Christine Adika

Directed by Roman Polanski, The Pianist is an outstanding, emotion-filled film which brings us back to history when the German Nazi invaded Poland. Basically, the film is all about the struggles experienced by a Holocaust survivor in Nazi-occupied Warsaw in Poland. The Pianist is based on the life story of a Holocaust survivor Wladyslaw Szpilman, played by Adrien Brody, who is also a talented Jew musician who belongs to the well-off family in Poland. The Pianist is an interweaved story of survival and complexity. The film also starred Emilia Fox, Michael Zebrowski, Frank Finley, and Maureen Lipman.

The film started with Szpilman passionately playing his piano over a live radio recital—just while the German Nazis has invaded them; just when bombs are exploding and people are dying in the area. The Szpilman belongs to a family who lived a comfortable and well-off life not until September 1, 1939—when the German Nazi started invading Poland.

The Jews of Warsaw was brought in a ghetto, including the family of Szpilman. While his family was brought to a death camp, Szpilman escaped and survived the brutality. He hid in an abandoned building. As he stayed there, a German officer who shares the same interest as his in music became his friend. The German officer became the one who gave him food regularly.  He lived underground until the Soviets arrived.

Some say that Adrien Brody did not act well in the movie. They say that the actor did not display any kind of emotion that touched them. But I think Brody is portrayed his role well.

Although, given with a relatively few lines in the film, managed to capture the emotions of the viewers, I think. He exactly depicted the role as I imagined it as read the book. It was no doubt he won the Oscar Best Actor award.

The music of the movie, which appeared to be perfectly chosen, enhanced the setting and the mood of The Pianist. One example is the Chopin, which he played during his live recital over the radio while bombs are exploding outside.  Chopin represented his passion for music. Meanwhile, the Nocturne in C-sharp Minor setting emphasized that the film is an historical account and. Its tone set the stage for the dramatic tone of the movie.  The “Moving to the Ghetto” song also enhanced the film.

The Pianist was based on a book written by Szpilman right after he was rescued by the Soviets which was originally titled as Death of a City. It served as a diary of a Holocaust survivor in his days in hell. The film director was successful in bringing in to the viewers of the film the exact setting in the book. The film, through its cinematography showed the viewers the pain that the Jews had to endure. The plot of the film showed scenes as traumatic as the book had traumatic story in every page.

The book was perfectly represented in the film especially the part that the Jews are treated as “parasites of the humanity.” Just how the book described the cruelty of the German Nazi, the movie flashed scenes which are, I must say, equally brutal as told in the book. The main character was also portrayed as how Szpilman appeared to be in the book. Watching the film is actually reading the exact book. It was like turning each page of the book as I witnessed each scene in the film.

The film basically revolved around oppression that happened during the German Nazi invasion. I think tried to show the pains and the sufferings that one has to endure for him/her to

liberate him/her fully from the oppressors.

The film featured no heroic acts or anything that are usual in the protagonists of a film. It mainly told us a story of survival—even when almost alone.

One worth noting in the film is the occasional use of metaphors and symbols to creatively present the message or the content of the film. One example is when he looked intently to his piano. The musical instrument that he once used to entertain and “allure” other people is now an instrument could signal death.

The Pianist is definitely a must-see movie. The film is imbued with artistic substance while portraying one of the most brutal plights in history. The movie disdains Spielberg’s “Schindler’s List” which provided a larger picture of a Holocaust and opted to focus on one individual who had experienced to be in the same situation. This choice made the movie more effective, I guess. Because I was able to understand feel more the situation during that time.

The Pianist provided a magnified view of the Holocaust—and that made the movie more interesting. Focusing on one individual, I think, made the audience feel more the mood and content of the movie. More than a mere autobiography and an historical account, The Pianist is a magnificent work made by a cinematic mind. The two and a half hour viewing of the film might cause you to hold your breath due to the chaotic story with a brilliant portrayal.

To say that the film is just an ordinary one and lacks twist and creativity is like saying that you don not understand the movie at all. The movie has a string of profundity that must be dug in for the viewer to comprehend and absorb the essence of the film.

The movie is not all about winning and losing, hiding and seeking. Simply put, it is all about life death.

Survival, that is.

Reference:

Internet Movie Data Base “External Reviews for The Pianist” 31 March 2007 <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0253474/externalreviews>