FILM-FORWARD.COM

Reviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video

Adrien Brody as Wladyslaw Szpilman

THE PIANIST
Directed by: Roman Polanski.
Produced by: Robert Benmussa, Polanski & Alain Sarde.
Written by: Ronald Harwood.
Director of Photography: Pawel Edelman.
Edited by: Hervé de Luze.
Music by: Wojciech Kilar.
Released by: Focus.
Country of Origin: Uk/France/Germany/Netherlands/Poland. 150 min. Rated: R.
With: Adrien Brody & Thomas Kretschmann.

DVD Features: Short Film: "The Story of Survival". Bios. Production Notes. Scene Selection. Trailer.

Polanski returns to form with this harrowing story of a Polish Jew on the run from the Nazis, based on the autobiography of Wladyslaw Szpilman, a celebrated pianist who performed the last concert on Polish radio as the Germans attacked Warsaw. The increasing brutality of the Nazi regime is briskly depicted as Szpilman first loses his job, is forced to wear the yellow star, and then is relocated with his family to the Warsaw Ghetto. As soon as his father reassures the family that “at least we’re still together,” there is an ominous knock on the door and an announcement that they will soon be transported to a labor camp. Through sheer luck, Szpilman is pulled from the line at the train station by a friend, a Jewish cop, and given the chance to escape. Enduring hard labor, isolation, and starvation during a six-year struggle for survival, he plays an imaginary piano to practice the German Bach and Beethoven--an ironic symbol of human perseverance.

This dramatic and action-packed film is beautifully enhanced by Brody’s understated performance as an Everyman witnessing horrific events. With a smorgasbord of accents, this large international cast is well cast, even if many of the supporting characters are thinly written. Perhaps not as powerful or as provocative as Schindler’s List or Europa, Europa, Szpilman’s terrifying odyssey is compellingly told in this solid production.

DVD Extras: The 45-minute film, “The Story of Survival”, is less about Szpilman than the making of the film. Included in this promo piece are interesting sound bites from Brody regarding the lengths he underwent to understand Szpilman’s experience and footage of the energetic Polanski directing. Kent Turner
July 2, 2003

Home

About Film-Forward.com

Archive of Previous Reviews

Film-Forward.com, 180 Thompson Street, New York, NY 10012 - Contact us