The Piano Lesson

Although everyone spends the first half hour acting as if they're in a Hallmark Hall of Fame production (which they are), and the earnestness makes you feel like you should be wearing a tie, this affecting drama based on August Wilson's stage play gets better. The story of a battle between a brother (Charles Dutton) and a sister (Alfre Woodard) over a family piano, the film works its way around to the deeper issues of loyalty, unity, and, believe it or not, ghostbusting. [DVD Review--Feb. 11, 2003--Artisan, 104 min., PG, $19.98. Always nice to see an August Wilson play on film, and despite the slow beginning on this Hallmark production, The Piano Lesson still holds up well. Although the DVD transfer is somewhat grainy and soft, it's serviceable overall for a TV production. The only extra is a six-screen production notes essay on The Piano Lesson's journey from stage to screen. Bottom line: A typically bare bones release for a lesser back catalog item, this is still well worth picking up.] (R. Pitman)