The Pianist (restored 4K)
War drama by Roman Polanski (Chinatown) about renowned Jewish pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman and how he managed to survive the Nazi regime in Poland. Winner of three Oscars and the Golden Palm.
When Roman Polanski received the offer from Steven Spielberg to direct SCHINDLER’S LIST, he politely declined because the subject matter was still too painful for him. After all, Polanski himself survived the Krakow ghetto and his mother died in a concentration camp.
The urge to portray the Holocaust remained, however, and ten years later Polanski decided to adapt the autobiography of famous Polish-Jewish composer Wladyslaw Szpilman for the big screen. Szpilman sits behind his piano as the first bombs fall. His wealthy family feels relatively safe, but the Nazi net quickly closes in. The city’s Jews are forced to give up their possessions and move to the Warsaw ghetto. A brick wall is built around the ghetto and a Jewish police force is formed to enforce Nazi rules. Szpilman is offered a place on that police force, but he refuses. With a large dose of luck and help from a close friend and the Polish resistance, he manages to stay out of the hands of the Nazis and survive the war.
It is quite clear that Polanski – though he denies it himself – has incorporated his own traumas and memories into the film. THE PIANIST is a pure, raw film about a compelling tragedy, told very personally and full of feeling, but without ever becoming sentimental. And given the story, that is a merit in itself (bw).