Power of Music

Rating: 8/10 (4 August 2015)

I love films that glorify the power of music or even the power of movies, and what they can do for people because it's something that I have been directly impacted with. Movies and music have both gotten me through the hardest of times no matter the genre. A film has the ability to give the audience an escape route from their normal life. Now The Pianist shows this on a much different scale and exemplifies it in a different way, but I love the idea of the power of music or film so it's safe to say I really liked The Pianist.
It tells the true story of a Jewish man from Warsaw Germany in the midst of World War II and the numerous life threatening struggles he went through along the countless amount of helpful and hurtful people he ran into. Adrien Brody stars as Wladyslaw Szpilman and plays him beautifully. I use that word because the film deals with the touchy subject of World War II, and in particular, the Holocaust. But there is a certain beauty to the way the film presents the subject. I especially like the way the Germans are represented, in that not all of them were as brutal as Hitler. In fact there are several generous Germans throughout that give Szpilman a hand. With that being said, it is devastating to see the hundreds of bodies you say laying in the streets of Warsaw, and without being paid really any attention. It still shocks me just how inhumane people can be to other people, and what the human race is capable of. A film like this can serve as a reminder to that, and is one of the better war films I have seen.
It was also fascinating to watch the piano side of this character's story. For most of the film, he had to hold all of his emotions in while playing for people during this enduring time. The piano served as such a great juxtaposition for the terrible and beautiful side of the war. The film also looks fantastic in terms of the set pieces and the way Germany is represented. Polanski really nailed that aspect of it. It's also worth mentioning just how good Thomas Kretschmann is in his small but pivotal role. Overall, I thought The Pianist was a heartbreaking but beautiful film.
+Piano juxtaposition
+Set pieces
+Germany is represented realistically
8.5/10