How not to handle the Holocaust...

Rating: 6/10 (16 February 2004)

I have to say that my viewing of the Pianist was hampered somewhat by a visit to the Imperial War Museum in London where I saw images of the holocaust that were so disturbing I had to hold myself back from choking.
I was intrigued to see how Polanski (he raped a fourteen year old girl by the way-but thats not why I disagree slightly with the film) handled the horror, and I was confused.
Yes, this was about the Jewish repressionm torture, and eventual execution but the film felt like a general refugees story with some 'Look at the evil Nazis' set pieces. In this respect I thought it was disrespectful to what I had seen actually happen in the stock footage from the war.
THe characters were only established as Jewish because the Nazis were killing them - where was evidence of culture and heritage? This would have made the destruction of this hertiage all the more tragic, but no, we didnt see it, so they could have been anybodies - the tragedy lay in the Nazis illogical motivations to eradicate the Jewish people, did it not?
Choosing Brody was a mistake too- yes, his acting is brilliant, but if that wasn' a case of the casting director saying, "Look, he has a big nose, he's quite trendy at the moment too isn't he?, he looks Jewish (stereotype!), let's hire him", then I don't know what is.
'Private Ryan' managed to personalise this entire issue in one character and was emotionally sucessful, with Schindler's list presenting the same events from this film much more emotionally. We did not know the victims - but we weren't supposed to, the alienation made created helplessness in the audience: with 'The Pianist' we're meant to identify with the characters, but unfortunately we couldn't, because they were cardboard cut outs, and so their tradgedy becomes almost farce, and therefore innacurate and unworthy of acclaim.
I think it has become fasionable to praise this film, so make up your mind after you've seen it whether you like it or not. Please.
The formal elements are excellent though, with the editing a big achievement, keeping the pace gradual and interest inducing. The music was good, and the ending quite touching, I also enjoyed the subjective POV shots during the combat sequences - the sense of space created was sublime.
Narratively though, contrived and underplayed. THe real thing was a whole different kettle of fish. Believe it.
5 out of 10 from me people. Spielberg has done it a whole lot better already. Backlash nets primed.