Winner of three Oscars (and nominated for four more), two BAFTAs, and the coveted Palm d'Ore, The Pianist certainly has the credentials. Anyone who has read Szpilman's original biography, also titled 'The Pianist', will already know that the narrative is gripping enough, but combined with amazing ... Read review
Based on a true story from the acclaimed BAFTA and Academy Award winning director, Roman ... more
Polanski.They were degraded, they were hoarded up, and they were sent to die. A brave few fought back, but one man would not be beaten, would not be taken, and would stay and hide. Wladyslaw Szpilman (Academy Award Winner, Adrien Brody), a brilliant Polish pianist, a Jew, escapes deportation. Forced to live in the heart of the Warsaw ghetto, he shares the suffering the humiliation and the struggles, and manages to escape and hide in the ruins of the capital.
A brilliant pianist a Polish Jew witnesses the restrictions Nazis place on Jews in the ... more
Polish capital from restricted access to the building of the Warsaw ghetto. As his family is rounded up to be shipped off to the Nazi labor camps he escapes deportation and eludes capture by living in the ruins of Warsaw.
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You can learn more about human nature from this brief account of the survival of one man ... more
throughout the war years in the devastated city of Warsaw than from several volumes of the average encyclopaedia' Independent on Sunday 'We are drawn in to share his surprise and then disbelief at the horrifying progress of events all conveyed with an understated intimacy and dailiness that render them painfully close...riveting' Observer 'The images drawn are unusually sharp and clear...but its moral tone is even more striking: Szpilman refuses to make a hero or a demon out of anyone' Literary Review
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You can learn more about human nature from this brief account of the survival of one man ... more
throughout the war years in the devastated city of Warsaw than from several volumes of the average encyclopaedia' Independent on Sunday 'We are drawn in to share his surprise and then disbelief at the horrifying progress of events all conveyed with an understated intimacy and dailiness that render them painfully close...riveting' Observer 'The images drawn are unusually sharp and clear...but its moral tone is even more striking: Szpilman refuses to make a hero or a demon out of anyone' Literary Review
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Kevin Mayhew The Pianist's Treasury: 100 favourite classical pieces for Piano; Adagietto ... more
"Symphony No.4" (Mahler), Air "Suite No.3" (Bach), Ave Maria (Schubert), Ave verum corpus (Mozart), Eine kleine Nachtmusik (Mozart), Finale "Trumpet Concerto" (Haydn), Für Elise (Beethoven), Habanera "Carmen" (Bizet), Träumerei (Schumann), Water Music (Händel), Themes "The Four Seasons" (Vivaldi) and more
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Schott The Pianist's Treasury - 100 favourite easy-to-play classical pieces for piano. ... more
Includes: Adagietto From Symphony No.5 (Mahler), Adagio For Strings (Barber), Adagio From Violin Concerto (Bruch), Air From Suite No.3 (Bach), Alleluia From Exultate Jubilate (Mozart), Andante From Piano Sonata K. 545 (Mozart), Andante Con Moto From Six Pieces For Children (Mendelssohn), Andante From Piano Concerto No. 21 (Mozart), Arrival Of The Queen Of Sheba (Händel), Ashokan Farewell (Jay Ungar), Ave Maria (Gounod), Ave Maria (Schubert), Barcarolle From The Tales Of Hoffmann (Offenbach), Cantique De Jean Racine (Fauré), Cavatina (Mendelssohn), Chorus Of The Hebrew Slaves From Nabucco (Verdi), Dance Of The Sugar-Plum-Fairy From The Nutcracker (Tchaikovsky), Allegro from Eine kleine Nachtmusik, Romanze, Menuetto, Rondo (Mozart), Embraceable You (Gershwin) and many more.
