The Pianist (2002)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Albert K

  
  "The Pianist" is shockingly raw and depressing vision of the Holocaust that is portrayed through the eyes of Roman Polanski. I don't feel right to pick at a movie about such a sensitive issue but there seems to be one gaping problem: emotional attachment with the main… More
  "The Pianist" is shockingly raw and depressing vision of the Holocaust that is portrayed through the eyes of Roman Polanski. I don't feel right to pick at a movie about such a sensitive issue but there seems to be one gaping problem: emotional attachment with the main characters. Brutal attacks and killings are made to so many Jewish characters on screen that it begins to become numbing. The first death that occurs thrusts audiences out of their comfort zone and into the Holocaust time period, but it happens over and over and over. It is difficult to pinpoint the climax of the movie. Although this is a story about a real survivalist, there didn't seem to be any true development or growth that occurred throughout the atrocities. Not to say that if the real person never truly did, that it has still gotta be in the movie... but then what would this movie be? A movie that portrays the cold deaths of the Holocaust? This is one gaping flaw that prevented this movie from being a masterpiece.

• Jens S

  
  Roman Polanski's Oscar winning drama is probably the strongest film about the persecution of the Jews during World War Two, and leaves even more of an impression than Spielberg's Schindler's List. The story follows the family of pianist Szpilman's family as the… More
  Roman Polanski's Oscar winning drama is probably the strongest film about the persecution of the Jews during World War Two, and leaves even more of an impression than Spielberg's Schindler's List. The story follows the family of pianist Szpilman's family as the Nazi occupy Warsaw and the resulting, horrible events in the Polish ghettos up to the trains going to the concentration camps. Thanks to the kindness of strangers and pure luck Szpielman survives in the ghetto and is later hidden in what feels like eternal situations of solitude throughout the city. The film is brutal and doesn't leave out the ugly sides, but never abandons hope. Szpilman is a survivor who does what it takes to make it through somehow. That makes for a gloomy, sad, but also enthralling film carried by Adrien Brody's outstanding performance. The final straw to his survival is so surprising and heart-warming that it feels like a ray of light between all the madness and murder you've witnesses for two hours. A moving, unforgettable testimonial of the darkest chapter of the 20th century.

• Jeff "

  
  The Pianist is a terrific film. The film is one of the better films starring Adrien Brody. Director Roman Polanski directs a terrific film about a Jewish pianist who tries to survive the Holocaust by playing the piano. I think that this Adrian Brody's best film, and he gives a… More
  The Pianist is a terrific film. The film is one of the better films starring Adrien Brody. Director Roman Polanski directs a terrific film about a Jewish pianist who tries to survive the Holocaust by playing the piano. I think that this Adrian Brody's best film, and he gives a strong performance. This is a powerful story about survival, and how one man used his gift to survive one of the greatest crimes ever committed. The Pianist is a stunning film, that I thought was among the best Holocaust films. Schindler's List is a better film, but The Pianist is among the best of the genre. Like I previously stated, this is Adrien Brody's best film, and he truly delivers a great performance. This is a solid film that is powerful to watch, and though it's depressing, it shows the will of survival of people face with incredible odds. This is a wonderful film that is entertaining and has everything you'd expect from a solid drama film. Roman Polanski crafts a unique film that is both equally sad and hopeful. The Pianist is a must see film with a great cast, and Polanski's directing is top-notch and that's what makes The Pianist such a memorable film to watch. Aside from Schindler's List and the Boy with the Striped Pajamas, The Pianist is one of the best film set during the Holocaust. A truly good film that will definitely appeal to viewers that are interested in the subject.

• paul o

  
  A slow masterpiece that doesn't need guns or wild sex to grab the audiences' attention. Its one of polanski's best and the one epic that redeemed his career after a streak of mediocre films.

