Beautiful

Rating: 8/10 (14 March 2011)

It takes a lot of guts to make a film about arguably the most tragic event in human history. The director must put the film together with care and respect towards those depicted in the film. The writer must pay attention to the details of the events and bring them across in the most respectful nature without exploiting the events for cinematic gain. The actors must have the utmost care for the characters they portray in order to properly tell such a tragic story. Roman Polanski's The Pianist hits all these marks. The film is adapted from the memoirs of a famed Polish Jewish pianist named Wladyslaw Szpilman. It chronicles the events of the Jewish exile into the Polish ghettos and their eventual relocation to the concentration camps. Szpilman, however, was not taken to a concentration camp and had to spend months hiding out from the Germans as they destroyed Warsaw, Poland. It is a very difficult story to portray, as well as watch, making it a harrowing yet memorable piece of art.
I would never have known you could make such a despicable event such as this into such a glorious work of art. But Roman Polanski does it. He directs this film with such gracious beauty that shocks and mystifies the viewer. It is a film you can't take your eyes off of, no matter how much you want to. It is strange to call this such a beautiful film, but it is. It isn't beautiful in the sense that we often associate beauty with. It is beautiful in its portrayal of such tragic events through such a subtle and meticulous lens. Polanski directs every bit of this film with the utmost respect towards the subject matter. He stays so far away from making this an exploitation film and instead makes into into a work of art where the tragedy we witness on screen is almost hypnotic in its depiction.
And to add to the emotional brilliance of this film, Adrien Brody does a fantastic job as Szpilman. His portrayal earned him an Academy Award for best actor and it's not difficult to realize why. He goes through such an dramatic transformation throughout this film, both physical and mental. He begins as an esteemed Polish pianist who is very likable and very homely. He has a loving family and a great career. But as the destruction of Warsaw caves in around him, so does his whole life. When he is separated from his family he must look after nobody but himself. It is very difficult to watch his tragic physical and mental deterioration. You think he's lost it all until the end of the film when you realize just how much he retains. Szpilman is not a pianist just to add a different kind of aspect to the film. He is a pianist because this supports the entire idea of the film. He shows just how important music and art is to the world, even in such tragic times. His ability to play the piano so well saves his life, as well as renews it. It is a fascinating thing to think about, even though it is something very subtle in the film.
All this being said, The Pianist didn't strike as many emotional chords with me as I thought it would. I'm not sure why, but I was more mystified with the quality of the film, rather than emotionally moved by the events. They are undoubtedly tragic and still difficult to watch, but I didn't feel a lot of emotion boiling up inside of me while watching this film. I only felt a sincere amazement by how well the film was put together and how great Adrien Brody was. I am in no way saying this isn't an emotional film, but it just wasn't as striking to me as it would be to other people. I feel like more could have been done with this film, but at the same time I feel like there was just enough in this film to give it its consistent subtle beauty. I wasn't quite as drawn in by this film as I thought I would be, but it is undoubtedly excellent.
The Pianist is a beautiful film. I wasn't moved by it enough for it to earn a spot in one of my all time favorite films, but it is a film experience I will never forget. I will always remember just how well constructed this story was and how successfully beautiful of a film it was. This is an unforgettable film that shows what dramatic historical filmmaking is all about.