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Production Year: 1997 - Drama - Director: Gillian Armstrong - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Cate Blanchett, Ciaran Hinds, Tom Wilkinson, Richard Roxburgh
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Advantages: Gripping film Disadvantages: Rather lengthy
...four more), two BAFTAs, and the coveted Palm d'Ore, The Pianist certainly has the credentials. Anyone who has read Szpilman's original biography, also titled 'The Pianist', will already know that the narrative is gripping enough, but combined with amazing direction by Roman Polanski, and breathtaking performances by many of the actors, specifically Thomas Kretschmann and the fabulous Adrian Brody, the story is taken to an entirely new level. ...the true story of Wladyslaw Szpilman through the horrors of the Warsaw ghetto during the Nazi occupation of Poland. The film is largely presented from the viewpoint of Szpilman himself, and this is certainly one of the film's greatest successes. While first person narratives can be tricky to perfect, when this is done so the effect is magnificent, The Pianist is certainly no exception. While the events of the Holocaust seem very removed from today's ... more
Winner of three Oscars (and nominated for four more), two BAFTAs, and the coveted Palm d'Ore, The Pianist certainly has the credentials. Anyone who has read Szpilman's original biography, also titled 'The Pianist', will already know that the narrative is gripping enough, but combined with amazing direction by Roman Polanski, and breathtaking performances by many of the actors, specifically Thomas Kretschmann and the fabulous Adrian Brody, the story is taken to an entirely new level.
Certainly Polanski's finest work, The Pianist follows the true story of Wladyslaw Szpilman through the horrors of the Warsaw ghetto during the Nazi occupation of Poland. The film is largely presented from the viewpoint of Szpilman himself, and this is certainly one of the film's greatest successes. While first person narratives can be tricky to perfect, when this is done so the effect is magnificent, The Pianist is certainly no exception. While the events of the Holocaust seem very removed from today's reality, the film does bring home the reality of the events: the holocaust was more than merely a story we learn about from the history books. Polanksi's direction enables the viewer to immerse themselves in the story, and like Szpilman, they are helpless to the plight of the Jews. The idea of showing the Holocaust merely from the perspective of one man is very effective, as while it does indeed create a sense of partiality, it also makes the events seem all the more real.
In my mind, The Pianist surpasses even the great Schindler's List, and there are a few main reasons for this. Firstly, Polanski does not fall into the trap of the Jewish identity being synonomous with the Jewish religion, he more emphasises the individual passions of the Jewish people than even Speilberg seemed capable of. As the title suggests, Szpilman was a Pianist, and this, not his religion, is used to create his main identoty in the film.
Even the stereotypes of the Nazis and Poles used by Polanski are not so stereotypical. There are indeed harsh, cruel Nazis, but there are also ones who prove to have a much more compassionate side. For the Poles too, this is true, some of the gentile Poles are opposed to the Nazi invasion, but other, in Szpilman's own words 'want to be better Nazis than Hitler'. The effect of this representation is crucial, and creates the overall theme of the horrific effects war can have on communities, bringing out the worst aspects of humanity in otherwise compassionate human beings.
Despite the films classification as a war film, this is not entirely accurate, as while the Second World War is indeed the setting, the film fits more easily into the category of 'Personal Survival Story', and is indeed comparable in this aspect with films such as 'Touching the Void' - another true story, and 'Castaway'.
Perhaps one of the film's main shortcomings is entirely narrative based, and unavoidable if the film was to keep with it's factual emphasis. For much of the latter half of the film, which is a lengthy one anyway, Szpilman is in hiding, and thus isolation. While the audience does get a decent idea of the war and the treatment of Jews by the Nazis, they remain somewhat detached from Szpilman's character, because although he is the centre of the film, he is not what the film is 'about', the viewer does not really 'know' him as such, other than his love of his music, his personality is left almost entirely in the dark.
Insofar as the bonus disk is concerned, it must be said that I have never been one for 'extras', and unfortunately, 'The Pianist' can make no exception. Indeed I find that the extras are rather thin on the ground, despite the additional disk devoted to them. The most substantial is a 40 min documentary on the making of the film, and this does actually have some interesting interviews with Polanski. Unlike many other 'the making of' documetaries, this one doesn't actually delve too deeply into the technicalities of the film making, and as a result is actually rather interesting. Unfortunately, the other extras are somewhat dissapointing, and do include an advert for the OST, which is rather cheeky! The gallery consists of merely 12 photos, and as a result, the extras do come off rather poorly.
