Beautifully tuned piece of cinema

Rating: Null/10 (19 January 2004)

Far from the first motion picture to deal with the Holocaust and unlikely to be the last, this is nevertheless a stunning piece of film. Brody portrays the title character (based on an actual person) who plays piano on Polish radio until the Nazi invasion of his country makes it impossible to continue. Through his eyes, the audience witnesses the continual, seemingly-unstoppable dehumanization of Brody and his family and the virtual destruction of Poland. The journey that this character takes, undoubtedly enhanced by director Polanski's own recollection of his early life, is almost incomprehensible. Since so many films have been released on this subject, one can't help noticing the similarity to other movies and the familiarity of the situations depicted in the opening scenes. However, the utter craftsmanship of this film and the casting (nothing short of perfection down the very last role) set this apart until the story's uniqueness kicks in. Brody is nothing short of magnificent. His face reflects (naturally and without mugging) the soulfulness, humiliation and deprivation of his character. Polanski does a superb job of recreating the world of WWII Poland. Every detail of the film is exact and mesmerizing (helped greatly by casting non-name actors who inhabit their roles with great feeling and authenticity. There is no opportunity to play "spot the star" except for the most seasoned filmgoer.) What happens to Brody is so startlingly, stunningly jaw-dropping it seems surreal at times. Amazingly, Polanski is able to occasionally inject the faintest touches of black humor and irony to this, which makes for some very intriguing viewing. That is not to say that the film is easy to watch. Already a master (for decades) of creating feelings of unease, paranoia and fear in the viewer, Polanski sets into motion a film in which the audience can hardly breathe for fear that their own noise will result in the discovery of the frequently hidden Brody. The film is notable for making sounds such as marching boots, idling cars and faraway voices seem more terrifying than anything Hollywood has ever had to offer in all of its multitudinous thrillers and horror films. If there are any faults in the film, they are few. Perhaps some of Brody's experiences seem repetitive at times and the depiction of Germans sometimes approaches caricature. However, all is forgiven as the story reaches its heart-stopping moment when Brody is attempting to open an all-important can of food. Here the film reaches brilliance. Clearly, the film is not going to appeal to the shallow or the disinterested, but to those who have a fondness for striking, deeply-felt and lovingly-told stories, this one is hard to top.