The Pianist (2002)
Director: Roman Polanski
Writers: Ronald Harwood, Wladyslaw Szpilman
Stars: Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Frank Finlay
Runtime: 150min
PLOT: A musician of Polish-German descendant struggles for survival in the destruction of the Warsaw ghetto of World War II.
REVIEW: The story of a classical musician who survives the Holocaust through endurance and the best of lucks, is more than just a thriller and an attempt to light up suspense or emotion; it is a clear vision of what a pianist witnessed in those days and what happened to him. His survival was not considered a victory by the musician. Based on the autobiography of Wladyslaw Szpilmand, the movie depicts his incredible journey of survival in the war by hiding in Warsaw, with some assistance from the Polish resistance.
The closing sequences of the film involve Szpilman's confrontation with a German captain Wilm Hosenfeld, portrayed by Thomas Kretschmann, who finds the survivor by accident. Director Polanski's direction in this segment is pure class, displaying his masterful technique of using silence and nuance. The film shows Szpilman as a survivor rather than a fighter, which is essential since deep down Polaski is reflecting his own survival as he was an ordinary man who did all that was possible to save himself and that he would have died definitely had there not been few non-Jews.
A critical storytelling effort that does not get any better, and does not have a more profound impact than it did.
Source: Roger Ebert
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