Rating: 
Summary: More proof that the Oscars are a total crock!
Review: Even though I'm simply echoing stuff that a lot of other negative reviewers have said, I feel I must help counter all the mysteriously great reviews this film got! Adrien Brody TOTALLY didn't deserve the Oscar for this -- hell, he hardly even has any lines, and spends most of the movie hiding like a rat, with an expressionless face, watching Nazi atrocities out of his window! And (though this is not Brody's fault) his character is totally unsympathetic and cares for no one but himself. All the Nazi brutalities have been shown ad nauseam in other, far-better movies like "Schindler's List" and "Life is Beautiful." As someone else said, I think this movie (and Brody) did well because 1) it's a Polanski film (whoopee), and 2) it's about a politically correct subject. Frankly, I don't need any more movies about the Holocaust unless they have something new to say about it -- and this film definitely doesn't.
Rating: 
Summary: Truth is Better Than Fiction
Review: Why live in a make believe world when the real world is so much more intriguing?This film tells the story of a pianist who struggled for survival during the Warsaw Getto Uprising in WWII. I was glued to my seat. The book from which this film was adapted is more of a journal than a novel. It was written just after the event, so the memories depicted are fresh. The bonus menu is also strong. The film peaked my interest to learn more and the bonus specials filled in the missing gaps, complete with shots of the main character in old age and film clips and photos from the Warsaw uprising. This is not a "feel good" movie. You won't smile, but you will come away a little richer.
Rating: 
Summary: Breath taking
Review: As all viewers would have known, this is a great movie. It is a personal movie for Roman Polanski as much as "Schindler's List" to Steven Spielberg. It's not for me to say that which one is better than another because I don't believe a comparison is needed. Rather, I would rather treat them as two different entities. Whilst their cores are different, one depicting how one soul is saved by reluctantly saving countless of lives, the other is about surviving the hardship during the occupation of Poland during World War 2, both of them attempted to convey the potential evils that we humans could become. From this movie, I learnt of the ghettos, the walls that separated the Jews from the others not unlike the Berlin Wall, the kinds of humiliations & indignities that Jews needed to live through during those oppressive periods. I also learnt that there was a disunity among Jews during that time. Some were Germans lackeys & some totally opposed to them. There were many poignant moments. Out of those hard time, we were also shown the generosity & compassion that came from people from all walks of life & race (including a high up German officer) to assist Brody's character despite the danger that they might brought to themselves. The movie never rushed & it gradually revealed itself like a great story book. We rejoiced & elated for the survivors when the world was all over. It's about triumph of human spirits. I guess if we believe much in ourselves, we shall conquer all adversities. This movie is just the right reminder for us all. A beautiful movie that's "enjoyable" to watch. Highly recommended. In terms of technical information, the DVD set comprises of two CDs, one a feature movie & the other, a documentary depicting how the movie is made. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Must See!
Review: As I get older, I tend to appreciate "historical" movies. I often learn lessons that I never knew took place. This movie is one of those. When it came out, I thought it would be extremely boring. It premiered on TV last night. I watched something else. I happened to turn my TV on very early this morning and it was on. Figuring I'd be bored, I expected to turn the TV off very early into the film. I was VERY wrong. I couldn't turn the TV off. I learned about a part of history I didn't even realize took place. I felt for the Jewish people and the fear, torture and often, eventual death, they encountered. This took place only because of their ethnicity and religious beliefs. I applaud Roman Polanski for his outstanding directorship (he definitely earned his Oscar). The movie was very realistic and allows the viewer to "see" what happened a mere 60 year ago. I believe this is partially due to his own life experiences. He had fantastic control over what appeared to be a high number of "unnamed" extras. The realism of the costumes and behaviors were also excellent. But how can I forget Mr. Brody, an Oscar winner himself. He was outstanding. His character made his experiences a lasting impression on me. It makes me think of what is going on in our world even today. The final lesson I learned was we need peace worldwide. If you watch this movie and aren't moved, take the temperature of your heart because it obviously has a slight chill to it.
