The Pianist
Rated: R
Runtime: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Directed by: Roman Polanski
Starring:
Adrien Brody - Wladyslaw Szpilman
Thomas Kretschmann - Captain Wilm Hosenfeld
Frank Finlay - Father
Maureen Lipman - Mother
In 1993, Steven Spielberg made the epic Holocaust drama, Schindler's List. In that film, Spielberg looked at the overarching events through the tale of Oscar Schindler's attempts to save Jewish lives. Nine years later, Roman Polanski, a Polish Jew who managed to escape the concentration camps, tells the more personal story of pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman (Adrien Brody). It is this more subdued, survivor's tale which gives The Pianist a unique feeling, rather than just showing the endless atrocities committed to Jews during the Third Reich.
Polanski has never been a soft filmmaker and this may be his most unflinching work yet. The first act of the film never shies away from showing the brutal murder of Jews by the Nazis. Polanski never needs to glossy up his shots, use clever lighting, or any other trick in this film. He just keeps the film cold, harsh, and unflinching. The director takes his time during the first act to slowly build on the dehumanization of the Jews. From the Nazis making Jews dance in public, to eating food off the streets, to random murder, these terrible events should come as no surprise to anyone who has briefly studied the Holocaust, yet it never ceases to shock and appall. However, despite the horror onscreen, it is not until the second act where Szpilman avoids the death camps and goes into hiding that the film becomes far more personal and subtle.
While I felt an abrupt shift from the first to the second act, it's a necessary move to keep the film from being a copy of Schindler's List. But this film has more going for it than just a personal tale. Adrien Brody gives a silent and haunting performance as Szpilman. While his character doesn't have much dialogue, Brody conveys so much simply through his slow, steady movements. A look in his eyes show a man who has lost everything he knew and loved, yet must cling to hope and determination if he hopes to make it to the next day.
But the real credit must go to Roman Polanski. His Oscar for Best Director comes not only as a lifetime achievement award but as a recognition based on the strength and merit of this one film alone (Sorry, Marty, but make a better film than Gangs of New York and you just might win it for once). Never flinching, never exaggerating, this is Polanski's most personal and honest film to date. Shot-for-shot, you will not find a flaw in the direction.
The Pianist offers no new insight or understanding into the Holocaust. And perhaps that's the cruel meaning of it all. There's no insight or understanding to be had from such evil. The understanding comes from the survivor's tale. It is the tale of living in spite of all the world's horrors and grotesqueries. People should force themselves to watch this film not only for the exploration of art's vitality, but also to see Polanski add another a masterpiece to his body of work.
Words by
Matt Goldberg
4.10.03