The Pianist (2002)

Directed by: Roman Polanski

Starring: Adrien Brody

****

If there's one thing I've learned from movies like Schindler's List and The Pianist its that the Nazi's were bad. But The Pianist differs from Schindler's List. There is no Amon Goeth, the symbol of evil, there is just a surrounding aura of evil throughout the film. Yes, we see Jew's shot in the head for no good reason and a handicapped man dumped out of his wheelchair off the third story balcony but what we really experience is the never ending threat that surrounds Wladyslaw Szpilman (Adrian Brody).

I've heard the story that Martin Scorsese turned down the opportunity to direct Schindler's List because it should have a Jewish director at the helm. Well Speilberg honored his ancestors well with what he made but I'm sure it hardly had the personal touch that The Pianist had, directed by Holocaust survivor Roman Polanski. To know, while watching, that so much of what we're seeing was perhaps already once seen through the eyes of the man behind the camera really adds a chill to what's on screen. Really the most amazing thing about the story this movie tells is that if it were fiction, it wouldn't be very good.

The trials that Szpilman faces just aren't fair. I don't know if it was the intention but I found Szpilman representing all Jews in this film. It begins with his family, in 1939, just prior to them being banned to the Ghetto. Szpilman seems to be the only successful breadwinner in the family thanks to his expert piano playing. He seems to have the only one continuosly thinking rationally and even when challenged by his arrogant brother, he remains calm, collected and loyal to his family. He is very clearly our key protagonist and he represents himself, his family and by extension the Jewish people in this film. His struggle is the Jewish people's struggle and its that to survive.

Brody plays Szpilman well and he like the film get better as it goes on. The last 30-40 minutes of this film are perhaps as good as anything I've seen. Its unfortunate that I didn't get the same enjoyment out of watching all that led up to that point. I think this film intended to capture to feelings of claustrophobia and fear. Essentially, by taking one man trapped within a crumbling world, we are seeing the story of thousands of people who were helpless among an angry mob. However, for so much of the film, Brody walked and talked with a subtle confidence that didn't suggest fear. What is was doing was maintaining his composure, staying smart and doing whatever was necessary to survive. Any sign of weakness, he learned was a key to an early grave. His composure came across as confidence however and I didn't fear for him.

Those last thirty to forty minutes however, Brody transformed both in appearence and in personality. He was sick, physically and mentally. He was hungry and thirsty all the time. He feared everyone around him and was at the mercy of anyone who would help or hurt him. This is what defined the Jewish people during this time period. This is when Szpilman represented those who were forced to survive such an ordeal and this is when the film was at its very best.

When I saw this film in theaters, I remember being disappointed. That and looking forward to it more than any other film that year was about all I remembered going into this viewing so any suspense and mystery to the film still existed for me. History tells us what happened between 1939 and 1944 (the period which the film covers) so there's no mystery there. Yes, there's some mystery as to what will become of Szpilman but the real story of the Pianist is in its characters. This becomes fully evident when Thomas Kretschmann as Captain Wilm Hosenfeld helps Szpilman. His performance is truely great for such a small role and it summed up the idea that the characterizations in this movie made it what it was.

Polanski knew exactly what he was doing with this film. He doesn't make many mistakes and he tells a story as true as he can. There is less of an in-your-face emotional impact than a film like Schindler's List has but in The Pianist, we feel what's happening through Szpilman, rather than just seeing it through the eyes of Oscar Schindler. That, to me, is a better way to make a movie. Does that mean The Pianist is better? No, in fact I shouldn't be comparing the two but The Pianist has a lot of elements of a great, great movie. It just never really makes it.