Review of The Pianist (2002) by Nagisa O — 11 Mar 2011

âThe Pianistâ? may be overlooked by many due to the rather bland title which only attracts the interest of musicians. Yet, you do not need to be a pianist â" nor even an instrumentalist for that matter â" to fully enjoy this masterpiece.

With director Roman Polaski (who has experienced the Holocaust firsthand as a child) and award winning actor Adrien Brody, the true story of Jewish Musician Wladyslaw Szpilman and his struggle in Warsaw during the Holocaust come to life once again. Together they make it an enticing film filled with sorrow, grief, passion, hope and hopelessness. It engulfs the audience into the setting and unlike most Holocaust films, is not afraid to portray the cold, harsh realism of that time. Iâ(TM)m not saying that âLife is Beautifulâ? wasnâ(TM)t good, but âThe Pianistâ? really opened my eyes to the daily lives that these people endured; the Holocaust was no joke. A man on a wheelchair, unable to stand up to respect the Nazi soldiers, is thrown out of the balcony window. A child, digging for his life under the wall that separates the ghetto with the town, is brutally and with no mercy, beaten to death. A man, lying on the ground, shudders as a Nazi is about to shoot him, only to realize that the soldier has ran out of ammo and he is forced to wait that painful ten seconds amongst the already dead as he reloads. Now yes there is blood, violence, and death which is expected from a movie about the Holocaust but Polaski ties a unique twist â" a totally unexpected, ironic character â" who emerges near the end while Szpilman is on the verge of death. What makes this so incredibly astonishing is the fact that this certain character was based on a real person and it gives us hope, the hope that good does exist.

The movie â" as you can picture â" is hard to watch because of the beyond cruel scenes, but that means Polaski has succeeded. The Holocaust itself was a living hell, and this film makes us, the audience, onlookers and bystanders as we watch helplessly the destruction that took place. Now why would anyone want to be in a stance like this? Sometimes we must face the truth and put aside our ignorance in order to learn a valuable lesson. For this particular film, we learn to appreciate our life, our possessions, to the maximum. After you watch this movie, the next time you rummage through your refrigerator stacked high with all kinds of food looking for a snack, I will guarantee that you will feel a great deal of thankfulness.

Though at the same time, Polaski incorporates Szpilmanâ(TM)s passion for music into the horrific occasion. The mesmerizing sound of the piano over the gun shots and bombs leaves us both paralyzed and comforted. The comfort that underneath all this chaos and mayhem, was a calm and soothing tone that gave us hope for Szpilman. By including this, Roman Polaski was advising us to always stick to your passion, no matter how impossible it may seem to keep it for it is the only thing a person cannot take from us.

The Pianist is meant to make you cringe and cry but it also presents a great message: to be grateful for the life that you have. What I have received from this film is extraordinary â" a more appreciative self â" and thus easily makes âThe Pianistâ? one of my top movie recommendations for any teenager or adult. It truly is a must see.