One mans haunting journey

Rating: 9/10 (20 September 2003)

Roman Polanskis Pianist is a haunting film that had on the edge of my seat as I journey alongside with Szpilman through Poland in WW2. I found the film to very realistic and very polished visually. I was very critical with this movie being that it took me nearly a year to see it. Holocaust films tend to be downers, but I couldn't avoid it any longer. Brody deserves the Oscars being that he is in every frame of the movie from the midpoint on. His portrayal of Szpilman is hypnotic and heart wrenching. I feel giving this film any criticism would anti-semantic. One thing bothered me about the movie though. It didn't seem to go together very smoothly. It was a sequences of scenes that seemed to be cut together to show Szpilmans journey opposed in showing a plot with any type of flowing through-line. Being that this a true story, it is okay being that life doesn't always make a good script. Polanksi's goal was to tell Szpilmans story and not make a Hollywood blockbuster. I just feel it could had been edited more smoothly. I especially loved the relationship or lack there of one of the German officer toward the end of the film. This is a film about determination, brotherhood and pride.
My grade -A- My score- 8.5 out 10 **** out of five