Hey folks, Harry here... While THE TWO TOWERS may be my favorite film of 2002 thus far, the best I've seen is THE PIANIST. I still have CHICAGO, CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND, FAR FROM HEAVEN, ANTWONE FISHER and THE HOURS to see this year, before I can say that definitively, but right now I'd say its in a damn good position to be my pick of the year. Simply, it is one of the most powerful films I've seen in modern cinema and contains the best story put to celluloid this year. Here's another praise of the film...
Hey Harry..I certainly didn’t expect to chime in with another review so soon but after reading your review of the Pianist, I was moved to also share my opinion. I caught the film at its Manhattan premiere the other night and would just like to share a few thoughts and help spread the word on this captivating film.
For a bit of background, I come into this film as someone who greatly respects the work of Roman Polanski, but if I were to somehow drum up a list of my fave films of all time (which is always an impossible task for me, figuring out a way to make sense of a list that contains Airplane, The Godfather, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Fast Times at Ridgemont High doesn’t quite work for me) none of Polanski’s classics would be near the heights of that list. Well, that would be until now.
The Pianist is a film I would have trouble immediately watching again, but my viewing experience will be one that I will have trouble ever forgetting and I found the film to be among the most moving that I can ever remember seeing. There are so many painful moments of random atrocities depicted in the film that I found myself often grimacing and turning from the screen in saddened disgust. I have met a few holocaust survivors in my lifetime and there are no words that can describe the level of awe/respect/care that I believe every person on this planet should have for them, or for any innocent victim of war now that I truly think about it. In any event, Polanski’s goal isn’t to shock us…he uses the Warsaw Ghetto setting of this film as the backdrop to tell a somewhat magical tale of human perseverance, and I can tell you that although the movie is apparently nearly 2 * hours, this viewer was completely mesmerized from beginning to end. Adrien Brody gives a spellbinding performance as Wladyslaw Szpilman, and a performance that is most impressive for its physical nature. For the better part of the last hour of the film, Mr. Brody acts with his eyes and every part of his body but not with dialogue. I agree with Harry and certainly hope that this film gets all the recognition it deserves from THOSE PEOPLE who give awards out. But you know what, none of that matters, this film is now a permanent record and will hopefully live on to captivate future generations.
There are many moments in this film that will linger in my mind for a long time, but I think the one moment I’d like to mention (without being too spoiler-ific…though its tough to spoil a film that is based on an autobiography…I mean he lives people!) is when The Pianist finally gets to play the piano again after years of not being able to paint the ivories with his magical touch (and this includes a painful scene where The Pianist is actually hiding out in an apartment that contains a piano, yet because he is in hiding and can’t make noise, he is unable to ever truly use it). At first, the Pianist is tentative, his fingers remembering what they are capable of. Before you know it, he is playing a composition so wonderful, so moving that many people in the audience around me were moved to tears. I just sat there in awe…forgetting I was at a movie and rejoicing that this incredibly talented man I was watching portrayed on screen was able to once again fulfill his destiny. The scene I am describing is even more moving than any words can describe, given the setting the Pianist is playing in and the audience he is playing for which makes this show-stopping performance almost literally a command performance. It is also not coincidental that for a film titled the Pianist, the scene I am describing is the only one to my memory in which a full composition is played from start to finish and which is made all the more effective in that the viewer hasn’t heard an ounce of piano since early in the film.
As much as I’m looking forward to seeing The Two Towers, Gangs of New York, Catch Me if You Can, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, etc, etc, I cant imagine any of those holiday films surpassing the excellence of this film. Do yourselves a favor and do not overlook this film when it hits your neighborhood. You won’t necessarily leave the theater happy, but you will likely leave feeling more moved and fulfilled by your film-going experience than you have in a long long time. I for one am so grateful that Roman Polanski was able to share this story.
Peace,
Jake Ryan
