Film Excess - Free Ukraine - Stop Putin - End the war NOW!!: The Pianist (2002)

6/13/2023

The Pianist (2002) - Polanski's devastating Holocaust story

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The Star of David armband imposed by the Nazis on the Jews hover ominously atop two hands creating music on this poster for Roman Polanski's The Pianist

Wladyslaw Spielman was a Polish Jew, but foremost a pianist, whose family was deported from Warsaw during the Nazi horrors of World War II. He himself managed, with the help of a German army captain, thanks to his musical talent, luck and an incredible drive to survive, to live through the destruction of the city.

The Pianist is written by Ronald Harwood (The Dresser (1983)), based on the same-titled 1946 autobiography by Wladyslaw Spielman, and directed by French-born Polish master filmmaker Roman Polanski (Knife in the Water/Nóz w wodzie (1962)), whose 16th feature it is.

It is a good and hard film, which nevertheless avoids becoming unbearable in the depicted general degradation and cruelty of the war by clinging to this one man's tragic fate. Polanski leads us surely through the atrocities with beautiful piano music.

Adrien Brody (Peaky Blinders (2017, TV-series)) acts skillfully as Spielman, with Thomas Kretschmann (Westworld (2020, TV-series)) as the German. The production design commendably recreates the staggering decline of Warsaw. As often before the inability of the Jews to stand up to and overpower the mighty Nazis is frustrating.

2011 in films - according to Film Excess
Carnage (2011) - Polanski castigates modern parents in great play adaptation
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess
The Ghost Writer/The Ghost (2010) - A master at work

Oliver Twist (2005) - Polanski flops bigtime with respectable adaptation

The Ninth Gate (1999) - Class and atmosphere galore in underrated Polanski thriller
Chinatown (1974) - Polanski's masterpiece

Top 10: Best UK movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Film Excess' 7th birthday movie masterpiece: The Fearless Vampire Killers/Dance of the Vampires (1967) - Witness Polanski's incredible, underrated Gothic horror comedy
Cul-de-Sac (1966) - Edge-of-the-world island tale meanders at times, but is ultimately a winner
Two Men and a Wardrobe/Dwaj Ludzie z Szafą (1958, short) - Polanski's remarkable, surreal short

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 35 mil. $

Box office: 120 mil. $

= Box office success (returned 3.42 times its cost)

[The Pianist premiered 24 May (Cannes Film Festival, main competition) and runs 150 minutes. Polanski reportedly wanted Joseph Fiennes for Spielman, who turned it down in favor of a theater job. He then auditioned 1,400 actors before settling on Brody. 16 production companies and support bodies cooperated in the financing and making of the film. Shooting took place from February - July 2001 in Germany and Poland, including in Warsaw. The film opened #44 to a 111k $ first weekend in 4 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #11 and in 842 theaters (different weeks), grossing 32.5 mil. $ (27.1 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Japan with 24.5 mil. $ (20.4 %) and France with 9.3 mil. $ (7.8 %). The film was nominated for 8 Oscars, winning 3: For Best Director, Actor (Brody) and Adapted Screenplay. It lost Best Picture to Chicago, Cinematography (Pawel Edelman (Afterimage (2016)) to Conrad L. Hall for Road to Perdition, Costume Design to Chicago and Editing also to Chicago. It also won 2/7 BAFTA nominations, was nominated to 2 Golden Globes, won a David di Donatello award, 7/10 César awards, 1/4 European Film award nominations, the Palme D'Or at Cannes, a National Board of Review award and many other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 3.5/4 star review, equal in rating to this one. IMDb's users have rated the film in at #33 on the site's Top 250 list, sitting between Spirited Away (2001) and Psycho (1960). Polanski returned with Oliver Twist (2005). Brody returned in The Singing Detective (2003); Kretschmann in 24 (2003, TV-series) and theatrically in My Father/My Father, Rua Alguem 5555 (2003). The Pianist is certified fresh at 95 % with an 8.20/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

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William Friedkin has died

Born in Chicago, Friedkin accrued TV credits prior to his advance to the big screen as the director of Good TImes (1967), The Birthday Party (1968), The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968) and The Boys in the Band (1970) before his major breakthrough, The French Connection (1971), for which he won his only Oscar. He followed it up with the even bigger smash, The Exorcist (1973), arguably the best horror film of all time, for which he was Oscar-nominated. Later credits include Sorcerer (1977), Cruising (1980), To Live and Die in L.A. (1985), Rampage (1987), Rules of Engagement (2000), Killer Joe (2011) and The Devil and Father Amorth (2017, documentary). Friedkin passed away at age 87. R.I.P.

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Film Excess - Free Ukraine - Stop Putin - End the war NOW!!

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6/13/2023

The Pianist (2002) - Polanski's devastating Holocaust story

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