The Pianist

The Pianist is Polanski's triumphant return to domestic cinema after 40 years. It’s a gripping story from Wladyslaw Szpilman’s autobiography. Adrien Brody in the lead role truly became Szpilman, creating his character as a flesh-and-blood man who must be put through all the atrocities of war. However, everything else in the film is up to par with Brody's performance - the production design is very realistic, the other actors also fit very well into the overall collage of images of the past and there is nothing that could spoil the unique portrait of a broken man born through the pain and injustice of war. (05/01/2012)

Another film that shows us, unaware viewers, that Jews had it very hard during WWII… Downplaying this topic is the last thing I want to do, but I really don’t need to see the hundredth film about the one and the same thing. The shallow parade of suffering by secondary characters, who show up, die or cry, only to be completely forgotten later by the script, can’t arouse any emotions in me. What’s a lot more impressive, though, is the almost post-apocalyptic survival storyline later in the film (if the entire film had that sharpness and atmosphere, it would be great!), but the events that follow it are very hard to believe. It’s very clear to me why The Pianist has received mostly positive responses (an untouchable premise and emotional blackmail can do a lot), but other than the fantastic performances, I don’t see anything I haven’t already seen elsewhere, and better… (19/02/2009)

The duty of every respected Jew to show people how horrible the Holocaust was, using the resources at that person's disposal, led Maestro Polanski to come to terms with the past with The Pianist. And it does indeed fulfill the agreed assignment. Throughout the film, the Nazis are disgusting, stupid, narrow-minded pigs, while the Jewish community suffers and despairs unjustly. What we all know, and anyone who doesn't know it or denies it is an asshole. Meanwhile, the story of Władysław Szpilman unfolds (the similarity to Vladek Spiegelman from the Maus comics purely coincidental?), a brilliant pianist who finds it increasingly difficult to escape deportation. He is actually behind one of the few innovations compared to other war films, and that is the beautiful piano solos that the main character creates (and playing the piano without being able to touch the keys is definitely one of the most beautiful scenes in the film). Otherwise, the film does not bring anything new, which would perhaps not have mattered so much and I might have reached five stars if it were not for the fact that English is spoken in Poland and I can never get over these things. (12/05/2023)

If Polanski hadn't indulged in almost autobiographical self-indulgence, it could have been a great film. But instead of focusing on the very strong story of the main character, the director inserted his own emotions and memories into his film, which don't have such power, although there was a lot of potential. Brody is scoring in astronomical numbers, but even that is not enough this time. (07/05/2006)

It's easy to recognize on the Pianist that the film was directed by someone who personally experienced the horrors of war and the Holocaust. It is an exceptionally powerful and authentic testimony of the fate of Jews during World War II. Unlike Spielberg's celebrated Schindler's List, it is not calculated and polished, which is reflected in slightly lower ratings. Unlike Spielberg, Polanski chooses the form of a chamber drama of a single man, however, it is an exceptional, touching, and excellently acted film. Overall impression: 100%. (14/06/2006)