Sunday, July 4, 2010

The Pianist DVD review

Roman Polanski, 2002.

Phew! - finally made it thru the movie...big question - was it worth it?

This is a true story, and in some ways a companion piece to Schindler's List - similar time and space zone, only this time dealing with the solitary reality of the war as opposed to the socio-political arena that Schindler appeared in.

It is NOT for the squeamish, or even mildly squeamish, which is why I ended up watching it alone, I guess...
And really, because it's done well, it's one of the least pleasant things you could experience as "entertainment"...

The soundtrack is beautiful - almost exclusively Chopin (including a memorable rendition of the G minor Ballade towards the end of the movie).

I think I've seen enough holocaust/WW2 movies for my lifetime however.

Adrien Brody's performance as pianist Szpilman is a slow grower, and convincing.
I advise you to watch Schindler's List (prev rev?) first, then think about whether you want/need more of the story - if not, steer well clear and know that Polanski's intentions were good...

9/10.

NOT for young viewers at all...

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