The Pianist (2002)

The Pianist (2002)

8/10

Starring

Adrien Brody

Thomas Kretschmann

Frank Finlay

Maureen Lipman

Emilia Fox

 

Directed by Roman Polanski

 

The Pianist is one of the best films you will ever see. It is highly regarded as one of the best works of Roman Polanski and one of the best war movies you should watch, and I totally agree. The movie is a true work of art, a masterpiece drawn from the autobiographical book The Pianist (1946). The book is a Holocaust memoir by the Polish-Jewish pianist and composer Władysław Szpilman. Szpilman survived the Holocaust.

The art of directing reached its peak in this movie, and I believe Polanski deserved every award and praise for his work here. The way the movie takes you through the challenges of one man who just wanted to survive is incredible. All his hope of survival is tied to a series of good luck from non-Jews who could have turned their backs on him at any time but instead helped him through his trials.

What I totally admired about this film is the depiction of the character (Szpilman, played by Adrien Brody). He was no hero (in the sense of leading an armed revolt) or carrying a gun to shoot anyone. He lost everything and everyone he loved, had it all taken from him, and spent years moving from place to place hiding and just trying to survive.

The movie starts with Szpilman, a Polish-Jewish pianist, playing the piano at a local Polish radio station when the station is attacked during the German invasion of September 1939.
We see him head home to his family as they all gather and rejoice to hear that England and France have declared war on Germany for their invasion of Poland. Their hope is soon dashed when they realize that help is not coming and that Germany has taken over Poland and is hell-bent on wiping out the Jews.

The family sticks together and does the best they can to survive when they are about to be transported to the Treblinka extermination camp as part of Operation Reinhard. A friend sees Szpilman and separates him from his family. If you’ve read about the Holocaust, you’ll come across Operation Reinhard and know how lucky Szpilman was to be separated from his family.

Things did not go great for him from then on. Numerous incidents had him escape death by just a hair.

One thing is certain: war is not something anyone wants to live through. In 2021, during the raging COVID-19 pandemic, there are still war-torn regions. When I read about war-devastated zones like Syria, Afghanistan, or Iraq, I just wonder how the people are surviving and why such things are happening. I am fortunate and grateful that I am not witnessing or have ever witnessed a war. I do hope that, in the future, I never will.

The Pianist premiered and won the Palme d'Or at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. The world also saw the fantastic work of Ronald Harwood’s screenplay, and the movie was both a critical and commercial success.

At the Academy Awards, the film won for Best Director (Polanski), Best Adapted Screenplay (Harwood), and Best Actor (Brody). At the BAFTAs, it won Best Film and Best Direction.

If, like me, you delayed seeing this movie, I advise you to squash that delay and watch it now.