This isn’t a movie but its kinda cute, so you should watch it anyway…
I think my favorite appearance of a piano starring in a film is in Michel Gondry’s The Science of Sleep – the first film he wrote & directed and in my opinion his best film so far… Have you seen it? Do you remember the piano scene? Well there were two scenes, first when the new neighbour (Charlotte Gainsborough) is moving in & the local police help out getting the piano up the stairs, but the scene I am really referring to is the brilliant scene where Charlottes character throws handfuls of cotton wool at the ceiling and Gael García Bernals character tries to find the right chord on the piano that will make it stay up there! Absurdist, surrealist genius! If you haven’t seen the film go rent the dvd, it is really great!
On a much more sombre, introspective note, Jane Campions film The Piano obviously features a piano and there is a beautiful, tragic moment where the piano expresses intense emotions without anyone playing a single note on it…
Goddamn that voiceover is dreadful… nice work by Michael Nyman though…
And the final scene in Kiyoshi Kurosawas film Tokyo Sonata – embedding is disabled but you can watch the scene on youtube here
What other films involve a piano onscreen, as a character or as part of the action?
Legend of 1900. I don’t think you could say the piano is the star but it has quite a few excellent scenes centered on piano music. It’s one of my all time favorite movies about music.
Maybe it’s kind of obvious and not really what you are referring to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEwYtUREUVk
It is a wonderful documentary though.
Check out the lovely bowing stuff at 1.45
Re: The Piano trailer voiceover….
I don’t think getting Optimus Prime was the correct choice.
Not a movie yet, it’s a book, but The Piano Tuner was all about a piano tuner bringing a piano through Burma during Anglo-Burmese war. Apparently a movie of it is due to release this year, it will be directed by Werner Herzog. Very excited about it!
Not a movie but an awesome piano “scene”,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ_gVNfgDkE&feature=related
Another one that might seem obvious:
http://www.company7.com/bosendorfer/graphics/LaurelHardy468319.jpg
Here’s a couple of classics …
“The Piano Teacher” by Haneke
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEIGRNJe38E&feature=related
The Chico Marx scenes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kDHD4Bs_EI&feature=related
Corpse Bride
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1116945/corpse_bride_the_piano_duet/
Ah, of course the Polanski’s Pianist
hehe, there was that “Big” scene too,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9x8trg3Eyto&feature=related