The Pianist

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The Pianist

R

2002

2h 28m

History

Drama

War

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

95%

Tomatometer

186 Reviews

96%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

In this adaptation of the autobiography "The Pianist: The Extraordinary True Story of One Man's Survival in Warsaw, 1939-1945," Władysław Szpilman, a Polish Jewish radio station pianist, sees Warsaw change gradually as World War II begins. Szpilman is forced into the Warsaw Ghetto, but is later separated from his family during Operation Reinhard. From this time until the concentration camp prisoners are released, Szpilman hides in various locations among the ruins of Warsaw.

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Critics Consensus

Well-acted and dramatically moving, The Pianist is Polanski's best work in years.

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Wendy Ide

The Times (UK)

08/29/2022

Starved to skin and bone, Adrien Brody gives a mesmerising performance as Wladyslaw Szpilman...

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

12/28/2010

5/5

True story of a Jewish pianist; OK for older kids.

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Geoff Andrew

Time Out

02/09/2006

Old-fashioned in both visual and narrative style and in its overall restraint, the film clearly benefits from the director's first-hand knowledge of the territory.

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Sloan Freer

Radio Times

Nov 11

4/5

By avoiding the simplistic and manipulative clichés of good and evil usually found in Holocaust films, Polanski has added a new layer of understanding to the cinematic depictions of the period.

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Adrían Massanet

Espinof

02/27/2024

5/5

Polanski embeds here and there, memories of his childhood and horrifying details that feel accurate and authentic, and which provide a moving and extremely raw dimension to a film whose darkness is unforgettable. [Full review in Spanish]

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

05/06/2023

This is not a portrait of war heroism (though he never does anyone ill by accident or by design) but of primal survival instincts and Brody sheds all of his actor’s instincts to show Szpilman slowly slide into animalistic self-preservation.

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Chris C

@chrisc5 5d

Based on personal experiences of Szpilman and Polanski. Polanski is a brilliant director and this film portrays the madness of war like few others do. It takes place in Poland during WWII into which it was drawn by its horrible, incredibly stupid politicians who then fled to London leaving their countrymen under a savage, murderous German Nazi occupation. You get to see glimpses of the Warsaw ghetto uprising of 1943 and then the suicidal general Warsaw uprising of 1944 (started by the Polish leaders in London, acting on Churchill's orders who needed a distraction for the Germans from Normandy), followed by a complete city obliteration by the Germans who on Hitler's personal orders murdered 200,000 civilians and burned the city to the ground. Poland was the most devastated country of WWII, 100% of its population destined for extermination by the Nazis. They succeeded 1/3 of the way there. That is the backdrop of this film.

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Chris B

@Papa13070 Aug 12

This is a truly heart-wrenching story of one man whose family gets perished in the Holocaust and about his survival over solitude, deprivation, starvation and terror while in hiding during the Nazi occupation. In my opinion it is one of the finest depictions of the holocaust. This movie came close to Schindlers list in depicting the horrors of Holocaust. Brody puts in a marvelous and utterly touching performance. The story depicts the emotional and cultural breakdown of persecuted Jewish community as Nazi policy tightens around them. Excellent acting by Brody.

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Erick mora F

@Morita27 Aug 10

I loved the piano songs and the contrast with the hopelessness of the war.

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Priyanshu R

@Rockstar1339450 Jul 20

I always gone stand with Jewish and hindu people

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Biff M

@Crazytrain Jul 16

A brilliant retelling of the horrors of the Holocaust and WWII from one of the survivors

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Graham O.

@goczki Jun 26

Has to be one of my favorite movies of all time. Watch yourself to feel what is happening in the movie fully.

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Synopsis

In this adaptation of the autobiography "The Pianist: The Extraordinary True Story of One Man's Survival in Warsaw, 1939-1945," Władysław Szpilman, a Polish Jewish radio station pianist, sees Warsaw change gradually as World War II begins. Szpilman is forced into the Warsaw Ghetto, but is later separated from his family during Operation Reinhard. From this time until the concentration camp prisoners are released, Szpilman hides in various locations among the ruins of Warsaw.

Director: Roman Polanski
Producer: Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde
Screenwriter: Wladyslaw Szpilman, Ronald Harwood
Distributor: Focus Features
Production Co: Miramax
Rating: R (Violence|Brief Strong Language)
Genre: History, Drama, War
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 27, 2002, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $17.8K
Runtime: 2h 28m
Sound Mix: Surround

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