User Comments:
Polanski returns to form, Brody is amazing..., 2 January 2003
Author:
the unemployed critic
The Pianist
Based upon Wladyslaw Szpilman's autobiography of his years spent in hiding
during World War II, `The Pianist' brings this remarkable true tale of
endurance to life.
Wladyslaw Szpilman (Adrien Brody) is a young, celebrated, Jewish pianist
living in a freshly occupied Poland at the outset of the war. Moved from
ghetto to ghetto as the Nazi's begin their reign of terror, Szpilman and his
family spend the better part of three years struggling to survive and remain
together. After a long period of slow decline, and finally, outright
suffering, Szpilman is separated from his family, and spends the next years
of the war trying to keep himself alive with the help of his admirers, and
even his enemies. As he becomes ravaged by the effects of hunger, and
increasingly paranoid of the world around him, Szpilman find solace in his
piano accomplishments, which give him the drive to keep going, even in the
face of hell that seeks to annihilate him at every step.
Roman Polanski's `The Pianist' represents another powerful chapter in the
Holocaust film genre. A searing, often staggering portrait of survival, the
film takes the position of the outsider looking in, much like Polanski's
recent position in filmmaking circles. `The Pianist' is Polanski's strongest
work in decades, showcasing a filmmaker who appears to be fully capable
again after years of stumbling around trying to find a focal point (`Death
and the Maiden,' the under appreciated `The Ninth Gate`). The film is an
even bigger triumph as these tales of horror and despair continue to be made
with alarming regularity, with each new entry into this genre often better
than the previous. Two months ago, Tim Blake Nelson's `The Grey Zone'
marched into theaters and pummeled audiences with its bleak direction and
relentlessly theatrical dialog. `The Pianist' is a much more lucid look at
the WWII experience, with Polanski's direction humane and psychologically
eruptive, though not lacking for one second in graphic depictions of Nazi
extremes. Yet, with a director who has such a wealth of experience and
classics (`Chinatown,' `Rosemary's Baby') behind him, `The Pianist' is a
more assured picture than `Zone,' or any other recent Holocaust film.
`The Pianist' is a much tougher experience than expected though, as the
audience is forced to spend 145 minutes of screen time watching a man go to
great lengths to survive all the death around him. This isn't easy, as it
feels as though Polanski wants us to experience every last moment.
Admirable? Definitely. However, this does make the film a bit pokey in the
second act, as Szpilman's journey takes him into isolation and near madness.
After an emotional and quickly paced first act, the film's plunge into
isolation makes sections of the film dramatically wobbly. Polanski regains
control with a taut and poignant third act, as Szpilman makes his way into
the final moments of the Nazi regime, and restores the power to `The
Pianist' that was briefly lost.
It is Adrien Brody's lead performance as Szpilman that forms `The Pianist's'
dramatic spine. With his studied, forceful, restrained performance, Brody
authoritatively carries the film anywhere it chooses to go. To this point,
I've really enjoyed Brody's output as an actor, with his fine work in `Bread
and Roses,' `Summer of Sam,' and the recent `Harrison's Flowers' all
showcasing a committed and bright young actor. `The Pianist' takes Brody to
another level, clearly demonstrating his abilities to hold together a film
with his bulging, perceptive eyes, and his eerie commitment to embodying
Szpilman's journey into hunger-induced emaciation. Brody's been great
before, but in this film, he's a true revelation.
As with any film cut from this cloth, `The Pianist' is not an easy film to
enjoy. It takes considerable patience to imbibe yourself with its power, but
the tale is amazing, the director steady, and the lead performance
outstanding, and that‘s sufficient enough to recommend the picture.
---------- 8/10
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