The Pianist (2002)

User Rating:

8.5/10   

Director:

Roman Polanski

Writers:

Wladyslaw Szpilman (book)
Ronald Harwood (screenplay)

Release Date:

3 January 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | War

Tagline:

Music was his passion. Survival was his masterpiece.

Plot:

A Polish Jewish musician struggles to survive the destruction of the Warsaw ghetto of World War II.

Plot Keywords:

Warsaw | Warsaw Ghetto | Jewish | Nazi | Piano

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 45 wins & 42 nominations

Cast

Adrien Brody	...	Wladyslaw Szpilman
Thomas Kretschmann	...	Captain Wilm Hosenfeld
Frank Finlay	...	Father
Maureen Lipman	...	Mother
Emilia Fox	...	Dorota
Ed Stoppard	...	Henryk
Julia Rayner	...	Regina
Jessica Kate Meyer	...	Halina
Michal Zebrowski	...	Jurek
Wanja Mues	...	SS Slapping Father
Richard Ridings	...	Mr. Lipa
Nomi Sharron	...	Feather Woman
Anthony Milner	...	Man Waiting to Cross
Lucy Skeaping	...	Street Musician
Roddy Skeaping	...	Street Musician

Also Known As:

Der Pianist (Germany)
Le pianiste (France)
Pianista (Poland)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and brief strong language.

Runtime:

150 min | Spain:142 min (DVD edition)

Country:

France | Germany | UK | Poland

Language:

English | German | Russian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Brazil:14 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Chile:TE | Denmark:11 | Egypt:(Banned) | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Germany:12 (bw) | Hong Kong:IIA | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:12 (re-rating) | New Zealand:R15 | Norway:15 | Peru:PT | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:15 | USA:R | Canada:AA (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Babelsberg, Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany

Company:

R.P. Productions

Trivia:

During the shooting of the movie, while scouting locations in Krakow, Roman Polanski met a man who had helped Polanski's family survive the war.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The bayonet used by the German sergeant to open the sack of beans is not German issue. It appears to be a Turkish Model 1890 bayonet.

Quotes:

Dorota: I'll get a doctor.
Dorota's Husband: You can't, it's too dangerous.
Dorota: I'll get Doctor Laczek, we can trust him.
Dorota's Husband: Dorota, don't be ridiculous, he's a pediatrician.
Dorota: He's still a doctor.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Ryan Reynolds/Lady Gaga (#35.2)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Marsz Strzelcow

Brilliantly Narrated, Visually Stunning!

Polanski has depicted the gory details of the holocaust without much restraint. But, the most wonderful aspect of the film is that the director has not lost focus of his story and instead of focusing too much on the holocaust horror he has weaved the true-life narrative of survival around devillish happenings.

Every single act of escapade Szpilman goes through is depicted like a drop of water on a barren desert. However, the Oasis in the driest desert comes in the end and it is here that Polanski captures the essence of human emotion. I had this very strong urge of jumping into the theater screen and magically adopting a character in the movie and doing something about the helplesness portrayed so convincingly.

Overall, Polanski has given a stunning visual narrative of the cold war. Survival indeed is a privilege though it is taken for granted today. Performances by Brody, Kretschmann deserve applause.

Pawel Edelman's camera work is moving and he has brilliantly captured the dark sadness in the visual canvas in an effective way. The lighting is amazing. Pre-dawn shooting schedule could have helped a great deal.

Hervé de Luze's editing work has ensured that the narrative does not slip away from focus. Most notable is the scene where the human bodies are lit on fire and the camera raises to show the smoke. The darkness of the smoke is enhanced and is used effectively to fade the scene out.

The scene where Brody's fingers move as he rests his hands on the bars of the tram handle only goes to show the brilliance of Polanski as a film-maker.

Great film that will be in the running for this year's Oscars. I will give it a 9 Out of 10.