This week Rob challenged me to this Oscar winning film.
Writer: Ronald Harwood (Screenplay) Wladyslaw Szpilman (Book)
Starring: Adrien Brody, Emilia Fox, Michal Zebrowski, Ed Stoppard, Maureen Lipman, Frank Finlay, Jessica Kate Meyer, Julia Rayner, Thomas Kretschmann
Plot: A Polish Jewish musician struggles to survive the destruction of the Warsaw ghetto of World War II.
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Brilliant Drama With Shocking Truth
Story: The Pianist starts Warsaw 1939 we see pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman (Brody) playing piano as the bombs hit the town, his family is planning on running and Wladyslaw refuses to go as war officially starts with Britain and France joining in with Poland. With the German’s taking over Warsaw Wladyslaw finds his Jewish beliefs being band across the city as his new romance with Dorota (Fox).
The German’s continue to take over Warsaw as the Wladyslaw family is relocated and offered a chance to have his time suffering reduced. We see how the Jews are being treated and how they want to stand up for themselves. When Wladyslaw get saved by an old friend his family is left to be sent to the chambers leaving Wladyslaw to wonder the ghetto alone going past bodies abandoned on the floor.
Wladyslaw continues to work as a labourer while the German continue to execute the members of the community and somehow Wladyslaw isn’t getting picked but loses his recently made friends. We see how he survivors the whole war with help from different people including a music loving German Captain Wilm Hosenfeld (Kretschmann).
The Pianist is one of the most difficult movies to watch because it shows the reality of one of the worst times in human history. We all know the suffering that was put on people during the war which puts all of us in a shocked mood. This does follow only one man’s fight to survive even though he loses everyone he cares about. I think this is perfectly told mixture the desperate side of the story with the pure brutality of what was going around him. (10/10)
Actor Review
Adrien Brody: Wladyslaw Szpilman is the man behind the story, he is a respected Jewish pianist that gets trapped with his family in Poland at first before being separated from them. We watch how he made it through the war in hiding having help from a range of different people along the way. Adrien gives an Oscar winner performance that he fully deserved. (10/10)
Support Cast: The Pianist has a massive supporting cast that shows how many people were involved in the survival of Wladyslaw, most of which didn’t make it.
Director Review: Roman Polanski – Roman gives us a brilliant film that should be seen by everyone. (9/10)
Biographical: The Pianist tells the amazing story of Wladyslaw survival. (10/10)
War: The Pianist shows the reality of the war without going into the battles scenes. (10/10)
Settings: The Pianist creates a brilliant setting that makes you feel like you are in the time period. (10/10)
Suggestion: The Pianist is one that everyone should watch by everyone once. It may well be difficult by once viewing is important. (Watch)
Best Part: Shocking reality of the survival.
Worst Part: Difficult to watch.
Believability: Based on the real events. (10/10)
Chances of Tears: No (0/10)
Chances of Sequel: No
Post Credits Scene: No
Oscar Chances: Won 3 Oscars, Best Actor, Best Director also nominated for another 4 Oscars
Box Office: $32.5 Million
Budget: $35 Million
Runtime: 2 Hour 30 Minutes
Tagline: Music was his passion. Survival was his masterpiece.
Overall: Shocking but important film that shows just how hard surviving would have been.
Rating 
