Superb but very sad movie.

Rating: 10/10 (11 January 2004)

I have just watched The Pianist on DVD after putting it off for months. I have to be in the right mood to watch holocaust movies. They are not something to watch when you have a spare couple of hours.
A few spoilers within.
I was right in my assumption that this movie was going to be a hard ride. There is no joy, only death and destruction. But through it all our man fought his way and in the end survived when nearly all the odds were totally against him.
The devastation of Warsaw was complete, and Roman Polanski took us there in this movie, showing us just how bad things were.
I felt myself wanting to shout at the Jews to do something, when a few were picked from a lineup, told to lay down, and then a German soldier worked his way along the men lying down shooting them in the head with a single bullet. As the last man waited his turn to die, the soldier had run out of bullets. The Jew laid there patiently while the soldier reloaded his gun, and was then shot dead. I couldn't understand why the man didn't at least attempt to grab the soldier's gun or at least make some type of attempt to get the hell out of there, even if the situation was hopeless. This scene stunned me to tears.
The film did show that not all German soldiers were murderous jew haters. Near the end a higher ranking German officer, more educated than most of his men, helped Szpilman with food and a warm coat, although Szpilman was never able to thank the man after the war by tracing him down.
Directed superbly by Roman Polanski, and acted brilliantly by Adrien Brody, who both won oscars, the film also won Ronald Harwood an oscar for best adapted screen play.
10/10