• Brad W

  
  The Pianist is the second greatest holocaust film ever, and is a masterpiece. Wladyslaw Szpilman (Adrian Brody) is a Jewish Pianist at the beginning oh the Holocaust, and as he continues on, he struggles to survive, find shelter, and make it through the horrors he must witness and… More
  The Pianist is the second greatest holocaust film ever, and is a masterpiece. Wladyslaw Szpilman (Adrian Brody) is a Jewish Pianist at the beginning oh the Holocaust, and as he continues on, he struggles to survive, find shelter, and make it through the horrors he must witness and the losses he must face. The storyline is an incredible one, we follow one man through his long journey of World War 2 and as he tries to hide from German forces, and the horrors within this film is as disturbing as Shindlers List. Adrien Brody deserved the Oscar, he had the personality that made him perfect for this role, and this takes us through his entire loneliness as a Holocaust survivor, and he basically takes us on this scary and horrible journey with him. The plot was genius, they seemed to grab every piece of informartion about the holocaust survivor and the horrors they had to see and do and put it in this movie, so that we can pity and feel their pain. The Pianist is a genius work of art, and future generations will enjoy this beautiful take on the horrible holocaust.

• Jan Marc M

  
  The Pianist is a true account of Polish-Jewish musician Wladyslaw Szpilman, survivor of the World War II German occupation in Poland. Baring the painful scars, haunting memories, and lasting grief of World War II with its brilliant visual and narrative style, The Pianist is bound to… More
  The Pianist is a true account of Polish-Jewish musician Wladyslaw Szpilman, survivor of the World War II German occupation in Poland. Baring the painful scars, haunting memories, and lasting grief of World War II with its brilliant visual and narrative style, The Pianist is bound to make a personal emotional engagement with history. Outstanding.

• Manu G

  
  Music was his passion. Survival was his masterpiece. What a superb film! Adrien Brody in arguably his best role ever as an actor and proudly so he did win Best Actor Award in the 2002 Oscar's. The story is quite amazing and unique which made it all together a excellent film.… More
  Music was his passion. Survival was his masterpiece. What a superb film! Adrien Brody in arguably his best role ever as an actor and proudly so he did win Best Actor Award in the 2002 Oscar's. The story is quite amazing and unique which made it all together a excellent film. The Pianist is bound to garner comparisons to Schindler's List, for obvious reasons. However similar the subject matter, the approach is different. While Schindler's List was filmed in a beautiful, crisp black and white that offered many incredible images, The Pianist was filmed with almost muted color. Schindler's List featured what has been argued as a complicated hero. Oskar Schindler did save many Jews, but not without battling his own materialistic demons first. The Pianist's Szpilman is a sympathetic character throughout. His plight was desperate, and the demons he fought were over his own guilt in surviving a fight that eventually turns into a primal will to live. The true story of Wladyslaw Szpilman who, in the 1930s, was known as the most accomplished piano player in all of Poland, if not Europe. At the outbreak of the Second World War, however, Szpilman becomes subject to the anti-Jewish laws imposed by the conquering Germans. By the start of the 1940s, Szpilman has seen his world go from piano concert halls to the Jewish Ghetto of Warsaw and then must suffer the tragedy of his family deported to a German concentration camps, while Szpilman is conscripted into a forced German Labor Compound. At last deciding to escape, Szpilman goes into hiding as a Jewish refugee where he is witness to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (April 19, 1943 - May 16, 1943) and the Warsaw Uprising (1 August to 2 October 1944)

• Zach B

  
  This was a film that was just waiting to happen. Now, reading this, you are probably wondering what I meant by that. Well, let me tell you a little about this director of this film. Roman Polanski is easily one of the most unique directors in the world. Not by the fact that he can not… More
  This was a film that was just waiting to happen. Now, reading this, you are probably wondering what I meant by that. Well, let me tell you a little about this director of this film. Roman Polanski is easily one of the most unique directors in the world. Not by the fact that he can not film films here due to numerous accounts of rape against a thirteen year ld girl, but because he is, in real life, a Holocaust survivor. For years, he has been against making any films that deal with that subject matter of his life due to the events still to this day are raw in his mind. But, along comes this one film that deals with The Holocaust and, in a way, is Polanskiâ(TM)s greatest piece f work, along with him coming to some terms with his dark past; him living in a concentration camp. When if I first saw this film, I will admit that I had no knowledge of this film other then it winning the Palm dâ(TM)Ore at the Cannes Film Festival, winning the Academy awards for best actor, best director, and best adapted screen play, along with the back story of Polanski. What I got out of viewing this film was something of an emotional roller coaster as we see one of the most serious films about World War II that have been made. Now, in terms of direction, Polanski gives it his all as he conducts this movie. There is this subtle tone of dread and seriousness as we are taken on this journey through the eyes of Wladyslaw Szpilman and the hell he goes through. But, the scenes that make this movie work for the best are the subtle scenes that have Szpilman playing a piano. Just, something about all of this terror going on, and the victim just making music, it adds a certain calm to this film that is filled with dread from beginning to end. Next the acting. For this entire film, Adrien Brody gives the performance of his life playing this character. I know that all that can be said has been said, but when you look at it, he just gives one hell of a performance that makes him worthy of his Academy Award he won. The rest of the supporting cast does a great job with this film, but in the end, only one person matters. Next is the script. For this type of film, I will say that the script does a good job at being serious. But, the only problem would be the pacing in some scenes. I do not know, just that some of the scenes seemed kind of slow to me. So, for the most part, it was good. But could have been tighten. Overall, worth of the award it had gotten. Lastly the score. While I enjoy piano orchestrations, I would have liked it if they would have created some more memorable pieces here and there, but for the most part, like the script, it was good. Overall, this is an emotional power house film that is not without a few flaws. Otherwise, a great film.

