Pianist is a war film directed by Roman Polanski, written by Ronald Harwood, and starring Adrian Brody, Emilia Fox, Thomas Kleschmann, Ed Stopard, and others. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 24, 2002 and was released in France on September 25 of the same year. The film is adapted from the autobiography of Polish Jewish composer and pianist Varadislau Spearman. It tells the story of pianist Varadislau Spearman who, during the Nazi invasion of Poland, endured hardships and escaped exile. With the help of a German military officer, he regained his freedom and continued to pursue his dream of music.
Pianist is a war film directed by Roman Polanski, written by Ronald Harwood, and starring Adrian Brody, Emilia Fox, Thomas Kleschmann, Ed Stopard, and others. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 24, 2002 and was released in France on September 25 of the same year.
The film is adapted from the autobiography of Polish Jewish composer and pianist Varadislau Spearman. It tells the story of pianist Varadislau Spearman who, during the Nazi invasion of Poland, endured hardships and escaped exile. With the help of a German military officer, he regained his freedom and continued to pursue his dream of music.
The film won the Palme d'Or in the main competition section of the 55th Cannes Film Festival in 2002. Subsequently, in February 2003, he was nominated for Best Picture at the 75th Academy Awards [26] and received the Best Picture award at the 56th British Academy of Motion Picture and Television Arts Awards
As a genius composer and pianist, Varadislau Spearman persisted in performing live on the radio before the Nazi occupation. However, during those days of white terror, he was constantly under the threat of death and had to hide everywhere to avoid falling into the clutches of the Nazis. He suffered from hunger and various humiliations in the Jewish quarter of Warsaw. Here, even when all the things he loves have to give up, he still lives tenaciously. He evaded a carpet like search and hid in the ruins of the city. Fortunately, his musical talent moved a German military officer. With the officer's brave protection, the pianist finally survived the end of the war and welcomed the dawn of freedom. His courage earned him rich rewards, and with the help of everyone, he found the art he truly loved
In London, there were over 1400 male actors auditioning for the role of Valladislaus Szpilman, but the directors were not satisfied. Eventually, Roman Polanski found actor Adrian Brody, who was filming the movie "The Necklace Incident". When they first met in Paris, Polanski thought he was the best candidate.
Adrian Brody sold his house and car to play this role and went to France alone to shoot the film. During the seven or eight weeks of filming, he practiced the piano for four hours a day and even went on a diet to fit the character's image. As someone who was 183cm tall, he lost 30 kilograms and ended up weighing only 61 kilograms.
A man was waiting on the street to cross the street when he complained that a non Jewish street had been built in the Jewish quarter, and this voice was from Roman Polanski.
Usually, German military officers use informal language such as "you" ("du", etc.) when talking to Jews, which can indicate their attitude (you cannot say this to adult strangers); But Holsenfel often uses more polite formal language ("Sie", etc.) because this is his own personal feeling.
This is the first film to win the Caesar Best Film Award (French National Film Award) without any French language in it.
Several scenes in the film are related to the experiences of director Polanski. The strange twisted body of a woman who was executed by the Nazis was once witnessed by Polanski himself; The black window of the Jewish hiding place is Polanski's personal experience; Schipperman's survival motto "Walk, don't run" was a warning from Polanski's father to his son.
Pianist was once introduced to mainland China, but it only grossed 100000 yuan in four days. Due to the lack of early promotion in the film, many Beijing audiences were unaware of the release of such a movie
The Pianist is adapted from the memoir of Wladyslaw Szpilman published in 1946. Spiman was a well-known pianist in the Polish radio and coffee shop circles during the Nazi occupation in the 1930s. In September 1939, when Warsaw was subjected to brutal bombing, the Polish radio station lost the voice of its announcers, and only a young pianist played Chopin's nocturnes. Six years later, broadcasting resumed and the same piece was played, with the performer being the same pianist - Speiman. During this time, Speyman escaped the fate of going to Auschwitz concentration camp and instead wandered on the streets of Warsaw, struggling to survive in Jewish settlements, comforting his fellow citizens who lived in fear every day with the sound of the piano. With the help of a sympathetic German officer, Speiman finally waited for the day when the Nazis were driven away, while the officer himself died in a prisoner of war camp.
Director Polanski was born in France, but went to Poland with his parents two years before the outbreak of World War II. He stated that he had always wanted to make a movie describing the Holocaust, but was always waiting for the best script. In the end, he found this touching plot in this memoir. He hopes that his films will be as close to reality as possible, rather than typical Hollywood style films
American actor Adrian Brody, when discussing his experience as a pianist, said that he saw an advertisement for the film in a London newspaper to apply. The requirement for casting was to be able to play the piano. Adrian Brody was already able to play the piano and had taken piano classes in college. Eventually, he seized the opportunity to become the protagonist of the film. Adrian Brody said he tightened his pants to play Valladislaw. He believes that the nature of the film makes him feel a great responsibility to play this role well. The director made Adrian Brody hungry for a while and insisted that he lose a lot of weight, so they could start filming from those hungry scenes. And the German officer who made Valladislaus survive was played by German actor Thomas Klitzmann. For his performance in the film, he believes that he benefited greatly from Polanski's help
The camera of "The Pianist" is clear and considerate, gently caressing the pianist's melancholic face, nervously watching the corpses on the street, and calmly watching life shatter in an instant. Life is so sweet, yet so fragile. The film is intertwined with many unforgettable scenes, circulating scenes of real existentialist life and death dramas. (Nanjing Morning Post Review)
In the film, although Spearman narrowly escaped death time and time again with the help of various friends and strangers, in that group of people, human nature is not always simple and great. The Pianist showcases how the environment shapes people, allowing them to grow or distort in a chaotic world where only terror, loneliness, and instincts remain. The impact of war on human souls exceeds the imagination of the audience. What's even more valuable is that the film's shots are extremely calm and objective, avoiding all accusations and sensationalism. (Review by China Science Daily)
The Pianist has numerous characters who exhibit various behaviors in war, profoundly portraying the complex expression of human nature in war. War has destroyed the world, but the complexity and changes of human nature are highlighted in this desperate situation. (Sohu Entertainment Review)
The Pianist presents a condensed history of Jewish suffering. As a director of Jewish descent, Polanski did not exaggerate and vent his own national emotions, but calmly demonstrated the tragic history with extremely restrained and objective lens. The audience kept the same perspective with the pianist, and joined him in Xizang to survive in the cruel environment and experience the war