Rating:
Summary: A great movie, but recommended with caveats
Review: "The Pianist" wasn't an easy movie to watch, and it's proven even harder for me to review. To put it mildly, this isn't a feel-good movie, and I certainly wouldn't recommmend it to everyone. Telling the story of a young Jewish piano prodigy who manages to survive the Nazi occupation of Poland, this film is almost unfailingly bleak and depressing, practically making "Schindler's List" seem cheery by comparison. I've read about the Nazis' incredibly harsh rule in the conquered territories of eastern Europe, but seeing it on screen is still daunting, and Roman Polanski's camera is there to capture the physical and mental devastation that World War II brought to Poland. Not a movie you'd go to on a first date, to be sure. Throughout the harrowing first half of the movie, we see the humanity of the ghettoized Jews reduced by degrees until their lives have become as meaningless and disposable as those of cattle. There are some brutal scenes of schockingly callous violence perpetrated by German soldiers, but the violence itself isn't even the worst part. The systematic denial of humanity that enabled such senseless mass killing is much worse, especially since we still see this going on in various conflicts today. And unfortunately, you can't remind yourself that it's just a movie. As reviewers more eloquent than I have pointed out, protagonist Wladyslaw Spzilman isn't even really a hero. Those Jews smart enough to realize their impending fate and brave enough to fight back are killed just like the rest. His experiences during the German occupation of Poland don't constitute a tale of heroism so much as they illustrate the power of man's primal urge to survive. Once Spzilman goes into hiding with the help of a few good Samaritans, nothing much happens; by then the psychological damage has been done anyway. The prevailing failing of this second hour is one of the overwhelming emptiness that characterizes a country turned into a wasteland. By hiding out Spzilman has escaped the death camps, but his fight certainly isn't over. Not only does he have to worry about getting through the rest of the war in the most hostile environment imaginable, but there's a question that nagged at me throughout the movie: does Spzilman even manage to retain any of what made life worth living in the first place? How could anyone? That's why the famous late-movie piano-playing scene assumes such importance. When Spzilman plays for a sympathetic German officer, it's not only a moment of catharsis for the audience, it's a reaffirmation of his very humanity. In the end, "The Pianist" is worth watching, even if, like me, you may decide afterwards that you have no urge to see it again. If nothing else, it serves as an example of what can result from failure to acknowledge our shared humanity. That said, Polanski's portrayal of the Holocaust is surprisingly free of political correctness, making clear that there were good Germans and bad Jews to be found. Unfortunately, moral ambiguity is often in short supply in Hollywood, but this is hardly a Hollywood movie. It doesn't go down anywhere near that easily, which is part of what makes it so compelling.
Rating:
Summary: really strong film
Review: Adrien Brody was a Great selection for this very Gripping film about the Holocaust&everything going on.I Finally got to see it in all the way through&was very moved.Roman Polanski did a Great Job.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely perfect
Review: There have been many films on the Holocaust, but Roman Polanski's film about Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Polish Jewish pianist who survived against incredible odds, is probably the most perfect film on the subject I've seen. Szpilman is a real person, a talented pianist who played regularly on Warsaw Radio. His story is told in this film with a script that is economical of words, using action to show what Szpilman does to survive the Warsaw Ghetto, where many died of starvation, then being arbitrarily pulled out of line while boarding the cattle cars to Treblinka and being forced to hide in the city. He is befriended along the way, and finally by a most unlikely person. As we watch the horror of the Holocaust occurring in the background, we realize that Szpilman was the lucky pearl that rolled under the couch and was spared while so many others were consumed in the conflagration. Polanski shows himself to be one of the most masterful of directors, never lowering himself to shock or sentimentality. The sets, filmed in Germany's "Hollywood" Babelsberg, are phenomenally realistic. I've seen photos of Berlin after it was bombed; the scenes of the destruction of Warsaw are not exaggerated. The actors (including the well-known German television and film actor Thomas Kretschmann as a German officer) were well-cast and well-directed. Adrien Brody, as Szpilman, looks and acts the part of both a pianist of great talent and a malnourished fugitive from the Nazis, losing 30 pounds during the filming to depict the part accurately. This film is about as perfect as films can be. I recommend this to anyone who loves film and history.
Rating:
Summary: give it 6 stars
Review: You think you have it hard in life ? Look at this film and it will make you appriciate every breath you take. If you are against all odds, would you give up or keep on fighting for your life ? This is what the man in the movie did. He fought and never gave up. Brilliant movie, cast, story. A real tear jerker. Get the tissues and soak it in. Adrian Brody deserved the Oscar. A MASTERPIECE INDEED
Rating:
Summary: Holocaust as solo performance
Review: Holocaust, like any other historical horror, engulfed millions of lives. How does one do justice to a nightmare on such scale? Quantity of gory bloodshed won't suffice as countless anti-war movies have proven. The best way, perhaps, is what Spielberg chose for Schindler and Polanski chose for the Pianist. To give us a microcosm of this madness, thereby showing us the singularity and uniqueness of every human life and suffering while also challenging us to multiply the brutality by the millions. Polanski, less sentimental than Spielberg, meticulously follows the hero's growing isolation and disintegration. That pruning of all comfort, all privelege, all hope, yet finding at the core of humanity the will to live, to eat and sleep, seek warmth, and even fondly remember piano melodies, if only in the head, speaks of the deepest kind of optimism we can think of.
Especially interesting are the relationships between hunted Jews and friendly gentiles, presented in a manner far more complex and ambiguous than in usual formula of good vs bad.
Rating:
Summary: Better than "schindlers list"
Review: I did not like "Schindlers List". That movie was too Hollywood driven. "The Pianist", on the other hand was detailed, richly engaging and incredibly sad.
Adrien Brodie was the perfect choice as a Holocaust survivor in this true story of the horrific nature of WW2. Only Roman Polanski could make such a film. Over 3 hours in duration, but you will not notice because the film is so engaging, if not difficult to watch at times. The DVD itself is a must-own, along with "Sophie's Choice".
| 
