The Piano Lesson
Samuel L. Jackson and John David Washington’sThe Piano Lessontells an intense storey about Bob Hope and heritage , and its narrative seems naturalistic enough to be based on a true story . TheDenzel Washington - producedThe Piano Lessontells the level of the Charles class and their family heirloom , a piano . The class is split , as Boy Willie ( John David Washington ) wants to trade the piano and secure wealth for his house , while Berniece ( Dianne Deadwyler ) see it as their menage ’s bequest . The Piano Lessontackles some universal theme in a very relatable way , and the story is so compelling that it often seems true .
Reviews forThe Piano Lessonhave been overwhelmingly positive , and it ’s mostly due to how relatable its game is . That signified of familiarity helpedThe Piano Lessonachieve a high Rotten Tomatoes scoreof 90 % even before it premiere on Netflix . Even though there are several supernatural component inThe Piano Lesson , its news report feels so oecumenical that it can even seem like it was free-base on a true story . The film was n’t , however , telling a straight story , but it was base on real life sentence , and its actual inspiration comes from an even more surprising source .
The Piano Lesson Is Not Based On A True Story
The Piano Lesson Is Based On August Wilson’s Fictional Play
Though it tells a mostly realistic story , The Piano Lessonis not based on a true story . It is alternatively base on a 1987 gambol of the same name penned by legendary dramatist August Wilson . The Piano Lessonis part of Wilson ’s " Pittsburgh Cycle , " a group of 10 stage plays that were meant to lionise and examine the experiences of Black Americans throughout each ten of the 20th century . That explains whyThe Piano Lessonhas such a realistic chronicle , as Wilson ’s dramatic play were about the middling experience many bootleg people in America had .
John David Washington steadily build his acting vocation with a filmography showcasing raw talent , elevating these movies into some of his best work .
There ’s also a sense that August Wilson ’s workswereinspired by real sprightliness . The playwright produce up in Pittsburgh , where all but one of his plays was set , and many of his characters were likely ground upon real citizenry he sleep together throughout his life story . Both thePittsburgh CycleandThe Piano Lessonalso serve as something of a clock time ejector seat for a moment in chronicle for many Black Americans . Even though the genuine plot of the play is n’t free-base on facts , it contain enough kernels of verity to be considered a adept representation of realness for the great unwashed at that time .
The Piano Lesson’s Original Play Was Inspired By A 1983 Painting
August Wilson Was Inspired By Romare Bearden Several Times
Though August Wilson did n’t take aspiration from a real life family line while writingThe Piano Lesson , he was inspired by someone else . Wilson really got the musical theme forThe Piano Lessonfrom a 1983 photographic print by Romare Bearden titled " The Piano Lesson ( Homage to Mary Lou),"(viaSmithsonian Magazine ) . Wilson himself has address at duration about how much he admire Bearden ’s nontextual matter , and it ’s fair clear to see how the painting aid breathe in his Pulitzer Prize - winning playing period . Both versions ofThe Piano Lessonemphasize the role medicine has played in generations of families , though Wilson ’s took a more complicated approach to the issue .
Wilson himself has speak at length about how much he admired Bearden ’s artwork , and it ’s fair clear to see how the picture helped inspire his Pulitzer Prize - winning swordplay .
That was n’t the first clock time Wilson cited Bearden as one of his inspiration , however , asJoe Turner ’s Come and Goneoriginally shared its title of respect with an early Bearden art , style " Mill Hand ’s Lunch Bucket . “Wilson ’s survive interest in Bearden ’s art also jibe dead with the goal he coiffe for thePittsburgh Cycle , as both artist emphasized the triumphs and joys of being ignominious . It also fits perfectly with the cinema translation ofThe Piano Lesson , as almost anyone , regardless of subspecies , can relate to questions of legacy and how to move forrad without leave about the yesteryear .
Custom image by Sean Morrison
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In The Piano Lesson , a brother and sis clash over selling a crime syndicate heirloom forte-piano — he sees it as a itinerary to wealthiness , while she view it as a vital link to their inheritance . Their uncle stress to mediate , but the conflict reveals abstruse truths about identity , legacy , and the past .
© 2025 Romare Bearden Foundation
© 2025 Romare Bearden Foundation
