Beautiful, horrifying, haunting and brilliantly made. Truly a masterpiece.

Rating: 10/10 (25 June 2006)

The Pianist absolutely deserved all it's acclaim in 2002 including some Oscar Nominations. For every moment that it is so incredibly disturbing, and provocative there is a moment of heartfelt survival, a story of overcoming these disgusting, horrible moments in history. I thought even after the first half hour of the film that even though The Pianist was great, it was going to be stereotypical in it's story about the Holocaust and World War Two and I could not have been more wrong. This is not a film about the horror of those years but rather the story of one man's survival against unbelievable odds. It is truly an epic about one man. The first hour will literally bring you to tears, turn your stomach, it puts you right in the thick of this horrible historical war and the last part of the movie you struggle along with the main character in his own personal battle to survive. What an incredible journey!!
I often wondered before seeing this film if Adrien Brody deserved his Oscar win. Yes, Yes, YES!! This is practically a one man show for Brody who plays famous Polish Pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman. Practically every scene Brody is in will bring tears to your eyes. He seems like such a shy, withdrawn man who won't survive any of the heavy moments of the war ahead but he does...against all odds. He loses literally everything, everyone, his entire existence and fights on and on. In the beginning he shies away from the conflict, does everything he can to not stick out but in the end he perseveres above everything. No other film about the Holocaust or World War 2 has captured the plight of a Jew more than this film. We see every angle of the horror they endured and the people that they were and the lives that they lost. Brody may go down in history as being known for his passionate, excitable kiss with Hale Berry when presented with his award but now that I've seen the film I will forever remember his powerful performance. Now when I said this was a one man show for Brody I don't mean to count out the supporting cast in this film because they were all very, very good. Frank Finlay, Maureen Lipman, Emilia Fox, and Ed Stoppard all do a terrific job as Brody's family. They are only a small part of the film, the first hour perhaps but they do a great job of making you feel for them before they are taken to really get an idea of how Brody's character feels. Everyone who helps Brody's character along the way all play a terrific role but they are all quite small roles especially in comparison to Brody. This is his absolutely his masterpiece!!
The incredibly controversial director Roman Polanski captures gritty, dark, human abomination like no one else. Even his more recent Oliver Twist was dark and disturbing appropriately but I think this particular project was close to home for him. He so brilliantly captured Warsaw and the Ghetto and the concentration camp and the war from the perspective of the civilians, especially the Jews, rather than the front lines. The film very gray scaled, a constant feeling of foreboding throughout the entire thing. Not a single frame feels light or happy and it shouldn't. There is silence before the deafening sound of gunfire, the crack of someone being murdered, or the bombs that could kill anyone in it's path. He really works at setting the horror of the situation in the first hour and accomplishes that hands down. I could feel my stomach turning watching these men torture these human beings in despicable horrifying ways. He then allows the last half of the film to be about Brody's character and survival. There is actually a happy ending to a horrific story. How rare to see something like this. It will haunt you, leave you thinking, remembering, praying, it's quite simply brilliant. Initially I had scored this a 9/10 and I don't know why because it is deeply powerful. Perhaps a little long but nonetheless captivating. I change it to a 10/10 because of the important message of remembrance and a time where a people, human beings were treated like less than garbage. May something like this never happen again!! Please watch this movie if you're a fan of history, or just want something powerful, intelligent, and moving. 10/10