The Pianist (2002)

Winner of the prestigious Golden Palm award at the 2002 Cannes film festival, The Pianist is the film that Roman Polanski was born to direct. A childhood survivor of Nazi-occupied Poland, Polanski was uniquely suited to tell the story of Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Polish Jew and concert pianist (played by Adrien Brody) who witnessed the Nazi invasion of Warsaw, miraculously eluded the Nazi death camps, and survived throughout World War II by hiding among the ruins of the Warsaw ghetto. Unlike any previous dramatization of the Nazi holocaust, The Pianist steadfastly maintains its protagonist's singular point of view, allowing Polanski to create an intimate odyssey on an epic wartime scale, drawing a direct parallel between Szpilman's tenacious, primitive existence and the wholesale destruction of the city he refuses to abandon. Uncompromising in its physical and emotional authenticity, The Pianist strikes an ultimate note of hope and soulful purity. As with Schindler's List, it's one of the greatest films ever made about humanity's darkest chapter. --Jeff Shannon Amazon.com

Great Service

I used this video as a way to expose my students to the realities of the Holocaust. Until then most of them had never seen anything like it. THe movie came quickly and was in great condition. Thanks July 21, 2008

Beautiful

I simply loved this film. It's beautifully filmed, wonderfully acted and engrossing. This war is not easy to watch, the things that occured are difficult for any of us to fathom, but stories like this really illustrate that humans are not only capable of horrible things, but incredible things. There is a balance between beauty and ugliness in this film that is reminiscent of Shindler's List. I really feel that this film is Brody's finest work to date. This is a personal story and it feels that way, its triumphant and I enjoy triumph occuring in the eyes of a storm, it leaves us with hope. June 10, 2008

Gut wrenching...

The film is based on a true story and is set in World War II. It centers around a world class pianist by the name of Wladyslaw Szpilman who survives the Holocaust with the help of Polish revolutionaries attempting to overthrow the Nazi occupation and with the courageous help from non-Jewish sympathizers. You may have seen a number of movies on the Holocaust and ask yourself why torment yourself with another 2 hour horror - yet this movie places you in the seat - you loath the Nazi's along with Wladyslaw's brother as they separate the Jews from the rest of the population, make them wear armbands and re-settle in ghettos - you feel the fear of Wladyslaw's loving family as they climb about the transport train - you feel Wladyslaw's hunger and his dry mouth and lips after hiding out for days without food and hunger - and eventually you see how Wladyslaw is spared by the enemy, who at the end of it all is human. This movie is incredibly difficult to watch in many scenes yet is unforgettable as it should be...


June 4, 2008

Good movie, defective DVD

Universal Widescreen, will not play through, but stops at ch. 13.
I have seen the film, which is excellent, but am very disappointed at the poor quality of the disk, which will not finish playing, even on a brand-new Sony DVD player. May 26, 2008

German Officer shows compassion.

A wonderful story of compassion and caring by a German Captain. A Polish Jew by the name of Szpilman is repeatedly given safe passage as the German war machine takes over much of Europe. While many Jews sheepishly awaited their fate, Szpilman used his pianist fame to evade death.

He nearly runs out of luck when the Germans set up post in a house he's hiding in. When the commanding German officer discovers Szpilman, he tells him to play the piano. Szpilman performs a wonderful tune on the piano. The Captain responds with compassion, giving Szpilman food and even the coat off his back. Unfortunately, the German Captain falls into the hands of Russians and, presumably, dies in their captivity.

In summation, a story of survival during this most difficult of wars. A German and a Jew sharing a moment of joy amidst hard times. Who would have imagined?

Not for children under age 10. Contains violence and harsh language. April 29, 2008

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