Oscar Contender?

Rating: 8/10 (9 December 2002)

I have been lucky enough to catch this film while I was in Poland a couple of months ago. There was some major hype to it then, but that is understandable since Polanski is one of the most famous Polish directors along with Kieslowski and Wajda. I have watched several Polanski films over the last few months and I really appreciate what he has done over the years. The thing that I most like about him as a filmmaker is that he combines simple and intelligent storytelling with artistic craft that is easy to see. He always claims that he likes to make films that he would like to watch himself as a fan. Most of his films tell engaging stories that are accessible to anyone. At the same time, his techniques are very direct and provide additional enjoyment to those who have a deeper knowledge of film and its devices. I think his films would be good to study in an introductory film class. Enough about Polanski
THE PIANIST is a true story of a Polish Jew named Wladyslaw Szpilman and his survival during WWII. His name is rather appropriate since he is also a piano player. As the film opens, Nazi Germany has invaded Poland and quickly the Jews are separated from the rest of the Poles. At first Szpilman and his family live in the ghettos, but soon the Nazis begin transporting everyone out into concentration camps. During a hectic sequence where Jews are being led to the train wagons, Szpilman gets separated from the rest of his family. He returns to an empty ghetto where he is one of the few Jews who have not yet been transported. The rest of the film deals with his struggle for survival and his fear of being found by Nazis as he seeks new places to hide.
In the first half of the film I was not really getting into it. I wasn't sure where the story was going. It took some time before Szpilman found himself alone and that's when the movie started to become really good. The film is a little detached, which gives it a perfect sense of realism. There is no melodrama here that might be found in other films. Adrien Brody, who seemed rather unimpressive to me in the first half, really starts to embody the role as the film progresses.
I started seeing that this film was not about WWII or about the Holocaust. Those are the settings, but that is not what it is about. This was a realistic portrayal of a man who lived in hiding through those depressing times. It is from his point of view and you only get to see what he sees through windows, key holes, or door cracks and you only hear what he happens to hear from people he meets. He has no other way of learning anything about the war or when it will finally come to an end. The film becomes about one man, not Pole or Jew, but just one man and his uncertainties. It could have been anyone. What I liked most is that THE PIANIST illustrates the helplessness of witnessing horrible acts that happen right in front of you as you try to hide. You are afraid to come out and you are afraid to keep hiding. In many ways Mr. Szpilman is lucky because he does not live through the suffering that millions of other people lived through, but his experiences were not necessarily any easier. His loneliness is clearly conveyed in many beautiful and symbolic images. One high angle shot I remember well shows his silhouette as he walks in the middle of an empty street surrounded by destroyed buildings.
THE PIANIST has a great story to tell and Polanski's direction tells it well. Since it is about a piano player, there is lots of beautiful music throughout. The main theme is very memorable. This is a subtle, patient, and thoughtful film that does not create excessive melodrama, but rather focuses on realism. The toned down, bittersweet ending is especially strong. I have a feeling that THE PIANIST will come and go from the movie theaters in the US rather quietly and as a result will not be a major contender at the Oscars (This also depends on many other movies that are still to be released soon). I don't think that this is an exceptional film, but I hope that audiences will not overlook it. As I watched it, my enjoyment was at about an 8, but as the film progressed I became more absorbed by it and my appreciation level was at about a 9 by the time it was over. I guess my overall rating would be somewhere between an 8 and a 9, but I would like to watch it again. Another strong Polanski film.