"The Piano" Step into the landscape and destiny of "the end of the world" with the main character

New Zealand's spectacular scenery proves worthy of a movie

New Zealand, which produced such talents as Jane Campion and Peter Jackson, began to focus on the film industry, leveraging their world fame and unique natural scenery that was different from other countries. Particular emphasis was placed on attracting filming locations for Hollywood blockbusters. Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy (01-03) proves that New Zealand's natural beauty and fantasy world are a perfect match. Hobbits and elves fit seamlessly into the story, and it goes without saying that New Zealand's spectacular scenery was used extensively in The Hobbit trilogy (12-14), which shares the same worldview.

“The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” preview

In `` King Kong '' (2005), the beach in the capital Wellington, usually crowded with surfers, became part of Skull Island. WETA Digital, the studio he founded, was also involved in the production of these works by Peter Jackson, and WETA's ability has been highly praised by Hollywood. As a result, WETA's digital technology has come in handy in action blockbusters that revolutionize visuals, including `` Avatar '' (2009), ``Rise of the Planet of the Apes '' (11), and `` The Avengers '' (12). It supported the development of the New Zealand film industry.

As it is a fantasy masterpiece, many scenes of The Chronicles of Narnia series (05-10) were shot in New Zealand. An unexpected work is `` The Last The Samurai '' (2003). A village set was built around the backdrop of Mt. Taranaki, which looks exactly like Mt. Fuji, and was used as a filming location for action scenes. Japan was recreated in New Zealand. During the filming of `` Mission: Impossible - Fallout '' (2018), Tom Cruise piloted a helicopter over the South Island resort town of Queenstown. There are also many other works that are ``not known'' to have been filmed in New Zealand, such as ` `Wolverine: X-Men Zero '' (2009) and ``Guns Akimbo'' (19).

Sydney in neighboring Australia also has a huge stadium, and in recent years many Hollywood blockbusters and TV series have been filmed there. Alien: Covenant (2017) was filmed on set in Sydney, with planetary scenes filmed on location in New Zealand's Fiordland National Park. There are also collaborations between neighboring countries that take advantage of their easy access.

The Piano was the catalyst for New Zealand's development as a filming location for world-famous hits, albeit indirectly, and the gender bias in film production may not be conscious. No, it was revised, and as a result, it is a "pioneer" work in many respects.

Text: Hiroaki Saito

Became freelance in 1997, contributing movie reviews and interview articles to various media such as movie magazines, theater pamphlets, and movie sites. The column is constantly updated on Yahoo! News.

Watch now

View work information

"The Piano" HD remastered version

Blu-ray ¥4,180 (tax included) / DVD ¥2,750 (tax included)

Publisher: Culture Publishers

Distributor: Toho Co., Ltd.

(C)1992 Jan Chapman Productions and CIBY 2000