The Pianist

Dir: Roman Polanski: USA 2002 (149 mins)

Evoking his own childhood experiences in the Krakow ghetto, Roman Polanski laid some personal ghosts to rest with this poignant Holocaust drama based on the memoirs of the Jewish pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman. Events are seen through the eyes of Szpilman who escaped the Warsaw Ghetto as deportations to the death camps began, but witnessed its systematic destruction while in hiding. By avoiding the simplistic and manipulative clichés of many Holocaust films, Polanski adds a new laying of understanding to the cinematic depictions of the period. (This film follows on from the 27 January 2024 Holocaust Memorial Day and given the subject matter contains scenes of brutality and violence).

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