Exploration of the Social Issue of Feminism in the Film "The Piano"

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Film Review
The central argument in the text is the concept of transnationalism in cinema. According to Ezra, transnational film arises from the gap between local and global (6). A similar argument is made by Lionnet et al. who argues that the idea of transnational in cinema emanates from the national practices in film (4). Lionnet et al. go to the extent of describing globalization as the centrifugal and centripetal forces of the concept of transnationalism in film. Both texts take a unique yet comprehensive definition of transnationalism in cinema as part and parcel of globalization. To solidify this definition (Lionnet et al. 5) establish the various parameters of transnationalism including transnational from above, transnationalism of finance capital, and other multinational corporate sectors. The transnational from above is described by (Lionnet et al. 6) as a utopian idea entailing the liberalization of cultures across boundaries. This idea of transnationalism is evident in the film “The Piano” by Jane Campion. This main argument is presented in the film in the exploration of the position of a woman in the nineteenth century.
The film “The Piano” is set in the ninetieth century when women’s virtues are guided by Victorian ideals. This implies that in many cultures women, wives and mothers are perceived as the moral campus of a family and individuals who shape the moral structures of a family. Additionally, women are perceived as objects of male desire and as property to be owned by their male counterparts. In the film, Ada is arranged married to Stewart without her opinion on the matter being sought. As a wife, Ada is expected to do as her husband wishes failure to which might result in punishment decided by the husband. For instance, when George buys the piano from Stewart, Ada is forced into accepting to train George how to play. With times changing and the world becoming more connected, Campion tries to present the notion of women as property as backwardness in global culture. The feminist point of view presented in the film’s diegesis suggests the backwardness of perceiving women as an object to be owned by men. George giving Ada the piano unconditionally is a point of inception in introducing a new perspective of women as having the liberty to make their decisions. The violent scene where St...