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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-
Copyright 2003 - WaffleMovies.com
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