Brutal, but hard to turn away.

Rating: 7/10 (23 February 2003)

(7 out of 10) Of all the movies nominated for top Oscars, this one I put off the longest. I KNEW it would be tough to watch. I've seen what I consider to be the epitome of World War II films, 'Saving Private Ryan' and 'Schindler's List', and I've had enough. The movies today pull no punches. Blood, death, war, cruelty. It's why war is hell. Today's filmmakers can be as graphic and real as they wish. And I suppose that's the problem I have. It's all so real, it hurts. One-third of the way through, I considered getting up and leaving. But like a rubbernecker, I stayed to see the rest of the carnage, and hopefully a glimmer of humanity.
I'm glad I stayed. After behaving fairly 'normally' in the beginning, Adrien Brody as Szpilman gets to act his way to his Oscar nomination. The camera is rarely off him; the movie must live or die with Brody's ability to move us. By the end, you see the work that went into the part, the gauntness, the hunger, the pain. After seeing the other films nominated with the 'Best Actor' category, I believe Brody deserves the Oscar. It will probably be the role of his life.
What I liked best was the 'tunnelvision'. We could often only see what Szpilman saw, like out of a small window, as if the rest of the world were this vast unknown. All we knew what was in front of us-- death and more death. All we knew was what Szpilman appeared to feel-- "Stay alive". He does, by luck and opportunities taken.
Szpilman is not a hero, nor is he portrayed as one. His is but one story of the very few that survived the Warsaw Ghetto and the Holocaust. There are others, but what sets Szpilman's apart is his fame and notoriety as a pianist, and the amazing 'good fortune' that allowed him to live past the war.
Although I have seen enough movies involving the Holocaust, I felt more informed as to what the Warsaw Ghetto must have been like, day after day; its oppressiveness, its shrinking, its decay.
I gave this movie a 7 out of 10 only because of the plethora of scenes of Nazi and wartime cruelty. Yes, I know that's how it was, and they were only being accurate. It's merely a reaction on my part to having seen ENOUGH of this horror. Otherwise it would have been 8 out of 10.
Kudos to Roman Polanski for bringing his vision to the film. His childhood wartime memories obviously helped to shape 'The Pianist'. It is powerfully directed, and the best work Polanski has done in many years. Although he has tough competition, I can totally see him winning the Best Director Oscar (although not being there to receive it, of course).
I will probably never watch this movie again, but I'm glad I saw it. And I'll be rooting for Brody March 30th.