Cinema is his Passion. The Pianist is his Masterpiece.

Rating: Null/10 (1 May 2011)

Helmed by a Holocaust survivor himself yet presenting an objective take on the disturbing subject matter, The Pianist is the most personal film renowned director Roman Polanski has made in his decades-spanning career for it is crafted with meticulous care n attention, told with immaculate simplicity & also happens to feature one of cinema's most extraordinary performances.
Based on the memoir of the same name & set in Warsaw during the Second World War, The Pianist tells the story of Władysław Szpilman; a Polish-Jewish musician who after avoiding deportation to Nazi labour camps tries to elude capture by living in the ruins of his city. The plot details his miraculous survival against all odds which wouldn't have happened without the kindness of few compassionate humans.
Directed by Roman Polanski, The Pianist does bring back the horrors of the Holocaust and never shies away from depicting the barbaric treatment millions of Jews underwent during Nazi occupation. But it's not a tale about someone who caused an uprising or put his life on the line to save others but through one person, it tries to capture what most people under same circumstances were trying to do: survive, no matter what it takes.
Polanski does manage to infuse his own history into the story but never lets that distract his own vision for the picture at hand, and there in lies the true beauty of this survival story. It's arguably the finest film that he's made & certainly the most artistic. Adding more strength to the feature is the brilliantly-written screenplay that keeps the focus on our protagonist at all times & resonates the brutality that millions underwent through his own life story.
Coming to the technical aspects, every single element only ends up enhancing the entire experience. Production Design team does a superb job in recreating the war-torn city & set pieces are refined to smallest of details. Cinematography makes impeccable use of camera in capturing every frame plus the cold colour temperature encapsulates the whole film with a bleak mood. Editing paces its 149 minutes of runtime with precision. And classical music is beautifully incorporated into the narrative.
Another thing that seals the destiny of The Pianist is the exceptional performance by Adrien Brody in the role of Władysław Szpilman that simply exceeded every expectation. Perfectly capturing not just the feeling of hopelessness, loneliness, grief & living under constant fear but also the desperation, survival instinct & passion for music, what Brody delivers here is one of cinema's most memorable performances that still ranks as his best and his Academy Award win for this role was deserving in every manner.
On an overall scale, The Pianist marks the career high moment for Roman Polanski & Adrien Brody, is an emotionally devastating & powerfully moving cinema that's worthy of all the accolades it has garnered so far, and is amongst the finest examples of historical drama in existence. It certainly isn't going to be an easy sit for most but you'll be a better person for having done because some films, no matter how difficult, deserve to be viewed, and Roman Polanski's magnum opus is definitely one of those cinematic treasures. Strongly recommended.