Rating of
3.5/4
Excellent true story of a Jewish pianist.
filmfan09 - wrote on 03/09/09
THE PIANIST is the emotionally devastating true story of Wladyslaw Szpilman (Adrien Brody), a Jewish pianist in Poland caught up in the horrors of World War II. The Nazis invade Poland, confine the Jews to ghettos then ship them off to concentration camps. This has to be one of the most honest films about the holocaust. The film is amazingly well done and director Roman Polanski delivers the epic journey of a man who is transformed by a series of events from an well-dressed, highly cultured musician to a scavenging, hollow shell of a human being in a very thoughtful, skillful way.
This an excellent look at the Holocaust through a Jewish man's eyes, but I can see how the violence could be upsetting to some viewers. The violence is heartbreaking and graphic with showing the widespread killing, beating and burning of Jews and others, which can unbearable to watch at times. It's still a very touching and poignant movie and a film that should be seen by everyone.
