The Pianist

Roman Polanski, UK / France / Germany / Netherlands / Poland, 2002, 150 minutes

Polanski's first screen outing since the abysmal Ninth Gate in 1999, The Pianist is one of those personal projects imbued with emotion and passion due to the director's identification with the problems faced by the film's protagonist. Said protagonist, Wladyslaw Szpilman, was the "best pianist" in Poland, but unfortunately he was also a Jew and the Nazis' genocidal cleansing of Europe of the Jewish creed proved to be a major hindrance to his musical progression. This is the true story of Szpilman's survival in the Nazi enforced Warsaw ghetto based on his memoirs.

A subject such as Jewish survival during Nazi occupied Europe never fails to tug at the heart strings, it is a subject with a preset level of importance and will always be taken seriously. Polanski tries to avoid the obvious tear triggers and horror prompts but it is difficult to recount the experience without showing friends and family brutally murdered. At the end of the day, it is Szpilman's story as the majority of the film sees him fleeing and in hiding, from and in stark, yet strangely at the same time stunning, visuals.

This brings me to, by far, the shining star of the film, Adrien Brody. With the film being for the most part a one man show, Brody takes on the hefty role in a brilliantly judged, understated manner and really puts across the pain and suffering with a remarkable level of dignity and restraint.

This film is not exactly edge of your seat material, but it is beautifully shot, fantastically acted and Polanski's passionate direction of his subject matter makes it wholly worthy of all the awards recognition it received.

Review by Steph Wright
Written for EUFS Programme Autumn 2003