• Bethany M

  
  Moving and poignant. Exceptional cast and acting.

• Kristijonas F

  
  An absolutely heart-breaking and riveting story of a man's survival against all odds. Roman Polanski's masterpiece and a career-defining piece for Adrien Brody, The Pianist above all else went very far to re-kindle the emotions I have attached to my family's oppression… More
  An absolutely heart-breaking and riveting story of a man's survival against all odds. Roman Polanski's masterpiece and a career-defining piece for Adrien Brody, The Pianist above all else went very far to re-kindle the emotions I have attached to my family's oppression - who were also persecuted into labor camps in Siberia the 1950's.

• MisterYoda ?

  
  four stars

• Kevin K

  
  Grade: A+ (97%) Roman Polanski's The Pianist is a true story based on the Holocaust. Wladyslaw Szpilman (Adrien Brody in his Oscar winning role) is a pianist and also a Jew in Poland. When Germany invades Poland his life, along with his families, go through disastrous times.… More
  Grade: A+ (97%) Roman Polanski's The Pianist is a true story based on the Holocaust. Wladyslaw Szpilman (Adrien Brody in his Oscar winning role) is a pianist and also a Jew in Poland. When Germany invades Poland his life, along with his families, go through disastrous times. You watch as they are pushed into Jew districts, ghettos and finally concentration camps. But a Jewish police officer, and a good friend, saves Wladyslaw from entering the trains to the camps and has no choice but to leave his family behind. What The Pianist does, that other Holocaust and other genocide films don't, is not rely on blood and violence to keep its audience awake. While you see acts of genocide occur (i.e. running over Jewish wounded on the street), the film is strictly from Wladyslaw Szpilman's view. You watch as he moves from apartment to apartment, hiding upon the men and women who will recognize him as a Jew, and survive upon the good comings of citizens that give him food and water. In some scenes of the film, you will see Szpilman playing the piano without hitting the keys. He uses his imagination to play the piano that soothes his mind from all the horrors he has been through. What The Pianist does so well is actually show Jews fighting back against the Germans. You will see guns being thrown over the brick wall that separates the ghettos from the town and later mini attacks occur. It actually gives the movie some hope. It shows that the Jews will fight back and won't die without a fight. Adrien Brody gives a strong performance in this film. He truly fits the part. He wasn't a hot actor but more of an actor trying to show his talents to the world and he succeeded. The movie needed a performance that would keep the audience into the film and Mr. Brody did it and, as I said before, won an Academy Award for this role. Roman Polanski, in his Oscar winning direction, shows a different side to the Holocaust history that is both refreshing and dramatic. The film doesn't have to rely on intense violence and truly succeeds. The Pianist is a fantastic film and well worthy of a Best Picture nomination. The Pianist won 3 Academy Awards including: Best Director, Best Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay.

