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The Pianist (2002),
Director: Roman Polanski, rated
R
Music was
his passion. Survival was his masterpiece.
  Starring:
Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Frank Finley, Maureen Lipman, Emilia Fox, Ed
Stoppard, Julia Rayner, Jessica Kate Meyer, Ronan Vibert, Ruth Platt, Andrew
Tiernan, Michal Zebrowski, Richard Ridings
DML Rating:
★★★★★★★★★☆
- near perfect
"They're exterminating
us. It won't take them long. We are 60 thousand left, out of
half a million. Mostly young people." -
Majorek
Why watch this? This
is a superb telling of survival within Poland during WWII.
Plot Summary:
Based on the autobiography of Władysław Szpilman, the film
follows a renowned Polish-Jewish classical pianist struggling to
survive as the Nazis occupy Warsaw and enforce brutal
persecution. After being separated from his family during the
liquidation of the Warsaw Ghetto, he endures years of starvation
and hiding, relying on the help of non-Jewish allies and the
Polish resistance. Amidst the destruction of the city, he finds
a unlikely glimmer of hope through the compassion of a
music-loving German officer.
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Dad's Preview:
Władysław Szpilman's story, as captured in his 1946
autobiographical book of the same name, is incredible. His
survival, during perhaps the most deadly time and place in the
world for his Jewish race, seems to be a combination of luck,
the help of many Poles who knew of his piano talents, and
perhaps even a little divine intervention. This emotional film,
of life and death in the Warsaw ghetto, benefits from an amazing
screenplay, Adrian Brody's portrayal of the lead character (his
eyes exude sadness) and steady direction from Roman Polanski,
himself a Holocaust survivor. I will be honest, there are
moments here that are hard to take. You will be emotionally
overwhelmed at the madness and cruelty of the Nazis. That said
it is certainly worth every second of your time, if for no other
reason, to remember. |
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Canal+, Studio
Babelsberg, SudioCanal; BAC Films |