Unless you're particularly interested in the 'making of' documentary, I would strongly suggest purchasing the single disk edition and saving your pennies!
Advantages: Jaw-dropping Brody performance, moving Disadvantages: That history dictated this film had to be made
...comes to war and cinema, the lines have often been blurred with the supposed romance of it and the glossed over true suffering and degradation of those who truly suffer in war - innocent civilians.
The Pianist at a stroke smashes those blurry lines with such clarity, that if if this were a horror or slasher film you'd be grimacing at some of scenes. As this film proves, reality is far more cruel than any fiction. The Pianist is a film that goes ... ...to show the uncompromising, intolerable cruelty of the Nazis against the Jews in all its gruesome widescreen reality.
The film opens with Wladyslaw Szpilman (played by Adrien Brody), a brilliant Polish pianist, playing piano in a bar with news of Germany's invasion of Poland already known. What isn't known is that the Germans are very soon to be in the heart of Warsaw, where Szpilman and his family live. Returning home one day, Szpilman and his ...
xtincol 04.06.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Pianist (DVD)
Advantages: beautifuly performed film Disadvantages: none
...and women as it has the adventure side to it aswell as the heart puller too.
This film is based on a real person not just fiction, it is based on wladyslaw szpilman a jew and concert pianist played in the dvd by Adrien Brody who does this job very well, This is his story of how he lived through the nazi invation of warsaw and how he managed to survive against all the odds, he evaded being captured and imprisoned in a concentration camp and managed ... ...in war torn warsaw.
The detail in this film is fantastic, there is a lot of violence but this isnt exagerated it is as it was when it was all happening to give you a real feel of what it was like to be there and it realy does instill fear in you and get your adrenalin pumping, this film gives us a chance to experience first hand what it would have been like to be a jew in world war two. There are many disturbing immaes in this film so i think the ...
danniell 30.12.2008
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Advantages: Superbly filmed, excellent performance by Brody Disadvantages: Perhaps a little too long
'I'd like to see The Pianist,' suggested Mrs P on Sunday evening. 'why don't you slip it in?'
Resisting the overwhelming temptation to drag this review down to de basement of smutty innuendo, I bit my lip and hunted down the DVD.
THE PIANIST is a film I'd been looking forward to watching for some time, and thanks to British TV's complete lack of worthwhile viewing on a Sunday night, I had the opportunity. I mean, after you've watched 'Last of the Summer Wine' 732 times, it starts to get ever so slightly wearing.
The film is a true story based on the memoirs of WLADYSLAW SZPLIMAN, a Polish Jew who was living with his family in Warsaw. Szpilman comes from a successful, middle-class background with a normal family who bicker and argue, but still seem close.
It begins with the outbreak of WW2 and the Nazi invasion of Poland. As ...
Advantages: Very emotional and powerful, great acting Disadvantages: Drags towards the end
of Szpilman sitting at a piano, playing his heart out and letting his emotions come out in musical form.
Although it began to drag towards the end and, at two and a half hours, was a bit long, I feel that I can't give The Pianist anything other than five stars. It's ultimately a very emotionally draining experience, and it's all stunningly realised and captured. The soundtrack is fantastic, and adds to the stark beauty of the film. I would definitely recommend this film - more than that even, I would urge you all to watch it if you can, as it's an important part of history that should never be forgotten.
The Pianist is available to buy on 2 Disc Special Edition DVD for £5.79, from www.sendit.com. I am reviewing the film only, not the extras.
Directed By: Roman Polanski
Starring ...
Advantages: Beautiful, realistic, excellent acting, inspiring direction. Disadvantages: Upsetting, graphic violence - but necessary, considering the subject matter.
How do I start to review one of the most amazing films I have ever seen? When I first heard about The Pianist, I knew immediately that it was something I would have to see. I read a lot about World War II, my main interests being Hiroshima, the Holocaust and Anne Frank. So the subject area of the movie was enough to attract my attention. For once, I didn’t care who acted in it.
