Rating: 
Summary: AN EPIC NARRATIVE OF HUMAN EVIL AND SURVIVAL
Review: This is the 8th time I have seen this brilliant narrative, with rapt attention, and feel impelled into reviewing it here a second time. This is not your straight-laced Holocaust movie, and it certainly is NOT a movie about the power of music as many reviewers seem to lament (heck, the pianist doesn't do much playing to survive!) For me, it is a film that very effectively paints a vivid spectre of war, setting human cruelty starkly in perspective -- we can be ruthless! What an excellent addition to the list of fine films that have attempted to come to grips with the subject of the Holocaust, but focused more on the deeply personal stories of people who lived in the aftermath (Sophie's Choice, Nowhere in Africa, Life is Beautiful etc.) And this is where the movie really transcends expectations: in its superlative control of the characters -- Germans or Jews -- as flesh-and-blood human beings, highlighting their fears and the motivations behind why they did what they did. Our pianist's reluctance to let us in on his thoughts about his family, friends, and the people who helped keep him alive make him appear aloof, but the reality he copes with is so far beyond normal comprehension that emotional numbness may be the only appropriate response. When he finds a kindred soul in the German Captain Wilm Hosenfeld (Thomas Kretschmann) who discovers his hiding place, however, we are finally drawn into the humanity of his character. It is here that the soulful music of Chopin's Nocturne in C played by Szpilman in a hollowed-out apartment in the midst of desolation lends a bizarre beauty to the unfathomable night. An important message about humankind, this -- not all the Germans were evil. If you are intrigued by such potrayal of moral dilemmas that humans face in times of war, you may also want to check out "The Shop on Main Street," a Czech movie from 1965 that does an even more compelling job of capturing emotions IMHO, but is of course not as visually stunning. Anyway, The Pianist is a top-notch possession for your libraries if you don't already own it!
Rating: 
Summary: Same old, same old.
Review: I know I am on dangerous grounds here. With the near certainty of being labeled anti-Semite, I have to say that, of the array of Holocaust movies which have come out over the years, if you've seen one of them, you seen them all, almost. Dignified human drama depicting the human spirit triumphing over hardships. You have already seen a dozen of these.
Rating:
Summary: A heartbreaker
Review: The movie opens up with haunting melodies of Chopin's nocturnes
played by the actor himself as he had to practice to play piano in order to make the movie more remarkable.
It's true that this is another movie on Jew's sufferings of world war 2 but this is the best of all put together. It is a movie based on a life of a true artist Wladyslav Sh. and it was directed by an excellent director Roman Polanski.
The images throughout the movies are so real. Tears streamed down my face so many times as I watched this movie and I swear to God up to now I watched it nearly ten times so far and each time I feel more sympathetic to what this remarkable man went through. If something like this happened to me personally, I admit it that I wouldn't find Life worth it to Live but Schpillman did and he lived to create a family that would never go through the things he did.
Rating:
Summary: saved by the music?
Review: Roman Polanski deservedly won the Best Direction Oscar for The Pianist, one of the most believable and moving depictions of one of the darkest and bleakest periods in history. But unlike conventional movies about war, which take a broader view of the effects of war, The Pianist's focus more intimate. The story, which is based on actual events, follows the life of Wladyslaw Szpilman, an acclaimed concert pianist, as he comes to grips with the Nazi occupation of his native Poland, and somehow - one might say miraculously - prevails. This is all the more remarkable in light of the heart-wrenching loss of his family, the deliberate ruination of his livelihood and the malicious destruction of his homeland. Given the subject matter, comparisons between The Painist and Schindler's List are hard to avoid. Which is probably unfortunate; because Schindler's List is a better film by any measure - in particular, cinematography [with its excellent, almost film noirish representation of Polish life], the sophistication of the plot, and the intelligent acting performances by its cast of characters. Moreover, while the theme that emerges from Schindler's List is one of redemption, it is less clear what one should take from the story of Wladyslaw's life. Does the fact Wladyslaw was a brilliant musican play a central of peripheral role in the story of his survival? Nonetheless, an interesting encounter between Wladyslaw and a Nazi soldier does give some indication that the theme is probably about grace, at least in the form of music.
Rating:
Summary: Made by an alleged rapist?
Review: How can anybody admire, or even watch, a movie made by an alleged rapist who fled the US to escape justice? Until he comes back to face the courts, and to do his sentence (whatever it may be) like a man instead of a coward, his movies should be ignored. Talent does not matter. Neither does the important subject matter of the Holocaust. That's it.
