Jane Campion’s film is incredibly beautiful to watch. The first influence is her use of color palette from the beginning of the film to Ada’s new home with Stewart. The colors are warm to start before switching to a blue palette once her and Flora arrive on the shore. This change in color denotes a specific mood that connects with Ada’s feelings for being arranged to marry Stewart by her father. Campion uses subtle camera moves and relies on her masterful composition in order to tell the story visually. Notable shots are of Flora playing the piano with the sunlight beaming down onto her while Ada leaves her to go outside. The lines of perspective are quite pleasing to the eye and match the quality of beauty that Campion has created throughout the picture. Another notable composition is that of Ada in a close up, but it is of the back of her head before cutting away to trees blowing in the wind. This representational image shows Ada’s longing to be with Baines.
With her camera moves, Campion is quite subtle. She shoots a majority of the film with little movement in the frame in or out, but when she decides to use it it has great impact. The best example of this is when Ada comes back to Baines after he’s returned her piano and wants no more lessons. Campion uses a very slow push in on both characters to reveal the connection between them and how this moment is palpable and growing between the two. And it does as it culminates in them making love.
Finally, Campion utilizes the natural New Zealand landscape to capture a time without the ease we have in today’s society. She uses the rain and mud to her advantage as it shows how Ada and Flora are trudging along in this environment and not thriving. The rain allows great emotion to be experienced as what is going on in the inside is expressed through the falling rain, as it is in the scene where Stewart cuts off Ada’s finger. And the setting being in the woods creates an isolation from the outside world that we as the audience feel for Ada’s character. The film’s story was greatly enhanced by the masterful touch of Campion.