I hired this out on DVD for my birthday, but watched it the day after. I had expected it to be depressing, which is why I had delayed seeing it, but it wasn’t. Yes, it was horrific, harrowing and bleak, but it was much, much more. It was beautiful, moving, charming and uplifting. I was left feeling in awe of the strength that humans can display.
So, what is the film about? Well, it tells the true story of the Polish pianist Wladyslaw ‘ ...
KarenUK 26.10.2003 (28.10.2003)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Pianist (DVD)
Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Jewish gifted classical pianist living Poland during the Nazi occupation manages to escape deportation to a concentration camp and goes into hiding. For the next few years Wladyslaw eludes capture and lives in the ruins of the Warsaw ghetto.
Documentary - 1. A STORY OF SURVIVAL, International Trailer, Cast & Crew Filmographies, Photo Gallery, 3 Posters
Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital 2.0
Dubbing Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1 English Dolby Digital 2.0 English
Award information
OSCAR
Best Screenplay Based On Material Previously Produced Or Published 2003 (Ronald Harwood)
OSCAR
Best Director 2003 (Roman Polanski)
OSCAR
Best Actor In A Leading Role 2003 (Adrien Brody)
Professional reviews
Review
"...THE PIANIST is a worthy Holocaust drama and a welcome return to form for Roman Polanski..." (Box Office, p.55, 01/08/2002)
"...[A film] of riveting power and sadness, a great match of film and filmmaker -- and star, too..." (Entertainment Weekly, p.53, 10/01/2003)
"...A monument to the indestructibility of the human spirit..." (Film Comment, p.77, 01/11/2002)
"...THE PIANIST achieves the monumental without abandoning the modesty of its origins....Polanski's strange genius serves Szpilman's remembrance..." (Los Angeles Times, p.C1, 27/12/2002)
"...Mr. Polanski approaches this material with a calm, fierce authority. This is certainly the best work Mr. Polanski has done in many years..." (New York Times, p.E19, 27/12/2002)
"...One of the most quietly moving stories in survivor literature, and now the cinema....Polanski tells the story with all of his cinematic mastery..." (Premiere, p.18, 01/02/2003)
"...A portrait of hell so shattering it's impossible to shake..." (Rolling Stone, p.68, 06/02/2003)
"...A work of sustained tension and ferocious clarity, and as near-perfect a marriage of subject and artist as could be imagined..." (Sight and Sound, p.57-8, 01/02/2003)
"...[Polanski] brings history to life....It stays with you..." (USA Today, p.11D, 18/12/2002)
DVD Description
Roman Polanski's THE PIANIST is based on the memoirs of the talented pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman (Adrien Brody), a Polish Jew who miraculously survived World War II. The first half of the film transports viewers to 1939 Poland, and brings it to life clearly and believably. Szpilman is a tall, handsome, winsome man revered for his piano performances on public radio. He lives with his family--an intelligent, loving, and spirited bunch--in an upscale flat in central Warsaw. Bombings have begun to torment the citizens of Warsaw until step by step the Jews are branded and set apart from their neighbors, imprisoned in a ghetto, and slowly exterminated. The story is told through Szpilman's eyes, and thus carries as much confusion and fear as disgust and torment. Polanski paints Warsaw in bleak shades of gray and black, expressing the helplessness of the Jewish people and the cruelty of the Nazis with captivating photography. In the second half of the film, which takes place in the early 1940s, Szpilman is alone, having managed to avoid the trains to the death camps. His struggle to survive, with some help from non-Jews but mostly his own will to thrive, takes place in long, silent, languid stretches filled with the imagined piano music that inspires Szpilman to live. In a climactic scene of immense beauty and spine-tingling tension, Szpilman must actually perform for a German soldier who is inexplicably patrolling the near-deserted and utterly dilapidated Warsaw ghetto. THE PIANIST, in the subtlety of its sublime and heartbreaking tale, is carried by the intensely moving performance of Brody, whose transformation is truly unforgettable.
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