The Pianist
By Karen Perdomo
Walking home one evening some young boys pursued by German guards tried to crawl under a wall. Desperately trying to help one of the children, a man has been one from the other side but was being dragged by a Nazi. When he finally pulled him out, the kid was dead. This is one of the most representative scenes of the “The Pianist”, a film that best represents the Drama genre because of its character development and vivid description of the Holocaust (Film Journal International).
The first mark of excellence in drama is that it includes a real life story. “The Pianist” tells a true story about a Polish Jew, who survived in WWII. Szpilman is a tall, handsome man who was appreciated for the way he played the piano in public radio. He lives with his family in Central Warsaw when the Nazis infiltrate and the Jews are set apart and slowly exterminated. In 1940, Szpilman alone has avoided the trains to the concentration camps. His struggle to survive takes place in abandoned apartments with the piano music that inspires him (“The Pianist”).
Equally important in a Drama is the credibility of the characters. Adrien Brody is very good in the role. Before filming the movie, he had to lose weight to make it look more real because he plays Szpilman, who is struggling to escape. Adrien understands his acting and the story about surviving. Brody gives an excellent performance that deserves the awards he has received (Apollo Guide).
An excellent Drama typically delivers music in its own distinctive manner. The dramatic value of this film is enhanced by the use of the piano and Chopin. Szpilman passionately plays Chopin while he shows his journey through the Holocaust. Even though there is an explosion, he does not quit playing. He wants to continue despite the chaos showing his passion for the music (Washington Post).
“Music was his passion, survival was his masterpiece”(Mark Savlov). Trapped in an apartment where he must make no sound, Szpilman has the fortune to discover there is a piano in the next room. He opens the piano and starts to play. Then we see he is playing the piano while his sad face shows he is remembering the times when he used to play for the radio.
The most effective scenes in a Drama film are the small and vivid moments. The scenes from this touching drama make the audience understand once more how horrific the Holocaust was. From the window of their apartment the Szpilman family watches as their neighbor across the street, an old man in a wheelchair, is thrown out of a window to the street below before shooting the other family members .The episode is horrible and the impact increases when the army German attacks (Austin Chronicle).
The same sense of emotional intensity can be seen at other points. For example, when the Szpilman family was herded into a courtyard before their deportation, there is a woman who suffocated her child while trying to keep him quiet as the Germans were searching for them (Ozus’ World Movie Reviews).
Language and dialogue move the plot and action along, provides exposition, and defines the distinct characters in a Drama. Director Polanski has the Polish Jews speak English. The Germans, however, speak German, which makes “The Pianist” one of the most detailed and shocking Dramas because of the treatment of the Jews by the Nazis. To illustrate this point, in one scene the Jews are put in a row after being taken out from their dorms. There is a young lady that does not understand what the German says and after she asks him what he said he just shoots her in the forehead. That scene intensifies the suspense and powerlessness as the Jew does not understand what the German wants, or what is going on, and we as the audience do not know what the German’s reaction is going to be.
“The Pianist” takes its place as one of the best dramas yet made about the Holocaust because of its vivid scenes based on a true story, credibility of the characters, and music delivered by the use of the Piano. However, some people may not consider “The Pianist” as the best drama and say that it is just one more holocaust movie, and that such human misery does not entertain people. Nevertheless, “The Pianist” is a true story seen from a dramatic personal point of view showing the horrors of the Holocaust and also the music that gave him the strength to stay alive until the end.