The Pianist (DVD 2004)

This DVD ( in my opinion ) is just as good as schindlers list if not better! Where schindlers list focuses on the whole of WW2 .... The Pianist focuses on 1 person. You get to see lots of things happen not just to do with that one person, but it really goes into depth with that one person. it shows you how a family life would be like in World War 2. It also shows ( in the 2 disc edition ) lots of other things. it shows a Documentary " a story of survival". This is very sad but very informative. Most DVD reviewers rate it a 4 star , some do give a 5 star! it does deserve that! it really is an unforgettable film.

I can remember when this film came out I was adamantly against seeing it. I had my preconceived notions that it would be some other heroic Jewish Holocaust film where good triumphs over evil and in between we would see some brutal atrocities committed by the Germans to add some flavour.

How wrong I was.

This is one of the best films I have ever seen and what it did to me I cannot describe in words. But in a nutshell, it moved me, made me cry, made me feel like I was in the Polish ghetto in 1940, and ultimately made me kiss the sidewalks as I walked out of the theater and thanked God that I live in the free society that I do.

Roman Polanski has proven that he is a great director with films like Chinatown and Rosemary's Baby but this is his crowning achievement. I think the fact that this won the awards that it did at this years Oscars goes a long way to validate the brilliance of this film. I believe that the Oscar's are rigged for the most part and films and actresses and such win based more on their pedigree or business associations than anything else, so when it won best actor and director and adapted screenplay this year, it tells you that it should have won best picture but the Weinsteins seem to have a spell over everyone, hence a charlatan like Chicago takes top prize. Sorry for the digression here but when you compare a "film" like Chicago to a masterpiece like The Pianist, there really is one clear cut winner. They handed out the statue to the wrong movie.

The Pianist follows up and coming piano player Wlad Spielzman from his days as a local hero to a prisoner of war to his time in the ghettos, surviving only by the kindness of strangers. I think many people have touched on this before but what makes this film so amazing and well crafted is because Spielzman is a man that we can all relate to. He is not a hero, he is not a rebel and he is not a kamikazee type that wants and lusts after revenge. He is a simple man that is doing everything in his power to stay alive. He is a desperate man and fears for his life and wants to stay as low as he can. Only from the succor he receives from others does he manage to live and breathe and eat and hide. And this is how I related to him. If put in his position, how would I react? Exactly the way he did. This is a man that had everything taken from him. His livelihood, his family, his freedom and almost his life. There is no time for heroics here. Adrien Brody embodies the spirit of Spielzman and his win at this years Oscars was one of the happiest moments I have had watching the festivities. His speech was even better but that is a topic for another time.

Ultimately it is his gift of music that perhaps saves his life and the final scene that he has with the German soldier is one of the best scenes I have ever seen in my entire life. There is so much emotion in his face, his hands, his music, his eyes that one can't help but realize that what Brody did in this film is give a performance of a lifetime and one for the ages.

I think Polanski spoke from the heart here. He has taken a palette of memories and amalgamated them with what he has read and given us one of the best films of our generation and any other. I think The Pianist will go down as one of the best films of this century and when all is said and done, Chicago will be forgotten the way Ordinary People was forgotten and when people talk about the film The Pianist, they will do so with reverence and respect.

THIS FILM IS VERY MOVING AND BASED ON A TRUE STORY, SET IN POLAND IN ITS CAPITAL WARSAW THE STORY FOLLOWS THE WAR TIME HORRORS FOR A FAMILY BASED IN THE GHETTO. ONE MAN WHO SURVIVES PLAYED THE PIANO BEFORE THE WAR AND HIS EFFORTS TO KEEP HIS FAMILY TOGETHER DURING THE NAZI'S REGIN OF TERROR. ALAS WHEN DEPORTATION TO THE CAMPS IS IMMINENT FOR HIS FAMILY IT CONTINUES AND FOLLOWS HIS PERSONAL SURVIVAL OUTSIDE OF THE GHETTO. THE IRONY OF THE STORY IS NOT LOST WHEN FINALLY SAFE HE IS ALMOST SHOT BY LIBERTATING RUSSIAN TROOPS AS HE IS WEARING A GERMAN OFFICES COAT.
I RECOMMEND THAT YOU PURCHASE THE 2 DISC DVD EDITION. BE CAREFUL LOTS OF THEM ARE ADVERTISED ON EBAY BUT ARE SOMETIMES THE SINGLE DISC EDITION. I ALWAYS SEND QUESTIONS TO SELLERS OF THIS DISC TO MAKE SURE BEFORE BIDDING.

