Film Review: The Pianist

Director: Roman Polanski

Roman Polanski directs an adaptation of the memoirs of Jewish-Polish musician Wladyslaw Szpilman during the Second World War when the Jews were persecuted and made to live within the ghetto in Warsaw. Polanski felt deeply connected to the story as he escaped from the Krakow ghetto as a child when his mother was killed and survived on a Polish farm until the end of the war. The Warsaw ghetto was recreated in Babelsburg studios and old Soviet army barracks were also used. The film was very well received on it's release with Polanski winning Best Director and Adrien Brody winning Best Actor at the Academy Awards in 2003.

Wladyslaw (Adrien Brody) in the ghetto after many Jews were sent to the  concentration camps

Wladyslaw Szpilman (Adrien Brody who fully deserved his Oscar award for Best Actor) is a a famous Jewish pianist who is live on the radio as the Nazi's invade Poland. The conditions for the Jews slowly deteriorate until they are forced to live within a ghetto where Szpilman narrowly avoids transportation to a concentration camp by his friend in the Jewish Police. The rest of the film follows his attempts to survive from the Nazi's during the war in the hope of being able to play the piano again.

Despite having read a lot and seen quite a films on the subject I still found The Pianist quite harrowing. It is a heartfelt film which owes a lot to the historical accuracy that has been maintained to the original memoirs of Wladyslaw Szpilman. As a famous pianist he was inevitably able to pull strings to help as the Jews were being abused and killed around Warsaw. Polanski directs some truly horrific scenes which include Jews being forced to lie on the floor to be shot and a wheelchair bound man being tipped off a balcony and Jews eating off the muddy floor due to hunger. 

Wladyslaw showing off his piano skills

The tense scene where Szpilman plays the piano for Wehrmacht Captain Wilm Hosenfeld (Thomas Kretschmann) who is so moved by the performance that he helps him and gives him food is a superb climatic scene. I was pleased the film shed light on the uprisings that happened in the Jewish ghetto in Warsaw, many Jews were unhappy to just wait around to be killed and took on the Nazi's even if it meant they would be killed when caught. They were unhappy to be taken out without a fight and shows the bravery of them during this tough time. 

It's a film where you can feel it was close to Polanski's heart and the unflinching brutality on display is obviously born out of his real experiences as a child. This only makes the film more realistic and seriously makes you think about life at this time.

4/4 truly horrific and moving film