Good, but imdb voters are overrating it

Rating: 8/10 (6 July 2003)

The Pianist is far from Roman Polanski's best film or his `most personal work,' as the back of the DVD case says. In fact, it's easily the least personal film I've seen from him; any director who has enough clout to secure the funding for the production could have made this film and had it turn out just as well. As a director, it is a small achievement. Likewise, the screenplay writes itself; in fact, it did write itself, as it's based on a true story. I must admit I have a bias against films dealing with WWII and especially the Jewish experience in Europe. Affecting the audience is as simple as snapping one's fingers. Or, more specifically, executing a Jew. Whenever the audience starts to get a little comfortable, all the filmmaker has to do is have a Nazi shoot a Jew in the head. It's all too easy. Any film with that subject matter is automatically deemed important in the minds of critics and audiences, which makes it difficult for anyone to propose any criticism against it. Truth be told, The Pianist is a very good film. It's well done, and, while I don't think it's Polanski's best work, he does a good job. But it's too easy, I think, to overpraise something like this. It was very entertaining that this movie caused so many upsets at the Oscars, but, after seeing the film, it doesn't surprise me. This is the kind of movie that impresses the Academy most, because it's easy. The three awards it won were not deserved, at least in my opinion. If I weren't so familiar with the Academy and their thought processes, it would really shock me that Polanski beat Scorsese, who made an original picture with verve and passion, and that Brody (I haven't mentioned him, and he is good) beat Daniel Day-Lewis, who, as I've just said above, creates a character that will live forever. As for the screenplay, Ronald Harwood (and/or Polanski) could have made the film much more than just one of ten thousand tales of survival. There are a lot of moments when more substance could have been found. I like how Szpilman has to constantly watch the action while locked up in a room, yearning to be able to do something about it, but always relegated to the spectator's role. They do do well when they introduce the character of the Nazi soldier trying to make good by helping Szpilman, but they don't do very much. Of course, I think part of the point is that this man appeared and disappeared without much pomp or circumstance. In fact, it would have been more powerful if they had never revealed that Szpilman discovered who this man was. Of course, that might have been disrespectful.
I have now seen all five Best Picture nominees from last year, and I would rank them as follows: 1) The Hours; 2) Gangs of New York; 3) The Pianist; 4) Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers; 5) Chicago. That I rank the actual winner last shouldn't raise eyebrows, because, to tell you the truth, I don't rank The Pianist and The Two Towers that much higher. The first two were original, intelligent, and challenging. The last three were much simpler, and it's no big surprise that they are more beloved. 8/10.