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The Pianist

"The Pianist" is a movie that leaves me in that undefined grey area of trying to decide whether I like it or not. Technically well-made and efficient in its delivery of a powerful story (at least on paper, that is), Roman Polanski's much-praised film tells the story of Wladyslaw Szpilman (Adrien Brody), a Polish concert musician whose life was overturned by the Nazi regime in the later years of World War II. After seeing his family taken from him while he was given the chance to survive, Szpilman would go on to incur the aide of various German friends before being left to fend for himself in the staggering ruins of the Warsaw ghetto, after which he would go on to live until the age of 88. ***

Polanski's film, which has drawn numerous comparison's to Steven Speilberg's incendiary "Schindler's List," strives for greatness with every fiber of its being, and you can practically feel the strain coming from behind these images. The filmmakers have outdone themselves in their re-creation of the location and the events, with a production design that is as meticulous as it is gorgeous to behold. But as far as drawing the viewer into the experience on an emotional level, I must say that Polanski has no hope of succeeding here, and maybe that was his intention, as he largely focuses more on what Szpilman sees rather than how it affects him emotionally. We see a number of cold-blooded killings, the devastation of an entire city, the ruin of Germany in the wake of the Nazi downfall, but it all seems to have very little impact, at least for me. ***

This objectivity in regards to the horrors of the Holocaust poses a large problem for the film: if we cannot relate to the characters on a human level (i.e. an emotional connection), then we have no hope of experiencing these events as they did. Speilberg may have been searching for our tears in his quest to keep his masterpiece as moving as it was, but at least he had the good knowledge to realize that we must see something in the characters in order to go along for the journey. Even Tim Blake Nelson, whose film "The Grey Zone" received almost no attention theatrically, managed to become one of the all-time greats simply by bringing us into its characters, and by extension, it's absolutely blinding power. Polanski refuses to do this, and as a result, we're left with a movie that feels more like a retread of old ideals and events than a true story of human courage and survival. "The Pianist," although well-made, simply lacks a powerful narrative.

The 1.85:1 anamorphic image for "The Pianist" ranks as a very good transfer with very little flaws. Much of the film is filled with subdued colors and tones, and so saturation works according to the intended stylistic effect. Fleshtones are accurate in this respect, and there are no signs of bleeding or noise. Contrast works wonders in accentuating the movie's darker moments flawlessly, while shadow detail and blacks are extremely well-rendered throughout. Edges are sharp albeit with a handful of enhancement halos, while small object detail is exquisitely rendered. The source print is in fine shape, so no scratches or spots are present here. ***

The sound is mastered in both DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks, and both are very lush and active. Surrounds come alive with the score, which is ambient and translucent, while the film's scenes of battle and fighting are punctuated by some clean activity from the low end. Dialogue sounds natural throughout, and channel separation is very nice, if not completely necessary during the film's entire. Atmospheric noises are especially well-done here: at times the rears faintly exude the deafening silence that surrounds the main character. In terms of choosing DTS or Dolby, the former has the upper hand in terms of balance between the high and low ends, but should you not have that option, then the Dolby works just fine.