• Conner R

  
  The Pianist is essentially the greatest movie that takes place during the Holocaust, not that it has become a full fledged genre. Roman Polanski's approach to the subject matter is a lot more subtle and artistic than say Steven Spielberg's with Schindler's List. This… More
  The Pianist is essentially the greatest movie that takes place during the Holocaust, not that it has become a full fledged genre. Roman Polanski's approach to the subject matter is a lot more subtle and artistic than say Steven Spielberg's with Schindler's List. This attempts to really capture the human aspect rather than the big picture. Closing in on one individual is an incredibly smart move, making the terror all too real. Part of this realism definitely goes to Adrien Brody, who completely dominates the role and really makes you empathize with his character. However, he never plays that "I'm a poor, weak, underweight Jewish pianist" card. That makes all the difference. This isn't a movie to gather sympathy for the Holocaust, it was to tell one man's story of survival. Roman Polanski's trademark style is here; this is one beautifully shot movie.

• Dan S

  
  A depressing, realistic, intense look at the atrocities of Nazi Germany and a skilled pianist's (Adrien Brody) will to survive despite the bleakest of circumstances. This is still a little brother to the ultimate Holocaust picture "Schindler's List", but it not far… More
  A depressing, realistic, intense look at the atrocities of Nazi Germany and a skilled pianist's (Adrien Brody) will to survive despite the bleakest of circumstances. This is still a little brother to the ultimate Holocaust picture "Schindler's List", but it not far off, due to the strength of Adrien Brody's performance coupled with a story-line with veers appropriately all over the place. As said many times before, even if Roman Polanski is a horrid, disgusting individual considering his dark past, the man knows how to make a fine picture, and this is unquestionably one of his finest. This is a phenomenal film, and one that needs to be seen by those interested in WW2 and the horrific state humanity was in over in Europe. Brody hits all the right notes, and never overplays his character even when the opportunity exists to. This film requires a masterful performance in order to be a rousing success, and Brody's subtle, quiet turn is what proves to be the driving force here. This is one of the best movies from the 00's.

• EightThirty .

  
  Man..This is what they r doing in those Warring countries. It still happens.

• Jeremy S

  
  Schindler's List, the ultimate holocast drama, was told from the viewpoint of Oscar Schindler the anti-hero no-jew who becomes their saviour, whereas The Pianist is told solely and intimately from the viewpoint of a Jewish pianist in the Warsaw ghetto. Adrien Brody is shateringly… More
  Schindler's List, the ultimate holocast drama, was told from the viewpoint of Oscar Schindler the anti-hero no-jew who becomes their saviour, whereas The Pianist is told solely and intimately from the viewpoint of a Jewish pianist in the Warsaw ghetto. Adrien Brody is shateringly powerful in his meek silence, deserving of his Oscar. The Pianist is haunting, the scene in which the SS officer has him play the piano is one of the most powerful scenes I have ever seen. An essential film.

• Chris W

  
  One of the most beautiful to look at haunting survivor stories I have ever seen. Adrien Brody (who deserved the Oscar this film brought him) is brilliant as a talented Polish Jew musician whose life and career suddenly get interrupted due to World War II and the Holocaust. This is… More
  One of the most beautiful to look at haunting survivor stories I have ever seen. Adrien Brody (who deserved the Oscar this film brought him) is brilliant as a talented Polish Jew musician whose life and career suddenly get interrupted due to World War II and the Holocaust. This is Roman Polanski's most personal film, as he added in elements from his own life and history, and overall, this may very well be his most powerful and riveting film as well. This is a heartbreaking but ultimately uplifting tale that needs to be seen by everyone.

• Drew S

  
  Holocaust porn. Surely any audience for this film knows that what Hitler did was a Very Bad Thing; The Pianist, devoid of theme and unwilling to explore any deeper meaning for the atrocities it showcases, simply has nothing new to say. Where its critical support comes from is how it… More
  Holocaust porn. Surely any audience for this film knows that what Hitler did was a Very Bad Thing; The Pianist, devoid of theme and unwilling to explore any deeper meaning for the atrocities it showcases, simply has nothing new to say. Where its critical support comes from is how it says these things, with Roman Polanski's impeccable cinematic eye helming two and a half hours of unavoidable historical brutality. No one will say no this for fear of coming across as callous. The Pianist isn't a bad movie. In fact, I feel it could do a lot of could if it reached the right people. I just came out of it having not really learned anything. I've read Leon Uris, seen many other movies about the Holocaust and I paid attention in my history classes. Alongside these experiences, The Pianist simply doesn't offer anything new. There's no exploration or metaphor, no backbone to what we're seeing. It's a tempestuous, intelligent movie, but doesn't have the judgment or the patience to show its viewers anything but a stream of constant atrocities. It's basically a filmic headbutt. I haven't seen any of the other nominated actor performances from 2003, but Adrien Brody is fine here. He is convincing and expressive, but never truly excellent, simply because the character doesn't call for him to do anything but be sad and emaciated and react to scary things. This is simply another case of the movie letting him down (though I guess not too much, since he still won that Oscar). I could just be completely missing the boat here, or there's some element of The Pianist that I ignored that makes it a great movie, but I'm just not seeing much that lives up to the hype. As a Holocaust primer, it could be very valuable, but otherwise there's nothing here to shade in or deepen this horrific time in history.