A great film that can easily compared with classic films awarded by Grammy Awards. I believe most of us have heard a lot of good things about this film and I have personally seen it back 3 years ago. Through a conversation with a friend, it got me overly-tempted to watch the film again and knowing the fact that it is one of those films where no matter how many times you watch it, without doubt will you ever get bored of watching it. A film that reflects a truth that will forever touch your heart and leave a neverforgetting impression. Would definitely recommend it to anyone.

Tack

This is an unforgettable movie. It portrays the life of a pianist in war-torn Poland. There is no glamour, just the stark reality of the times. The final scenes are incredibly powerful.

I SEE THE FILM SOME YEARS AGO ALSO I HAVE INTREST IN WW1 & WW2 & WHEN ISEE IT WAS ON DVD IHAD TO HAVE IT [ TWO OFF EBAY 1ST ONE FAULTY ]

Unfortunately I only saw part of this brilliant film on television so I really needed to watch the rest of it. I would call it amazing romantic and sensual. One of the best films that I have seen.

This film is simply amazing - telling the story of a famous pianist, Szpilman, and his fight for survival against the Nazi invaders. I enjoyed Schindlers List, but personally I prefer The Pianist, as it is more gripping, more violent and horrifying, and pulls no punches...and one feels more empathy perhaps because the story follows one man on a long and painful journey, filled with horror, but also with moments of beauty. You share the man's fears and hopes, and the music provides a haunting score. Don't miss this one!

i love this film its very informative well made and i think educational for the kids at school.i had it once before and it was pinched,so i had to buy it again as its a true film and i collect all true programmes as they are apart of our history.i think more of these should be made and less fiction.

i had heard so much about the film that i decided to buy it and i'm glad i did i liked everything about it, it was a great film

I decided to buy this DVD because of my love for piano and had never seen the film till recently. At first I was a bit disappointed because of the lack of piano playing and found myself regretting having bought it. However, as time went on I found myself,.. taken,...as though a window in time opened and I was brought into a situation that required me to take on the emotion of self-preservation in the horror of a very real situation in that time, and place.
The emotion of the changing circumstances of utter despair left one coming to terms, whether we wanted to or not, with our own fears, grief, hatred, anger,hopelessness, helplessness and every other extreme emotion we can think of. Most of us can identify with a lot of these crises from time to time, but not many face the dead end dilemma of no hope in a dead-end street that stinks to high heaven with mans inhumanity to man. Some issues in life take on a new perspective and priorities begin to reassemble in an order of importance, where we place the things that really matter, when faced with death on a daily basis, where they should be. The sheer talent was amazing for Szpilman and one can appreciate the delightful talent of one so dedicated, but had such a genius been shot like so many others, or simply lived out a long and healthy life, we all face the inevitable and compels one to prioritize ones agendas. This film has a knack of showing us in a most stark way how we should live and to give the trivialities of life little place, and really,.. people matter. Each one of us have dreams and aspirations of various kinds and we matter, to each other, and our Maker. I have an ongoing desire these days to write a poem about four basic fading phrases: Please, Excuse me, Thank you, and Sorry, since the frenzy of human greed has blinded so many of us from our basic kindness to each other. It's only the extended hand to the deepest need of the suffering of our fellow man that has the greatest beauty, as this film so aptly portrays, even though the people that were in such circumstances were clothed in such mud and squalor, yet we are compelled to look into the heart and not the designer wear. At the end of the film where the german soldier meets Szpilman, and realistically has the choice whether to shoot him or let him live, sums up what I have been trying to say. There are no words to describe the atmosphere of this part of the film, the eyes and heart of these two opposites say it all. I guess love only seems greater, when placed right next to the worst kind of hatred, and to see love prevail with such an impact, gives us all hope.
Sometimes what's not said, has the most impact, especially amongst extreme circumstances. I am looking forward to watching the film again, if only to expose myself to a lesson in mercy to my fellow man, and also in an effort to overcome the cruelty of racism. To kill a human being, one is really killing oneself. Thank you for the opportunity to give this review. Best wishes to all.

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Excellent film, that express the darkness of the HOLLOCOST against the Jews in the World War 2, excellent actor who can explain more and more in the film, that you do not feel its just a film, you feel its REAL.

been looking for this film for agies i was delighted to find it on dvd while browsing though ebay thank you its a gret film

Great film, very moving and much superior to other films in the same vein. The acting was superb and the leading actor well deserved his oscar!

This film is a true story, it is about how 1 man managed to survive the Warsaw getto and the war even though he was a polish jew. In the end it partly down to a kind german officer who died in Russian custody.

The story really is a harrowing one, but it is a subject everyone should know about, 1 thing I have to complain about is the timeline, the story was throughout the war but I didn't get a feel for that in the film, it all seemed to happen very quickly, over months rather than years...

