Review of The Pianist (2002) by Richard D — 27 Jan 2015
By now, the Holocaust feels like a topic that the movies cannot say a lot more about. I'm not saying that folks should stop making movies about it, but it feels like every approach to the topic has already been done.
Polanski seems to have found a new approach, or at least I would say that his film doesn't feel like other Holocaust films to me. "The Pianist" has a detached, fatalistic dread about it.
It depicts life collapsing in such a terrible way that nothing good can come of it. Wladyslaw Szpilman survives, but not because he was especially resourceful or smart. He's helped, but not dramatically and not by people who are saints compared to other people (in fact, some are decidedly not).
Szpilman survives because the universe lines up correctly for him, but it doesn't feel like a triumph since everyone close to him wasn't so lucky. I think this is the best film Polanski has made since the 1970s.
This review of The Pianist (2002) was written by Richard D on 27 Jan 2015.
The Pianist has generally received very positive reviews.
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