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"Music was his passion. Survival was his masterpiece."</i> Filmmaker Roman Polanski, who as a boy growing up in Poland watched while the Nazis devastated his country during World War II, directed this downbeat drama based on the true story of a privileged… More
  <i>"Music was his passion. Survival was his masterpiece."</i> Filmmaker Roman Polanski, who as a boy growing up in Poland watched while the Nazis devastated his country during World War II, directed this downbeat drama based on the true story of a privileged musician who spent five years struggling against the Nazi occupation of Warsaw. Wladyslaw Szpilman (Adrien Brody) is a gifted classical pianist born to a wealthy Jewish family in Poland. The Szpilmans have a large and comfortable flat in Warsaw which Wladyslaw shares with his mother and father (Maureen Lipman and Frank Finlay), his sisters Halina and Regina (Jessica Kate Meyer and Julia Rayner), and his brother, Henryk (Ed Stoppard). While Wladyslaw and his family are aware of the looming presence of German forces and Hitler's designs on Poland, they're convinced that the Nazis are a menace which will pass, and that England and France will step forward to aid Poland in the event of a real crisis. Wladyslaw's naïveté is shattered when a German bomb rips through a radio studio while he performs a recital for broadcast. During the early stages of the Nazi occupation, as a respected artist, he still imagines himself above the danger, using his pull to obtain employment papers for his father and landing a supposedly safe job playing piano in a restaurant. But as the German grip tightens upon Poland, Wladyslaw and his family are selected for deportation to a Nazi concentration camp. Refusing to face a certain death, Wladyslaw goes into hiding in a comfortable apartment provided by a friend. However, when his benefactor goes missing, Wladyslaw is left to fend for himself and he spends the next several years dashing from one abandoned home to another, desperate to avoid capture by German occupation troops. The Pianist was based on the memoir of the same name by the real-life Wladyslaw Szpilman; the book was first published in 1946 as Death of a City, but was banned by Polish Communist officials and went out of print until 1998, when a new edition was issued as The Pianist. <b><u>Review</u></b> The Pianist is a stunning masterpiece directed by Roman Polanski and starring Adrien Brody in quite possibly the best role he's ever done. He basically carried the film whole throughout and I'm glad to say he carried it real good. Some scenes required no dialogue, only the body movement and the raw emotion of Adrien Brody, it was just a spectacle. I can see why he won the Oscars, he really deserved it. He gave his all in this masterpiece of a film and he reaped the golden fruits of his labor. Roman Polanski on the other hand, excellently handled the camera, he showed exactly what needs to be shown, no BS. The film tackles very sensitive topics and Polanski didn't even flinch, he wants us to see the grimness of those dark days. Example, there's this one scene where this lady asked an SS Officer where they're taking them and the SS Officer without remorse, shot the lady point blank in the head. Just so dark and grim and he wanted us to see it all. A tip of the hat to the cast and crew of The Pianist for making such a masterpiece. This is a fine film that you wouldn't want to miss.

• Al S

  
  A masterpiece. Director, Roman Polanski's greatest film ever. A flawless, memerising, materful, powerful and deeply moving motion picture that means to grab you and shake you. It touches the soul like you wouldnt belive. Adrien Brody gives an extroadinary performance that will… More
  A masterpiece. Director, Roman Polanski's greatest film ever. A flawless, memerising, materful, powerful and deeply moving motion picture that means to grab you and shake you. It touches the soul like you wouldnt belive. Adrien Brody gives an extroadinary performance that will touch you and always be remembered. Thomas Kretschmann is teriffic. A breathtaking, unforgettable and exhilerating dramathrough the eyes of one character. A fine work of art. A brilliant and wonderful film.

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