After watching the recent Oscars ceremony, I have to say that my interest towards the film, The Pianist, grew immensely. Roman Polanski, whose films include Rosemary's Baby and Chinatown, is undoubtedly one of the best directors in the movie business and my expectations were very high for this film. Also, the fact that both Polanski and actor Adrien Brody won Oscars for this film, there was even more reason for me to think that this film would have to be good to beat out the likes of favorites Daniel Day-Lewis and Martin Scorsese for Gangs of New York. I eagerly went to the cinema and watched this film. I am glad to say, I was not disappointed by this film.

As most of you probably know, this film tells the story of Wladyslaw "Wladek" Szpilman (Adrien Brody) and how he managed to survive in Poland during the Holocaust. Szpilman, before the war started, was an aspiring, young and extremely talented pianist playing for a Polish radio station. These dreams are shattered when the Germans invaded Poland in 1939. However, Szpilman and his family do not believe that this war will last long and when the British and the French wage war on Germany, they believe that there will be a quick resolution.

However, things go from bad to worse. Jews are given many restrictions ranging from a limit in income, wearing a Jewish armband to distinguish the Jews from the non-Jews and restriction from entering restaurants, parks and other places. A few years after the war first started, the Germans start moving all Polish Jews into a small area in Warsaw (or what became to be known as the ghetto). The Jews were not allowed to exit this area and were constantly humiliated by Nazi soldiers. Szpilman still believes that life will soon resume back to normal, but all Jews are moved into an even smaller containment area. Eventually, the Jews are sent on trains to concentration camps, but Szpilman somehow manages to escape being sent to the concentratin camp and from here, he is forced to survive on his own.

This film, unlike other WWII films such as Schindler's List, attempts to fully show the violence that took place in Poland during the war. Polanski, who is originally from Poland and survived the war, clearly depicts both the abuse the Jews had to suffer and the mindless killing the Nazis were involved in. One particular scene where Nazi soldiers throw a disabled man from the balcony of an apartment perfectly portrays the senseless murdering that the Nazis were engaged in during the war. Polanski, whose work frequently incorporates violence, drills these disturbing images to give us a clear picture of what the Jews really had to go through.

Apart from that, this film also attempts to portray how Szpilman, a Polish Jew, survives all these awful chain of events. It is clear that throughout the film, his survival depended on a hefty amount of luck and the good will of many people he met along the way. Although Szpilman may very well have been fortuitous in surviving these events because of those reasons, the film does also show that one must have the will to survive in order to survive. Szpilman did, willing to take whatever option was needed in order to live. This is also shown clearly throughout the film and again, this story of survival mirrors Polanski's own past.

The screenplay, from Szpilman's own book, is brilliant from start to finish. It recalls what went on and allows the audience to formulate their own thoughts on the events that take place throughout the film. This is good, in the sense that the film does not manipulate the audience's emotions. Because of the straightforward storytelling approach the script takes, the film has a minimalist script, using as little speech as possible, adding an edge of realism to the film. However, the film contains no religion in it and because Judaism plays such a huge part in the lives of many Jews, I felt that Ronald Harwood, who adapted Szpilman's book, left a gaping hole with the lack of religion in the film. Apart from that, this was a very solid script.

Mention must also be made about the film's set design. The film's art directors perfectly depict Poland in WWII and the grey, bleak place the Germans turned it into. Also, the debris from bombed buildings and places that were generally torn down by the Nazis are also clearly shown in the set and this creates a very authentic picture of Poland during the war.

Also, the camera is used to great effect in the film, using a grey filter to show how miserable Poland was in the period throughout the war. I also like how the editing was constantly cutting from scene to scene as swiftly as possible during the first part of the film and how this was slowed down considerably in the second part of the film to allow the audience to feel the exhaustion that Szpilman experienced as he was merely trying to live through the last few years of the war. Oh, and as for music, this definitely deserves a mention. The film is scattered with classical piano pieces and the occasional cello pieces from two women he met during his period of survival. These pieces are filled with emotion and are testament to Szpilman's talents.

Adrien Brody, who plays Szpilman, delivers the role of his life in this film. What makes his performance so intriguing is the fact that a lot of his acting depended on subtle facial expressions more than it did through words. His change from the serene, confident feeling that he carried at the beginning of the film to the anxious, depressed, lost feelings that resulted during his years of survival is portrayed with such subtlety and he single-handedly carries this film. As for the supporting cast, they are left with very little. Not even Szpilman's family of 6 (which includes his parents, played by Maureen Lipman and Frank Finlay, his brother, played by Ed Stoppard and his two sisters, played by Jessica Kate Meyer and Julia Rayner) are given much to do. I also felt that many of the supporting cast in the film that helped Szpilman in his years of survival are "used then forgotten". By this, I mean that they are used for a couple of scenes, then they are completely forgotten about and this shows a lack of depth in characters (his family included). Then again, Szpilman probably did not get to know these people very well, so there is not much to say about them and this could be what is being portrayed by Polanski.

Because of the lack of depth in characters, the audience feel a certain detachment from the film, even from Szpilman. Sure, you pity Szpilman for all that he suffers from as a result of the Holocaust, but you grow more and more detached from Szpilman as the film moves on. This, however, is a minor gripe and most films these days suffer from this flaw.

But, it has to be said that Polanski's direction in this film is amazing. He creates perhaps one of the most vivid pictures of Poland during the Holocaust and he brings the audience into this horrific world that he and many other Jews lived in. Also, he paces this film to perfection, focusing on Szpilman's story of survival, whilst also including the horrific events that led up to the deaths of thousands of Jews. The fact that human nature was still this barbaric 50 odd years ago is a frightening thought and Polanski did an excellent job in portraying this.

This film is probably Polanski's most personal film and it is for this reason that all Polanski fans should watch this film. Also, if you want to watch a film that tells the events that took place during the Holocaust, this is the film to watch. Believe what has already been said about this film. It is a good, good film, although it is the type of film that can only be watched once (it is disturbing for many people and coming back to watch this again would be a very exhausting experience). The only warning I will give is that this film is not for the light-hearted and that many scenes will disturb and even frighten many people. Otherwise, this film is one you should watch.

Thanks for reading the review.

Recommended:
Yes