Brilliant and very Moving

Rating: Null/10 (4 February 2003)

I saw two movies this weekend and this will probably be my movie of the year.
I was very impressed with it - perhaps more so than 'Schindler's List'. Also, the movie answered a question that has been in my mind since I first became aware of the 'holocaust' - and that is - why did the polish jews not resist more than they did? It showed the German machinery at work and I could put myself into the movie, play my game of human chess in my mind and end up dead at every turn.
One scene, with the pianist playing his music, in a bombed-out building moved me to tears with its mixture of devastation and despair on the one hand and the incredible beauty of the music on the other.
I highly recommend this film although it inevitably weighs heavily on the heart and soul. The images are very real and remind me of how fortunate I am not to have had to witness such sights in my own lifetime. I am constantly inwardly thanking those who fought to prevent the rest of us from having to do the same.
If you enjoy realistic drama and appreciate a well made movie dramatising a world-changing event as seen through one man's eyes, make this movie a must-see.
Also for the first time I think almost all the audience stayed seated until the screen went black - you'll find out why!