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The Pianist

I have heard some people say that there have been many Holocaust movies and maybe we don't need more to understand the tragedy, but every time I go to see one, I learn something new. The Pianist is the first time I ever learned intimate details about the Warsaw ghettos and the Nazi occupation of Poland. This isn't the finest Holocaust movie ever made, but it is one that, like others, tells one of the millions of stories about one of the greatest tragedies in human history. It's a new story for most of us, and a film that shines when it focuses on the lead, Adrien Brody.

In this true-life tale, Brody stars as Wladyslaw Szpilman - a well-known Polish piano player who often performs on the radio. When the Germans take over Warsaw, he and the rest of his Jewish family are forced to find ways to survive Nazi rule and degradation.

Can Szpilman and his family escape the concentration camps? Will he ever perform on the piano again?

The Pianist is not about every experience in Warsaw, but one about a single individual who is trying to survive amongst the ruins and war. I think we are all familiar with the evilness of the Nazis, but director Roman Polanski and writer Ronald Harwood show us how the Jews were working together to help each other, often helping others before helping themselves. Polanski wonderfully portrays the bravery and sacrifice undertaken by those who try to help Szpilman, but he also captures the starkness and desperation of the scene.

Harwood and Polanski also effectively use each of the characters to represent all aspects of the Jewish experience during the oppression. We are presented with the angry young man who hates the Germans, people who want to fight back, others who work with the Germans in an attempt to appease their captors, and more. Without cliché and without overdoing any story, Polanski paints a vivid picture for everyone in the audience.

I am also impressed with Adrien Brody. This is tough role to play, and one that could easily become melodramatic, but he avoids the pitfalls and delivers a very good performance. First, the man starved himself so he could look real. That's dedication! I could do the DeNiro bit where I gain 80 pounds to portray Jake LaMotta, but starving yourself is going above and beyond. Second, he delivers a subtle performance that captures the character's desperation, pain, anger and love of music. I always say that a great performance has one or two scenes that give the actor a chance to show his or her stuff, and Brody delivers when he must. It is painful for the audience to see him yearning to play a piano where he is being held, but avoiding it because the sound would give away his location, and watching him waste away and hunger for basic necessities. It is masterful and a performance that will catapult him into the upper level of good actors.

The Pianist starts off as a good ensemble piece, but eventually becomes a story about one man. It's a good film and one that you should go to see if you are looking for a strong, powerful story. Bring some tissues. Grade: A-

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