The Pianist

I have watched this movie many times. Each time it is as good as the last. Adrien Brody Is a wonderful actor and this was his best yet! The story itself is sad and I do not wish to get into politics or anything. I am a simple person who loves a good movie. Again I can't express enough, just how well this movie is made and how sorrowful it made me feel.

THE PIANIST is the movie that made Adrien Brody the youngest-ever Best Actor Oscar winner, but it was hardly the first movie about the Holocaust. Where it differs from movies like SCHINDLER'S LIST is in its particular focus: not so much "the Holocaust" as the Warsaw ghetto and one man, young Jewish pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman (Brody), successfully eluding the Nazis thanks to the kindness of an unwilling Nazi, Captain Wilm Hosenfeld (Thomas Kretschmann), and then establishing himself as a successful concert artist. THE PIANIST is based upon Szpilman's memoirs of the same name. As Szpilman's family is sent off to a death camp a third of the way through THE PIANIST and never appears again, it would be tempting to call the film "Adrien Brody's show all the way." But in fact the film's first distinction lies in its painstaking period detail: everything looks right out of 1940's Continental Europe, from the costumes, to the narrow side-streets, to the house interiors -- to the truly spectacular set depicting a bombed-out Warsaw just before its liberation by the Russians. Yet nothing is romanticized: the filth of the ghetto is just as credible as is the exterior of a genteel cafe that excludes Jews. The actors playing the Szpilmans were all cleverly chosen to form a believable-looking family, with Brody and Jessica Kate Meyer as his sister Halina resembling their mother (Maureen Lipman) and the other siblings, Regina and Henryk (Julia Rayner and Ed Stoppard), resembling their father (Frank Finlay). A last, gratifying detail is the fact that Brody plays most of his piano solos (the majority of them by the great Polish composer Chopin) himself. In a film about a pianist, it would have lessened the impact had the solos been entrusted to a double. (I believe the only time a double -- Polish pianist Janusz Olejinezak -- is used is for an intricate passage during the film's closing credits. All you see, however, are his hands.) Against this superb backdrop it is, in fact, Brody's performance that carries the film. Director Roman Polanski could hardly have found an actor with more strikingly dark looks, or one who wore the period costumes better -- or one who could be so riveting while actually saying very little. As a character who spends so much of his time quiet and alone, Brody's expressive face, with its famously prominent nose and big, sad green eyes, is exactly what was needed. Take, for instance, the moment in the film when Szpilman noisily drops some crockery in an apartment where he is hiding. In the seconds following the accident, a range of emotions -- from shock and dismay to acceptance and even mild amusement -- flit subtly across Brody's features. Watch the way he struggles to dissemble as the deportation train leaves the ghetto with his family aboard, or the way he looks both exhausted and cold to the point of numbness as he sinks into a waiting chair in a safe house. Whatever the emotion or mood, Brody finds the proper expression, vocal or (most often) physical, for it. Several touching moments (most of them from Brody) aside, THE PIANIST lacks the sentiment (not to be confused with sentimentality) of some other Holocaust dramatizations. In place of warmth, it generally offers a terse look at events of the period, emphasizing the randomness and senselessness of them. This probably should not be called a drawback; but two drawbacks I believe the movie does have are that a few of its "bit" actors are hammy and that its final "running from the Nazis" sequence (which ends with Szpilman meeting Hosenfeld) goes on a bit too long, exciting as it is (I invariably jump at several moments). These drawbacks are not serious, of course, and should not deter you from checking out this great movie. You will be on the edge of your seat as I was, I promise you that!

