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Jake Ryan takes in Polanski's THE PIANIST
Hey folks, Harry here... While THE TWO TOWERS may be my favorite film of 2002 thus far, the best I've seen is THE PIANIST. I still have CHICAGO, CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND, FAR FROM HEAVEN, ANTWONE FISHER and THE HOURS to see this year, before I can say that definitively, but right now I'd say its in a damn good position to be my pick of the year. Simply, it is one of the most powerful films I've seen in modern cinema and contains the best story put to celluloid this year. Here's another praise of the film...
Hey Harry..I certainly didn’t expect to chime in with another review
so soon but after reading your review of the Pianist, I was moved to
also share my opinion. I caught the film at its Manhattan premiere the
other night and would just like to share a few thoughts and help spread
the word on this captivating film.
For a bit of background, I come into this film as someone who greatly
respects the work of Roman Polanski, but if I were to somehow drum up a
list of my fave films of all time (which is always an impossible task
for me, figuring out a way to make sense of a list that contains
Airplane, The Godfather, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Fast Times at
Ridgemont High doesn’t quite work for me) none of Polanski’s
classics would be near the heights of that list. Well, that would be
until now.
The Pianist is a film I would have trouble immediately watching again,
but my viewing experience will be one that I will have trouble ever
forgetting and I found the film to be among the most moving that I can
ever remember seeing. There are so many painful moments of random
atrocities depicted in the film that I found myself often grimacing and
turning from the screen in saddened disgust. I have met a few holocaust
survivors in my lifetime and there are no words that can describe the
level of awe/respect/care that I believe every person on this planet
should have for them, or for any innocent victim of war now that I truly
think about it. In any event, Polanski’s goal isn’t to shock us…he
uses the Warsaw Ghetto setting of this film as the backdrop to tell a
somewhat magical tale of human perseverance, and I can tell you that
although the movie is apparently nearly 2 * hours, this viewer was
completely mesmerized from beginning to end. Adrien Brody gives a
spellbinding performance as Wladyslaw Szpilman, and a performance that
is most impressive for its physical nature. For the better part of the
last hour of the film, Mr. Brody acts with his eyes and every part of
his body but not with dialogue. I agree with Harry and certainly hope
that this film gets all the recognition it deserves from THOSE PEOPLE
who give awards out. But you know what, none of that matters, this film
is now a permanent record and will hopefully live on to captivate future
generations.
There are many moments in this film that will linger in my mind for a
long time, but I think the one moment I’d like to mention (without
being too spoiler-ific…though its tough to spoil a film that is based on
an autobiography…I mean he lives people!) is when The Pianist finally
gets to play the piano again after years of not being able to paint the
ivories with his magical touch (and this includes a painful scene where
The Pianist is actually hiding out in an apartment that contains a
piano, yet because he is in hiding and can’t make noise, he is unable
to ever truly use it). At first, the Pianist is tentative, his fingers
remembering what they are capable of. Before you know it, he is playing
a composition so wonderful, so moving that many people in the audience
around me were moved to tears. I just sat there in awe…forgetting I was
at a movie and rejoicing that this incredibly talented man I was
watching portrayed on screen was able to once again fulfill his destiny.
The scene I am describing is even more moving than any words can
describe, given the setting the Pianist is playing in and the audience
he is playing for which makes this show-stopping performance almost
literally a command performance. It is also not coincidental that for a
film titled the Pianist, the scene I am describing is the only one to my
memory in which a full composition is played from start to finish and
which is made all the more effective in that the viewer hasn’t heard
an ounce of piano since early in the film.
As much as I’m looking forward to seeing The Two Towers, Gangs of New
York, Catch Me if You Can, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, etc, etc, I
cant imagine any of those holiday films surpassing the excellence of
this film. Do yourselves a favor and do not overlook this film when it
hits your neighborhood. You won’t necessarily leave the theater
happy, but you will likely leave feeling more moved and fulfilled by
your film-going experience than you have in a long long time. I for one
am so grateful that Roman Polanski was able to share this story.
Peace,
Jake Ryan
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Thanks for the review.
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And that scene at the end, including it's apocalyptic setting also moved me to tears... (I also only realized the irony of the Pianist's name at this point)
What's truly remarkable about the movie is it's matter-of-factness, something that makes the atrocities onscreen a lot more unsettling than f.i. the John-Williams-accompanied-emotions of "Schindler's list"".
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....namely that I posted the previous post almost half a day ago and apparently NO ONE since on this site has been interested enough to say anything about this beautiful film. Makes me think about the kind of people that visit this site. Sad....
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maybe no one has commented because they haven't had the opportunity to see it. i don't know if the pianist will open to a wide audience or in mainstream theaters. i have mixed feelings about holocaust films. while there is an obvious reason to make them (to remind us of man's inhumanity to man), they are very unsettling to watch. it's tantamount to watching a snuff film. i had this feeling while watching schindler's list when they showed women being herded into the "showers" to be gassed. i felt extreme revulsion that spielberg would show this for some reason. to "dramatize" something like that on film. maybe that the event is so horrific that it should not be shown on film. while in Poland i visited Auschwitz and it left me with horrific memories of the things i saw there. the ovens, the gas chambers, the barracks; the nazis even stored children's toys, eye glasses, articifial legs, etc for some unknown reason and these were present by the thousands to be seen by visitors. and Polanski lived through this... he saw his father sent to auschwitz... it's not a film that people will be rushing to see. i may see it... but with much trepidation... and if i watch it once, i'm sure i would not opt to see it a second time (too horrific).
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All though very likely to be over looked by popcorn munching brigade. Shame!
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