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Roman Polanski is perhaps more infamous in the United States as the
widower of Sharon Tate and for his guilty plea for statutory rape in
the seventies. The latter led to the threat of a draconian 50-year
sentence – Polanski decided to leave the country.
I imagine that few people immediately said, “oh, he’s the guy that
directed ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ and ‘Tess’” when asked what they knew
about Roman Polanski.
Well, after “The Pianist,” I can’t imagine people not remembering
that he’s a brilliant director. (For the record, the woman involved
in the charge is a happily married mother of three that harbors no
ill feelings towards Mr. Polanski.)
The Pianist is the true story of Wladyslaw Spzilman, a Polish
pianist of considerable talent. Spzilman should have been remembered
for his passionate interpretation of Chopin, but circumstance did
not hold such a simple life for him. It was the unfortunate luck of
being a Jew at a time when Nazis were taking over Poland that would
not allow him to simply be an excellent pianist.
“The Pianist” is at its best in documenting the small actions that
eventually lead to the grand sweeps that we’re taught about The
Holocaust. If we went to good schools, we’re aware of the
relocations, we’re aware of the ghettos, we’re aware of the
concentration camps and we’re aware that there were some survivors.
But even in the best schools, it is finding the details in these
sweeps that become difficult. Polanski’s films detail the tiny steps
that make up the broad sweeps while telling the compelling story of
a man that should simply have been famous for playing Chopin.
Spzilman’s story is different in that it is not so much about an
active defying of the odds in order to survive. It is simply the
story that was the story of so many other people – one that depends
largely on circumstance, luck, opportunity and the ability to
recognize that things have aligned for the slightest moment in time.
This is not an uncommon story, but is one that is very difficult to
tell.
“The Pianist” is most brilliant when it seems that Spzilman does not
understand the true nature of the world around him. When a café
prominently displays a “No Jews” sign, he proclaims that standing on
the street is perfectly fine. As more restrictions are placed upon
he and his family, Spzilman appears to go along with each, convinced
that each restriction will be the last. In the ghetto, Spzilman
obtains a job in a restaurant playing the piano – again seemingly
convinced that this is the worst of it all. Event after event
unfolds like this for Spzilman, and it is only once the trains begin
to leave and he is spared by an impulsive act that the gravity of
his situation begins to take shape. For the reset of the film, it is
Spzilman in small, desperate moves and compromises that his desire
to survive takes shape. Even within the confines of these acts,
there are still acts of pure luck (good and bad) that seem to take
over where one might expect to see a story of sheer will.
The Usual:
What It’s Worth: Full-price admission.
Main Reason To See This Film: While there are many small stories yet
to be told about the Holocaust, it’s victims, it’s villains and it’s
survivors – this is the film that you will always look back at this
film as the one that did it the best.
Main Reason Not To See This Film: You’re impatient and decide that
the slow pacing of the film is, well, slow.
Rating: R
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