The Pianist follows the real-life survival tale of concert pianist and Polish Jew Szpilman in Warsaw during World War II. It evokes an almost flawless sense of time and place. What starts as a family trying to maintain normalcy in trying circumstances gradually transforms into a desperate fight for survival as they realize the gravity and extent of the situation. The atmosphere was riveting and captivating. The movie held your attention because you had no idea what might happen next; people could get murdered in the blink of an eye, for any reason or lack thereof. There are many horrifying scenes that stay in the memory: a wheelchair-bound man who cannot get up to salute the Germans, a woman who asks a simple question, and a man about to be killed when the officer runs out of bullets. One of these moments reminded me of Rear Window. Watching, we are stricken with guilt because of both our own morbid curiosity and our inability to help out. The editing and advancement of the plot were exceptionally naturalistic. The music, although not as prolific as I thought it would be in a movie named The Pianist, was quite good when it appeared.
The cinematography was slightly above average, but nothing worth noting. At 140 minutes, it overstayed its welcome. It felt even longer because of the dense nature of the material being presented. The acting was not bad, but I felt it was a bit over-hyped. And Adrien Brody's nose is simply too big. Overall, it's not really my cup of tea, but it's an exceptional movie of one man's survival against brutality and malice.IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0253474/