Piano Teacher shows them what they're missing. That alone is a testament to her risk-taking.

The Piano Teacher grade: A.

And the rest

Ben Affleck joins the young action hero rank-and-file, thanks to his charismatic performance as CIA agent Jack Ryan in The Sum of All Fears (Paramount), Phil Alden Robinson's fast-paced adaptation of Tom Clancy's 1991 military suspense novel. Ryan races to stop terrorists from smuggling a nuclear device into the United States. Morgan Freeman brings intelligence and credibility as Bill Cabot, Ryan's CIA mentor. Still, the spotlight belongs to Affleck, who proves himself capable of headlining a large-scale action movie. ... To Catch a Thief (Paramount), Alfred Hitchcock's likable caper adventure about a retired cat burglar out to clear his name after a rash of robberies, remains Grace Kelly's best performance. As the heiress who becomes involved with Cary Grant's "reformed" jewel thief, Kelly balances her ice-queen classiness with some much-needed, mischievous sex appeal. Her forceful kiss with Grant outside her hotel room is the highlight of the movie.

E-mail Steve Ramos

Printer-friendly version

more...

personals | cover | news | columns | music | movies | arts | dining | listings | classifieds | mediakit | promotions | home

Devil Girl
Rebecca Romijn-Stamos plays the dangerous vamp in sleek Femme Fatale

Film Listings and Times