Emma Weinstein

March 2, 2019

Red Group

The Pianist ​Cinematic Analysis

Part A

Humans, by nature, are neither completely good nor completely evil, despite behavioral

extremes. The renowned 2002 film, ​The Pianist​, follows the story of Polish Jew Wladyslaw

Szpilman during the German invasion of Poland in the 1940s. Szpilman’s journey is one of

survival, not of heroism, and, through his persistence in saving his own life, he exemplifies the

multi-faceted essence of humanity, defying the traditional tale heroism in the face of tragedy.

The film opens on Szpilman playing piano for Polish radio when he is halted by nearby

bombs due to the German invasion of Poland. Germany quickly emerges victorious, initiating a

series of injustices against the Jewish population that results in Szpilman and his family being

transferred to the Warsaw ghetto in late 1940. Within this environment of extreme cruelty, a

number of the Jewish captives become desperate, vying not to be the perfect person, but to stay

alive. In an early scene a man is shown stealing food from an elderly woman and then eating it

off the ground. Later, Szpilman interacts with an old acquaintance who has joined the Jewish

police within the ghetto, collaborating with Nazis in turn for a prolonged life. The same man also

saves Szpilman’s life by dragging him away from trains leading to death camps. These people

defy the idea that victims are always innocent, but simply a human under extreme pressure.

Szpilman occupies himself inside the ghetto in by organizing s a rebellion. These actions

may seem heroic, but Szpilman escapes the ghetto when given the chance, watching his uprising
fail from the window of a Polish friend. While living concealed in a safe house, fighting breaks

out across the street, forcing him to flee back to the ghetto, which, by then, is in rubble. Szpilman

survives barely, becoming weaker as time progresses. He is discovered by a nazi official who,

after questioning, asks Szpilman to play piano. The nazi spares him, instead bringing him

supplies. This instance of a nazi, a man who took part in the murder of millions of Jews, as a

benevolent force, is another showing of human complexity.

Finally Germany loses Poland and Szpilman is rescued, returning to his job as a pianist

and continuing his life, not as a hero of the Jewish people, but as a survivor of tragedy.

Part B

The pianist is set within Poland during the Holocaust, throughout German occupation of

Poland. The film is closely based of the true memoirs of Wladyslaw Szpilman and for that reason

upholds extreme historical accuracy while being a survival story that is “representative and

anomalous [of the Holocaust]...at once [recording] this all but unimaginable historical

catastrophe and, without intentional mendacity or inaccuracy, [distorting] it,” (Scott). The film is

unique in that is represents both a specific and encompassing part of the Holocaust. Although it

is the story of a singular man, throughout the film Szpilman comes into contact with a number of

events and people, without ever becoming a part of them. For example, his family is sent to death

camps, the Jews around him are murdered at random, the Warsaw riots fail, and he is caught by a

Nazi, yet he manages survival.

The film did very well across the globe is box offices, and to this day retains renown for

being considered to be one of the best Holocaust films (Mitchell). “​The Pianist​ is a weighty and

moving film. A genuine achievement,” and “ultimately defeated Steven Spielberg's admirable
and serious ‘'Schindler's List,’” (The Pianist, Scott). ​The Pianist​ is notable for portraying the

Holocaust with total accuracy while retaining a highly cinematic film,

Part C

The camera angles and lighting used in ​The Pianist​ weave an intricate and captivating

story. The opening shot, for example, is characterized by bright, sunny lighting as Szpilman

plays the piano still untroubled by life in the ghetto or the complete destruction of life as he

knows it. All of the ghetto scenes are lit dimly, casting a grey hue over everything. Even when

Szpilman escaped the ghetto does the light become brighter, continuing the direct correlation

between the lighting and the location and circumstances of the protagonist.

Camera angles also come into play, varying between wide shots that make Szpilman

seem small in the face of danger, and closer zooms that draw the audience deeper in the film.

One of the bleakest moments in the film depicts Szpilman wandering down the complete

wreckage of the Warsaw ghetto, looking almost ghostlike. The camera here is zoomed far out,

inducing a sense of deep sadness. Wide angles are also used when Szpilman is looking in on

tragedy, drawing the viewer away from some events and into Szpilman’s mind. For example,

when Szpilman watches the murder of an entire apartment from his window across the street,

much like he watched the failure of the Warsaw Uprising or street fighting between the Germans

and Poles. The camera doesn’t zoom in here, staying from Szpilman’s point of view and keeping

the audience with him. Overall the cinematography tells a highly individual story from the view

of one man, rather than trying to take on all of the Holocaust.

 Works cited

Bradshaw, Peter. "The Pianist." ​The Guardian​, 23 Jan. 2003, www.theguardian.com. Accessed 4

Mar. 2019.

Mitchell, Robert. "The Pianist Strikes a Chord at the Box Office." ​ScreenDaily,​ 3 Oct. 2002,

www.screendaily.com. Accessed 4 Mar. 2019.

Scott, A. O. "Film Review; Surviving the Warsaw Ghetto against Steep Odds." ​The New York

Times,​ 27 Dec. 2002, www.nytimes.com. Accessed 4 Mar. 2019.