The Piano (1993)

Anna Paquin: Flora McGrath

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Quotes 

• Stewart : Where's your mother? Where's she off to?

  Flora : TO HELL!

• Flora : Actually, to tell you the whole truth, Mother says that most people speak rubbish, and it's not worth it to listen.

  Aunt Morag : Well, that is a strong opinion.

  Flora : Aye. It's unholy.

• Flora : She says its her piano and she won't have him touch it. He's an oaf. He can't read. He's ignorant.

  Stewart : He wants to improve himself. And you'll be able to play it. Teach him how to look after it. You can't go on like this. We're a family now. We all make sacrifices and so will you! You will teach him and I will see to it!

• Ada : I have told you the story of your father many many times.

  Flora : Oh, tell me again! Was he a teacher?

  Ada : Yes.

  Flora : How did you speak to him?

  Ada : I didn't need to speak. I could lay thoughts out in his mind like they were a sheet.

  Flora : Why didn't you get married?

  Ada : He became frightened and stopped listening.

• Flora : She says no. She says she'd rather be boiled alive by natives than get back on your stinkin' tub.

  Head Seaman : You be damn fortuned I don't smack your puppy gob, young missy. Damn lucky!

• George Baines : What happened? Tell me. Tell me! Where is she? Shh. Quiet down! Quiet down. Where is she?

  Flora : He chopped it off.

  George Baines : What did she tell him? What did she tell him? I'm going to crush his skull.

  Flora : Nooo! No, no! He'll chop her up!

• Flora : One day when my mother and father were singing together in the forest, a great storm blew up out of nowhere. But so passionate was their singing that they did not notice, nor did they stop as the rain began to fall, and when their voices rose for the final bars of the duet a great bolt of lighting came out of the sky and struck my father so that he lit up like a torch. And at the same moment my father was struck dead my mother was struck dumb! She never spoke another word.

• Flora : [speaking to Aunt Morag]  My mother met my father when she was an opera singer in Luxembourg.

  Ada : [signing]  That's enough.

  Flora : Why?

  [pos] 

• Flora : [to Ada]  I'm not going to call him Papa. I'm not going to call him anything. I'm not even gonna look at him.

• Stewart : Do you love him? Do you? IS IT HIM YOU LOVE?

  Flora : No! She says NOOOOOO!

  Stewart : [hacks off one of Ada's fingers on a tree stump with an axe] 

  Flora : [screaming]  Mother! Mamma!

• Flora : I know why Mr. Baines can't play the piano. She never gives him a turn. She just plays whatever she pleases and sometimes she doesn't play at all.

  Stewart : And when is the next lesson?

  Flora : Tomorrow.