The Pianist UK/FRANCE/GERMANY 2002 (148′)- Dir.: Roman Polanski. With Adrien Brody, Daniel Caltagirone, Thomas Kretschmann. Official site | 
The Pianist is the reflection of the true story of Polish Pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman, who survived the Second World War by basically hiding five years in besieged Warschau. Polanski mixed it with some of his own experiences in the ghetto. It is hard to get an insight in Szpilman’s character. He seems scared of the world around him, only interested in playing the piano. His survival is more a matter of luck, than a real choice.
The film is full of special effects, but the interesting thing is that you don’t notice them. The 3D artists did a remarkable job in recreating the city of Warschau in wartime. It is very hard to notice the matte paintings. The Pianist is a good and integer film. It is also Polanski’s best film since Bitter Moon. But whether it deserved this years Golden Palm in Cannes can be argued…
