Melodrama has been the dominant form of moviemaking for women, and the recent Jane Campion film, The Piano (J. Chapman & J. Campion, 1993), is a lush modern representation. Central to this film is the struggle of Ada to choose between passion and security, between life and death, in a primitive New Zealand environment. Campion adds many modern elements to this genre, creating a complex fictional character who evokes powerful psychological responses in the other characters and in the audience. A psychoanalytic perspective sheds some light on the nuances and power of this film as it uses silence, emerging sexuality, primal scene anxiety, and romantic salvation to stimulate the audience.