Through the suffering and the anguish, the hope and the music live on...

Rating: 9/10 (10 November 2008)

THE PIANIST is arguably Roman Polanski's best movie to date, perhaps even better than the excellent CHINATOWN. This account of the suffering of the Jews at the hands of the Nazis in Warsaw is as emotionally hard-hitting as any you will ever see. Polanski doesn't hold any punches or try to sugar-coat the story as the scenes of execution, violence, and torture are overwhelmingly strong, and may upset many weak-stomached viewers. What's more is that Polanski does not even focus on Auschwitz, as he chooses to document the suffering that took place in Warsaw, through our protagonist Wladislaw Szpilman (who is the only character to get significant screen-time).
Adrien Brody's performance as Szpilman is powerful and compelling and his transformation from a well-off, cultured, and respected musician to a weak and starving refugee fighting for survival is almost unwatchable; such is its realism. Brody deservedly picked up the Best Actor Oscar in the performance of a lifetime.
The screenplay is exceptional, adapted from the book written by the real Wladislaw Szpilman documenting his real-life experiences. The Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar was well-warranted. Viewers will not soon forget THE PIANIST, as some of the scenes are so powerful and moving that they stay with the viewer long after the end credits roll.
Polanski effectively hits the nail squarely on its head in this bleak and unflinching Motion Picture, not bothering to infuse his account with melodrama or pretentiousness, or insult the intelligence of the viewers by watering-down some of the more shocking scenes. In fact, the detached style is more similar to a documentary than a conventional Motion Picture.
This is simply a solid and sobering drama, the likes of which are rarely seen these days. The ending fits in well, and serves to offer a message of hope, while implying that the events of the past cannot, and must never be forgotten, as these events often shape and influence the present and the future.
4 stars (out of 4). 9/10. Will enter my Top 100 at #87. Unreservedly recommended.