"...10 minutes into the film, I was captivated."

Rating: 8/10 (21 May 2005)

"Crap, I rented the History Channel." That was my initial reaction when I was met with a 20 second long, low-detailed, roll-footage type introduction to The Pianist. I knew I didn't need another lecture on the "horrific Nazi death camps" and one more dull lesson on World War II weaved into what Hollywood puts out as a "movie." However, about 10 minutes into the film, I was captivated. As the story began to unfold the life of a large and happy Jewish family living in Warsaw at the beginning of World War II, I started to see traces of genius in Polanski's newest creation.
For one, each character had a personality so tangible that the viewers can point out resemblances in their own personal lives. This had a stunning impact on me. It just isn't the same when a story is always about that "someone else." However, Polanski did an awesome job in making that "someone else" personal. One of my own favorite characters was Henryk (played by Ed Stoppard), the brother of the "pianist" (Wladek Szpilman-played by Adrien Brody), who had a stubborn, intellectual, street-smart whim to him that I can identify in a few of my own friends. Of course, Brody was a great actor as well. His passive, stoic response flowed from a seemingly natural-born personality that was so fitting to his character. His personality was never out of place or awkward but well-blended into the climate set by Polanski.
Secondly, the director had an excellent charm with the mood of the cinematic. It's interesting to point out that the sky had nearly always been dark and dreary. The clouds and the overall attitude of the film were grey and overcast. They resembled harbingers of a coming storm. It was symbolic, and also foreshadows the coming doom that few people expected and even fewer had hoped to avoid. Polanski, himself a Pole who escaped the grips of death in the camps, spared few shades of darkness in painting the Nazis. Next, it must be noted that Polanski was a master at contrasting mood. A tragically horrifying scene could be followed by a scene with Wladek playing the piano beautifully in a bustling restaurant. By doing this, Polanski noticeably heightens the blow of the calamity and as a result, made the movie so much more spectacular.
Also helping to set the sinister mood was the music, which was stunningly beautiful yet overwhelmingly poignant. From Chopin's "Nocturne for Piano in C Sharp Minor" at the very beginning to Chopin's "Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise for Piano, Op. 22" at the very end, the bittersweet sweet aura of the movie cannot exist without the music. One of the best classical soundtracks of the past years may be from this very movie. The piano genius, Szpilman, represented all the talents wasted away by Nazi rule. Lawyers, writers, politicians, and musicians alike were the subjects of those mass graves and human ovens, and the trills of the keys made it so real, so heartfelt. It was something one needs to experience to know the truth of.
I encountered only a few moments of discontent when watching this movie. One of them was that some of the characters seemed quite random and generally impromptu. Itzak Heller for example, the Jewish Police recruiter, seemed to appear out of nowhere, yet the family speaks of him as if he was an old friend. Other parts of the story I felt needed a little bit more elaboration as well. What annoyed me the most was that the director seemed to part with the rest of the family in the middle of the film without ever mentioning them again. However, since this is not a spoiler, I have no need to go into the details.
No, I have yet to see a movie that is perfect in every aspect. Though in this human world of flaws and opinions differing from mine, I forfeit my dissatisfaction at the beginning of this film to admit that this has been one awesome experience. It has not only changed my view on Polanski as a director, but also the entire period of the Holocaust in general.