Samuel L. Jackson and John David Washington The piano lesson tells an intense story about hope and heritage, and its narrative feels realistic enough to be based on a true story. The film produced by Denzel Washington The piano lesson tells the story of the Charles family and their family heirloom, a piano. The family is divided, as Boy Willie (John David Washington) wants to sell the piano and secure wealth for his family, while Berniece (Dianne Deadwyler) sees it as her family’s legacy. The piano lesson addresses some universal themes in a very relatable way, and the story is so compelling that it often rings true.
Reviews for The piano lesson have been overwhelmingly positive, and that’s largely due to how relatable its plot is. This sense of familiarity helped The piano lesson it achieved a high Rotten Tomatoes score of 90% before it even premiered on Netflix. Although there are several supernatural elements in The piano lessonhis story feels so universal that it might even seem like it was based on a true story. The film, however, did not tell a true story but was based on real life, and its true inspiration comes from an even more surprising source.
Piano Lesson is not based on a true story
The piano lesson is based on the fictional play by August Wilson
Although it tells a mostly realistic story, The piano lesson is not based on a true story. Instead, it’s based on a 1987 play of the same name written by legendary playwright August Wilson. The piano lesson is part of the “Pittsburgh Cycle“a group of 10 theatrical plays that aimed to celebrate and examine the experiences of black Americans throughout each decade of the 20th century. This explains why The piano lesson has such a realistic story, as Wilson’s plays dealt with the average experience that many black people in America had.
There is also a feeling that the works of August Wilson they were inspired by real life. The playwright grew up in Pittsburgh, where all but one of his plays were set, and many of his characters were likely based on real people he met throughout his life. Both the Pittsburgh Cycle and The piano lesson also serve as a sort of time capsule for a moment in history for many black Americans. Even though the actual plot of the play is not based on fact, it contains enough kernels of truth to be considered a good representation of reality for people of the time.
The original piano lesson piece was inspired by a 1983 painting
August Wilson was inspired by Romare Bearden several times
Although August Wilson was not inspired by a real-life family while writing The piano lessonhe was inspired by someone else. Wilson actually had the idea of The piano lesson from a 1983 print by Romare Bearden titled “The piano lesson (tribute to Mary Lou)“, (through Smithsonian Magazine). Wilson himself spoke at length about how much he admired Bearden’s art, and it’s quite clear how the painting helped inspire his Pulitzer Prize-winning piece. Both versions of The piano lesson emphasize the role that music played in generations of families, although Wilson took a more complicated approach to the subject.
Wilson himself spoke at length about how much he admired Bearden’s art, and it’s quite clear how the painting helped inspire his Pulitzer Prize-winning piece.
This wasn’t the first time Wilson cited Bearden as one of his inspirations, however, as Joe Turner came and went originally shared its title with an earlier Bearden artwork titled “Mill Hand Lunch Bucket.” Wilson’s enduring interest in Bearden’s art also fits perfectly with the goal he set for the Pittsburgh Cycleas both artists emphasized the triumphs and joys of being black. It also fits perfectly with the film version of The piano lessonas almost anyone, regardless of race, can relate to issues of legacy and how to move forward without forgetting the past.