Rating: 
Summary: Dull
Review: I realize it is fashionable to rave about this film, but I found it dull. It is well acted and well photographed, but the Brody character is just not very interesting. This guy escapes the holocaust through the efforts of a series of other people, does very little to help himself other than scrounge for food, does essentially nothing to save others and shows little gratitude towards the people who help him. There are seemingly endless scenes of Brody sleeping or staring out a window. This is a yawner. There must be a lot of politics behind all the awards this film got.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the best films of 2002
Review: There are plenty of subtle, powerful moments in this film, but the best one is near the end when the pianist literally plays for his life. To prove he's not just a simple Jew --- a nobody whose life has no value in World War II Warsaw --- he has to play piano beautifully in front of a Nazi officer. When the Nazi sits down, stunned, overwhelmed by the music, you understand why. You feel what he feels. That's quite a feat when you make a movie for a 21st century audience. How many of us sit at home listening to piano concertos with our mouths gaping, in awe of the music? Somehow, Adrien Brody and Roman Polanski make it work. You get so immersed in the world of The Pianist, you find it easy to put yourself in the shoes of the Jews and the Nazis. Instead of a history lesson, you get a portrait of people who lived it. The rest of the film builds up to the piano-playing moment, adding one small detail after another. From the start in the Warsaw neighborhood, the tension builds. Halfway through the story, you realize that anyone can die at any moment. Even the title character himself could die before the credits roll. The costumes and sets are so perfect, the film has a documentary feel. When Jews are sweating in the sun in a courtyard, you know just how exhausted and hungry they are. When the pianist blows his cover in a secret apartment by knocking down a stack of dishes, its a moment as frightening as anything in a horror movie. This is the kind of movie you'll want to watch twice even though you didn't really *enjoy* it. Seeing this story on the screen is quite an experience, but not something you look forward to. It's a testament to Polanski and Adrien Brody's skill that they've created something so special ---- a horrifying tale, beautifully told.
Rating: 
Summary: The Pianist - An adagio?
Review: The story is about a Pianist surviving during the World War II in Poland. How many movies have come on the backdrop of World War II and Germans, Concentration Camp? I was expecting some heroic act by the pianist - at least during the time when he was collecting pistols in the German camp or while throwing guns to the ghetto. Although I do not expect Arnold kind of heroism, I was expecting something a normal human being would do on times of pain. But Alas! I see him hiding and sneaking like a coward from place to place. The pianist was found to survive and worry about food more than thinking anything heroic.There is a dialog "You are great pianist in Poland and in the world" but there were not enough scenes to emphasize and give impact. The director could have deleted couple of scenes on this instead of showing his hunger. Although survival is more important, the Pianist getting help from others and on emergency - did not get any sympathy - but conveyed selfishness. It is true that as a single man you cannot fight the mass but there is nothing to convey that he even felt that. I could not find any great performance by Adrien to win an Oscar. Mediocre acting. But he playing the piano before the German needs appreciation. It is unfortunate that the excellent performance of the Pianist is shown along with the end titles. Thank God I watched in the DVD version so could enjoy - not sure if I would have had the opportunity or patience to watch this in theatre. The movie is boring at times as there is no fight back. Nor one gets motivated. I have not read the actual story but the challenge of converting an autobiography to a movie failed partially. You cannot compare with the epic movie - "Schindler's List". I recommend "Life is beautiful" more than this.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Most Intriquing Films These Years
Review: A film that could be watched together with Schindler's List, or Annie Frank so that we could have a full picture of the darkest holocust so real and so vivid... There is a lot of justification for Polanski to win an Oscar as the best director and likewise, for the film to win the Gold Palm Award. The acting of Szpilman was good too; but as to whether he deserved an Oscar turned on how well the other nominated films that year were and who the judges were etc. But that doesn't matter too much in any event. As a piano music lover, I'm neither disappointed nor too gratified: there aren't a lot of piano music anyway. To be exact, there was only one Beethoven sonata in any event and the playing was nothing as exciting as "Song Without End" where the actual pianist was Bolet. However, an average viewer should be able to find the the music appealing enough and should be able to finish the whole film in one breath rather impressed, or even stunned. Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: An angel on his shoulder
Review: I admire Polanski for taking a broader look at the Holocaust, showing the divisions within the Jewish community in Warsaw and the help some got through the Polish underground. Of course, it helps to have such a compelling figure as Szpilman to wrap this complex story around. One gets a very strong impression of the devolution of Jewish life in Warsaw, as Szpilman's family is forced to reduce itself to increasingly more appalling conditions. Polanski takes in a large panoply of characters, showing just how difficult the situation was for all those involved. The Germans are by and large faceless officers who carry out random killings. The Warsaw Uprising is touched upon. Szpilman seemed to have an angel on his shoulder, able to keep one step ahead of the Germans. The situations are tense and unsettling but the film is perhaps a little too clean in terms of depictions and gives a little too glossy and account of the horrors of war. Adrien Brody turns in a fine performance. He seems to capture Szpilman's early disillusion and eventual degradation through the course of the war. Szpilman was a survivor, which contrasted sharply to the nihilistic views of his brother.
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