This gripping Holocaust saga is outstanding from start to finish with great writing, smart directorial choices, and an Oscar-winning turn by Adrien Brody as pianist Wladislaw Szpilman. It is based on Szpilman's memoir of survival in the midst of the Nazi extermination of Poland's Jews. It is both a tear-inducing tale of horror and death and a hair-raising adventure story about clinging to life. I like most of all that this is a Holocaust movie that actually focuses on Jews (are you listening Steven Spielberg?). In one of the extras on this DVD, director Roman Polanski talks about his own lucky escape from the Nazis while the rest of his family perished. It's clear that his own memories enhance many of the details of the film. The writing is efficient and powerful. The very first scene shows Szpilman playing piano in a radio studio as German bombs fall in September 1939. The next 10 minutes take us through the next two years and the increasing restrictions imposed on the Jews, ultimately leading to their slave labor and transportation to death camps. It propels you into the heart of the story. The pace is riveting, and I found myself rooting for Szpilman all the way. As played by Brody, Szpilman is a charming, lovable guy whose brilliance as a pianist inspires others to help him escape death. The horrors he witnesses as his family and community are destroyed are vividly portrayed in scenes where people are forced to bargain for life and face casual cruelties. As Szpilman avoids "deportation" and hides out in Warsaw, he witnesses the Warsaw ghetto uprising by Jews (1943) and the general Polish uprising (1944). I really appreciated how these stories of resistance were included. Szpilman is also aided along the way by Christian Poles and a German captain with a love of music. His encounter with the "good" German offers a little uplift at the end of this very dark story. The musical score, including several gorgeous Chopin pieces, complements and enhances the story. Highly recommended.

Good Movie

Arrived quickly as long as you have Prime...Great price A+ seller

"The Pianist" is a War/Drama rated R with a budget of $35 million it made $120 million. It's an excellent movie. It received 7 Academy Award Nominations and won 3 awards Best Director (Roman Polanski), Best Actor (Adrien Brody), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Ronald Harwood). At the time, Adrien Brody was the youngest person to receive the Academy Award For Best Actor. The movie was also nominated for Best Picture and was beat out by "Chicago". This is Roman Polanski's best film who is a holocaust survivor himself.

J'ai visionné ce BluRay à mon entière satisfaction

The DVD transfer is not that good! But it will be in my collection forever, that is good.

Very fine transfer to bluray of one of the most poignant stories to emerge from the dark days of WW2. Too shattering to be enjoyed, but a rewarding and moving experience. A testament to the enduring spirit of art and humanity in the face of horror and mindless brutality Purchasers should be aware that this is a German transfer. The English soundtrack does not have subtitles. As there is some German dialogue the viewer needs some rudimentary knowledge of the language, although the context gives ample clues & it does not detract from a masterpiece.

The talented Jewish pianist, Wladislaw Szpilman (1911-2000), is the central character in this absorbing film by Roman Polanski who had plenty of personal and family experience on which to draw for this war film, set in Warsaw during the Nazi occupation. Szpilman was a well-known pianist of exceptional talent who found himself in the ghetto with all its dehumanised deprivation. Adrien Brody's performance is engrossing and his features seem to become more gaunt and drawn with every sequence and his eyes simply emit a raw fear which draws viewers into his soul. Throughout the film, he captures what must have been a harrowing, inhuman and terrifying experience. His musical spirituality draws others in and the power of his music overwhelms even the toughest Nazi who sees Szpilman, not as a Jew but another human being, one with a stunning talent which seems to diminish the war and all its inhumanity, reminding him of what he once was. It is an exceptionally powerful film which asks deep questions of its audience but, ultimately, it leaves them with a deeper awareness of their own humanity. BACKGROUND "As set out in his memoir, Szpilman found places to hide in Warsaw and survived with the help of his friends from Polish Radio and fellow musicians. In November 1944, Szpilman was hiding out in an abandoned building when he was found by a German officer. Surprisingly, the officer did not kill Szpilman, but instead after finding out that he was a pianist, asked Szpilman to play for him on a piano they had found. After that, the officer showed Szpilman a better place to hide and brought him bread and jam on numerous occasions. He also offered Szpilman one of his coats to keep warm in the freezing temperatures. Szpilman did not identify the German officer until 1950. His name was Captain Wilm Hosenfeld. Despite the efforts of Szpilman and the Poles to rescue Hosenfeld, he died in a Soviet Prisoner of War camp in 1952." Highly recommended - one of Polanski's best.

I love the DVD - The Pianist -- It is one of our favorites.....And it arrived so quickly.... We are so grateful... Can hardly wait to share it with our family and friends.