It will bring you to tears, when he looses his family and is alone it is so sad...

The film is a good (if not depressing) watch, but if you are really interested in the story I would recommend the book, as with all adaptations, this film did lose alot of the detail which is why I marked it down.

To me this is a classic film and I like all of the film,the reason I bought it was to have it in my collection of films

Heard about this film ..... gotta say What a fantastic film. If anybody enjoys 2nd WW films, then this is a must.

A really great Movie, portrays the plight of the Polish Jews in Warsaw during the 2nd World War viewed through the eyes of a Brilliant Pianist of the Era, stunning soundtrack - a delight for all Chopin lovers. A must have movie for all serious collectors of great films.

This film is brilliant but so sad aswell, there is things that we can only imagine...but this was really happening under the nazi reign. So many lost their lives just because of there religion under terrible conditions.
Its a must see film because it tells it as it really was!

If you liked Schindler's list and La Vita Bella you'll certainly like this. The pianoist is wonderfully played by Adrian Brody...a really quietly spoken and gifted musical genius who's talent is put on hold during the Nazi invasion of Warsaw in 1939. Very chilling, brutal and dramatic war footage ...not for the timid.

THE PIANIST is based on an autobiography by the Polish classical pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman.

Within minutes of the opening scene as Szpilman (Adrien Brody) is playing live over Warsaw radio, German bombs fall on the city. It's 1939, and the city's Jews, of whom the musician is one, are about to enter a long, dark night. In the first third of the film, Wladyslaw and his family - mother, father, and siblings - struggle to stay together and alive as the Nazi's anti-Semitic strictures become more rigorous. First, the mandated armbands with the Star of David. Then, the forced removal into the Warsaw Ghetto. Next, deportation unless one has a certificate of employment with a German business. And finally, deportation regardless in a railroad cattle car bound for Treblinka - trains that always came back empty.

In the last two-thirds of the film, Szpilman somehow manages to survive in Warsaw alone after having been separated from the rest of his family. But THE PIANIST isn't the story of a hero. Rather, Brody portrays an ordinary individual much like most of us, who, in this case, more or less passively allows chance and circumstance, brutality or kindness, good luck or bad to determine his fate. And not since SCHINDLER'S LIST have we seen such casual brutality perpetuated by the oppressors. In one scene, an old man is tipped from his wheelchair off a third floor balcony. In another, after every third or fourth man is ordered out of a Jewish work detail and made to lie face-down on the street, an SS thug shoots each in the head. As the killer pulls the trigger on the last in line, his pistol's firing pin clicks on empty, and the poor devil on the ground must listen and wait as another bullet clip is loaded. But innocence and evil are not cleanly separated by lines of nationality. Not all of Szpilman's fellow Poles are good, and not all the Germans are bad.

The excellence of Brody's understated and poignant performance is what elevates this film into the five-star class. Or, perhaps, four and a half. It remains a notch below SCHINDLER'S LIST in the power of its emotional impact. There were so many more scenes in the latter during which one might have been compelled to turn away in tears. Nevertheless, THE PIANIST is arguably a contender for the Best Picture Oscar, and it's certainly far and away superior to that other recent film concerning genocide - the well intentioned but confused ARARAT.

Movie is amazing one of the better movies i have watched and really enjoy.. I like war movies ...
Great price also...

The Pianist starts out in Warsaw in 1939. Wladyslaw Szpilman (Adrien Brody) is a gifted pianist who specialized in played Chopin pieces, which he did over Polish radio. He played the last live music heard over Polish radio airwaves before Nazi artillery hit. He and his family, including his father (Frank Finlay), his mother (Maureen Lipman), his older brother Henryk (Ed Stoppard), and his two sisters Regina (Julia Raynor) and Halina (Jessica Kate Meyer), are all captured and sent to the Warsaw ghetto. The Nazis then decide to exterminate some of the Jews in the ghetto, so they begin deporting them to the concentration camps. As he and his family are being loaded up on the trains to be shipped away to the camps, a former friend named Itzak Heller (Roy Smiles), now a Nazi collaborator working as an auxiliary police officer, saves him by pulling him out of the line. He spends the next couple of years moving from hideout to hideout, helped by Jewish sympathizers, including a cellist he had met earlier named Dorota (Emilia Fox), and a singer named Janina (Ruth Platt) with her husband Bogucki (Ronan Vibert.) He might have had a romance with Dorota, but the war got in the way. After he can’t make it to any more safe houses, he spends the last part of the war in the ruins of the Warsaw Ghetto. It is there he is confronted by a music-loving Nazi soldier named Captain Wilm Hosenfeld (Thomas Kretschmann), who helps Szpilman ride out the rest of the war after an impromptu performance given by the pianist.