Meet the Makers: Jane Campion

[Jane Campion was born in Wellington, New Zealand, and now lives in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Having graduated with a BA in Anthropology from Victoria University of Wellington in 1975, and a BA, with a painting major, at Sydney College of the Arts in 1979, she began filmmaking in the early 1980s, attending the Australian School of Film and Television. She co-wrote and directed her first feature film, Sweetie (1989), which won the Georges Sadoul prize in 1989 for Best Foreign Film, as well as the LA Film Critics’ New Generation Award in 1990, the American Independent Spirit Award for Best Foreign Feature, and the Australian Critics’ Award for Best Film, Best Director and Best Actress.] — IMDB.com

An Angel at My Table (1990) –  Originally a TV mini-series, also made by Campion, this film tells the true story of author Janet Frame. Janet is one of several children in her family and grows up poor and struggling. Janet is seen as “different” from the others, which makes life even more difficult for her. Janet acquires an education as a teacher, but due to her being “different” she is seen as unfit and is committed into an institute for the mentally disturbed. She spends eight long years in the hospital, but manages to find success through the writing of her books. Kerry Fox is excellent as Janet Frame and  Jane Campion shines in here sophomore feature film.

The Piano (1993) — Holly Hunter and Harvey Keitel shine in this tour de force film from Campion, which is perhaps her best to date. In fact, this film has an incredibly talented cast of stellar performances. Ada (Hunter) is a young mute woman and single mother whose passion in life is her beloved piano. She leaves her home in Scotland with her daughter Flora (Anna Paquin)  and her piano and travels to New Zealand to make good on an arranged marriage with Alisdair (Sam Neill). Ada soon discovers she’s traded in her old life for an unsatisfying marriage to a man who doesn’t understand her, living in the rough wilderness of New Zealand. Her only solace if her piano, but when Alisdair sells the piano to  their neighbor George,  she finds herself truly lost. George (Harvey Keitel) offers Ada a deal to regain possession of her piano in exchange for piano lessons and more, which at first repulses Ada. After some time, Ada finds herself falling for George, presenting a dilemma which could result in devastating consequences. ‘The Piano’ won three Oscars.

The Portrait of a Lady (1996) — Remaining true to her “down under” roots, Campion cast Aussie Nicole Kidman as Isabel Archer in this rich and seedy period piece about the American heiress who travels to Europe to explore and experience. While in Europe, she meets several seemingly trustworthy characters who prove to be little more than scam artists. Madame Merle (Barbara Hershey) befriends Isabel only to deceive her into marrying art collector Gilbert Osmond (John Malkovich). She soon learns that she’s little more than a trophy wife to Gilbert and that others around her are simply vying for her fortune. Isabel eventually escapes Gilbert and her failed attempt to “find herself” but ultimately finds what she’s looking for once she returns home, resulting in a bittersweet ending. The cast is well-rounded, including great supporting performances from Mary Louise-Parker, Shelley Winters, Shelley Duvall, Richard E. Grant, Christian Bale and Viggo Mortenson. This follow-up film to ‘The Piano’ garnered two Oscar nominations.

Holy Smoke (1999) — This film offered something of a change-up from Campion, straying from the period pieces she’d created prior. Kate Winslet stars as Ruth Barron in this more modern tale of a woman searching for herself. This time Ruth travels to India looking for answers and finds herself enamoured by a young guru. Ruth’s parents, concerned about her involvement with what they fear is a cult, hire a professional named P.J. Waters (Harvey Keitel) who is charged with retrieving Ruth from India, but ultimately finds he’s met his match. Campion offers a more provocative, intense story that is brilliantly smart and daring. ‘Holy Smoke’ marks a sort of breaking out for Jane Campion, whose work has always been stellar but with this film experiences a new sort of freedom.