The Piano Lesson

February. 05,1995      
Rating:
6.8
Trailer Synopsis Cast

1930's Pittsburgh, a brother comes home to claim "my half of the piano", a family heirloom; but his sister is not wanting to part with it. This is a glimpse of the conditions for African-Americans as well as some of the attitudes and influences on their lives. But whether he is able to sell the piano so that he can get enough money to buy some property and "no longer have to work for someone else" involves the story (or lesson) that the piano has to show him.

Charles S. Dutton as  Boy Willie
Alfre Woodard as  Berniece Charles
Tommy Hollis as  Avery
Lou Myers as  Wining Boy
Courtney B. Vance as  Lymon
Zelda Harris as  Maretha
Rosalyn Coleman as  Grace
Harold Surratt as  Papa Willie Boy

Similar titles

The Piano
Paramount+
The Piano
A mute Scottish woman arrives in colonial New Zealand for an arranged marriage. Her husband refuses to move her beloved piano, giving it to neighbor George Baines, who agrees to return the piano in exchange for lessons. As desire swirls around the duo, the wilderness consumes the European enclave.
The Piano 1993
Mr. Jones
Mr. Jones
The story about the relationship between a manic depressive man, Mr Jones, and the female doctor who takes more than a professional interest in his treatment.
Mr. Jones 1993
The Piano Player
Prime Video
The Piano Player
A tale about the relationship between a businessman who launders money for a Mafia figure and his gangster bodyguard.
The Piano Player 2003
Get on Up
Max
Get on Up
A chronicle of James Brown's rise from extreme poverty to become one of the most influential musicians in history.
Get on Up 2014
The First Great Train Robbery
Prime Video
The First Great Train Robbery
In Victorian England, a master criminal makes elaborate plans to steal a shipment of gold from a moving train.
The First Great Train Robbery 1979
Blind Faith
Freevee
Blind Faith
in 1957, black lawyer defends his nephew, who faces the death penalty for murdering a white boy.
Blind Faith 1998
Shine
Shine
Pianist David Helfgott, driven by his father and teachers, has a breakdown. Years later he returns to the piano, to popular if not critical acclaim.
Shine 1996
In the Heat of the Night
Prime Video
In the Heat of the Night
African-American Philadelphia police detective Virgil Tibbs is arrested on suspicion of murder by Bill Gillespie, the racist police chief of tiny Sparta, Mississippi. After Tibbs proves not only his own innocence but that of another man, he joins forces with Gillespie to track down the real killer. Their investigation takes them through every social level of the town, with Tibbs making enemies as well as unlikely friends as he hunts for the truth.
In the Heat of the Night 1967
The Cider House Rules
Paramount+
The Cider House Rules
Homer is an orphan who was never adopted, becoming the favorite of orphanage director Dr. Larch. Dr. Larch imparts his full medical knowledge on Homer, who becomes a skilled, albeit unlicensed, physician. But Homer yearns for a self-chosen life outside the orphanage. What will Homer learn about life and love in the cider house? What of the destiny that Dr. Larch has planned for him?
The Cider House Rules 1999
Rent
Prime Video
Rent
This rock opera tells the story of one year in the life of a group of bohemians struggling in late 1980s East Village, New York, USA. The film centers around Mark and Roger, two roommates. While a tragedy has made Roger numb to new experiences, Mark begins capturing their world through his attempts to make a personal movie. In the year that follows, they and their friends deal with love, loss, and working together.
Rent 2005

You May Also Like

Return
Return
A horror short with no dialogue (Advised to watch with headphones)
Return 2018
SECRETS ABOUT MEN EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW
SECRETS ABOUT MEN EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW
VHS from a thrift store.
SECRETS ABOUT MEN EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW 2019
Return
Return
A girl is at school. Suddenly it's as if she can't breathe. As she runs down the stairs we follow her into her mind. It takes us deep into dark woods.
Return 1
RED
RED
Set in the Cold War era of the 1950's, Relations between the United States and Russia are tense. Senator Joseph McCarthy has many Americans convinced that the Communists have infiltrated society. Paranoia runs rampant, as decent Americans lose their jobs on suspicion alone. Floyd Woods served as one of the FBl's top Special Agents until he was accused of having Communist sympathies. Floyd lost his job despite lack of evidence to support these claims. He now works as a small time insurance investigator, who's flown into the small town of Sherrill, NY to investigate a life insurance claim, only to find himself distracted by the locals' odd behavior.
RED 2009
Star
Star
When Crystal Wyatt was 16 her father passed away. From that time her life would never be the same. Crystal is banished from the family ranch, and starts a new life as a singer in a San Francisco nightclub.
Star 1993

Reviews

Cubussoli
1995/02/05

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

... more
Cebalord
1995/02/06

Very best movie i ever watch

... more
Siflutter
1995/02/07

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

... more
Isbel
1995/02/08

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

... more
johnmichael-2
1995/02/09

This is a TV film based off a play. It should have stayed a play, because it just plain isn't good enough to be a movie. It's a very hokey sort of piece, mostly because of the bad acting and the weak ending.Hmmm, what else can I say about this film in order to fill up the required minimum? I don't really know. It's a mundane sort of thing that your teacher makes you watch in theater class because (s)he can't show the really good stuff (or because (s)he has really tame tastes in what is considered engaging drama).I'll admit, this movie is socially significant, and August Wilson did a fine job with the original storyline. But this made-for-TV thing is just verbatim crap.Final grade: 4/10

... more
glen10000
1995/02/10

i emphasize Play because it seems that earlier commentators think Dutton over emotes. all the actors are convincing. this is not to say that all Afro-Americans always acted this way in the 30's. Indeed some act this way today when they feel comfortable . her uncle probably wouldn't be singing in the house except that he felt comfortable singing with these guys around a bottle of whiskey. to say this is merely a ghost story is to miss the point. this like A Raisen In The Sun where the man sees an opportunity to finally own a piece of the rock and a member of his family will not part with the means to acquire it. Also, there is quite a lot more going on here if you watch the play a second time, as i did.

... more
sbrnnxn
1995/02/11

You have to come up in a certain culture to understand the overreactions of Charles S. Dutton. They really weren't overreactions, but what makes the film so comical is that there were (and still are) African-Americans that behave that way. What makes it funny is that we all at some point have relatives that are like those in the movie, esp. the part where he comes to visit early in the morning unannounced and expects everyone to get up to greet him. We also have some Uncle Doakers who minds his own business and some con artists like Uncle Whining Boy. Now the part I do agree on is the supernatural aspect of the film. With all the joking and jesting going on, it does drown out the concept meaning it doesn't fit. Otherwise it's a good movie if you want to have a good laugh.

... more
JKranjski
1995/02/12

I liked the movie and its music. The best scene is the one when they sing about Alberta. I also think that actors realisticaly played the rolls of old time peoples way of communication. I love that home feeling in the Berinces house.It also true that the story is simple and looks more like the gossip, that someone would tell you about people seeing a ghost.

... more