list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around The Pianist on Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 http://www.spout.com/films/The_Pianist/208817/default.aspx Title: The Pianist
Year: 2002
Director: Roman Polanski
Plot: Filmmaker Roman Polanski, who as a boy growing up in Poland watched while the Nazis devastated his country during World War II, directed this downbeat drama based on the true story of a privileged musician who spent five years struggling against the Nazi occupation of Warsaw. Wladyslaw Szpilman (Adrien Brody) is a gifted classical pianist born to a wealthy Jewish family in Poland. The Szpilmans have a large and comfortable flat in Warsaw which Wladyslaw shares with his mother and father (Maureen Lipman and Frank Finlay), his sisters Halina and Regina (Jessica Kate Meyer and Julia Rayner), and his brother, Henryk (Ed Stoppard). While Wladyslaw and his family are aware of the looming presence of German forces and Hitler's designs on Poland, they're convinced that the Nazis are a menace which will pass, and that England and France will step forward to aid Poland in the event of a real crisis. Wladyslaw's naïveté is shattered when a German bomb rips through a radio studio while he performs a recital for broadcast. During the early stages of the Nazi occupation, as a respected artist, he still imagines himself above the danger, using his pull to obtain employment papers for his father and landing a supposedly safe job playing piano in a restaurant. But as the German grip tightens upon Poland, Wladyslaw and his family are selected for deportation to a Nazi concentration camp. Refusing to face a certain death, Wladyslaw goes into hiding in a comfortable apartment provided by a friend. However, when his benefactor goes missing, Wladyslaw is left to fend for himself and he spends the next several years dashing from one abandoned home to another, desperate to avoid capture by German occupation troops. The Pianist was based on the memoir of the same name by the real-life Wladyslaw Szpilman; the book was first published in 1946 as Death of a City, but was banned by Polish Communist officials and went out of print until 1998, when a new edition was issued as The Pianist. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 47
Number of Lists: 45
Number of blog posts: 3
Number of discussion threads: 2
SpoutRating: 4
]]>Sat, 15 Aug 2009 22:09:54 GMTThe Pianist2002Roman PolanskiFilmmaker <a href="/players/P___106743/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Roman Polanski</a>, who as a boy growing up in Poland watched while the Nazis devastated his country during World War II, directed this downbeat drama based on the true story of a privileged musician who spent five years struggling against the Nazi occupation of Warsaw. Wladyslaw Szpilman (<a href="/players/P_____8639/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Adrien Brody</a>) is a gifted classical pianist born to a wealthy Jewish family in Poland. The Szpilmans have a large and comfortable flat in Warsaw which Wladyslaw shares with his mother and father (<a href="/players/P____42619/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Maureen Lipman</a> and <a href="/players/P____23510/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Frank Finlay</a>), his sisters Halina and Regina (Jessica Kate Meyer and Julia Rayner), and his brother, Henryk (Ed Stoppard). While Wladyslaw and his family are aware of the looming presence of German forces and Hitler's designs on Poland, they're convinced that the Nazis are a menace which will pass, and that England and France will step forward to aid Poland in the event of a real crisis. Wladyslaw's naïveté is shattered when a German bomb rips through a radio studio while he performs a recital for broadcast. During the early stages of the Nazi occupation, as a respected artist, he still imagines himself above the danger, using his pull to obtain employment papers for his father and landing a supposedly safe job playing piano in a restaurant. But as the German grip tightens upon Poland, Wladyslaw and his family are selected for deportation to a Nazi concentration camp. Refusing to face a certain death, Wladyslaw goes into hiding in a comfortable apartment provided by a friend. However, when his benefactor goes missing, Wladyslaw is left to fend for himself and he spends the next several years dashing from one abandoned home to another, desperate to avoid capture by German occupation troops. The Pianist was based on the memoir of the same name by the real-life Wladyslaw Szpilman; the book was first published in 1946 as Death of a City, but was banned by Polish Communist officials and went out of print until 1998, when a new edition was issued as The Pianist. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide47Tag Target (>10)45324http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/u51715occmc.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/The_Pianist/208817/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/blogs/jakestevens/archive/2007/10/9/20541.aspx Post By: JakeStevens
Post To: JakeStevens Blog
Post Date: 10/9/2007 3:02:39 PM
Body: Roman Polanski's incredibly moving true story of famed Polish pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman's (try saying that ten times fast!) life and survival during WWII. I've probably seen this film 20 times or more now, and it never gets old. Every time I watch it, something new occurs to me and makes the story poignant all over again (this time, it was how much passion, anger & sadness is in the song that Wladyslaw plays when he is caught by the German soldier in the house. It was WWII put to music - it's an incredible song!). Oddly enough, I don't own the soundtrack to this...yet. This is certainly in my top 20 films of all time and comes HIGHLY recommended. Sad, suspenseful, thrilling, beautiful and hopeful all at the same time - THIS is the way films should be done. I have subsequently attempted to get all of Roman Polanski's films on DVD...I'm getting close...
]]>Tue, 09 Oct 2007 19:02:39 GMTJakeStevensJakeStevens Blog10/9/2007 3:02:39 PMRoman Polanski&#39;s incredibly moving true story of famed Polish pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman&#39;s (try saying that ten times fast!) life and survival during WWII. I&#39;ve probably seen this film 20 times or more now, and it never gets old. Every time I watch it, something new occurs to me and makes the story poignant all over again (this time, it was how much passion, anger &amp; sadness is in the song that Wladyslaw plays when he is caught by the German soldier in the house. It was WWII put to music - it&#39;s an incredible song!). Oddly enough, I don&#39;t own the soundtrack to this...yet. This is certainly in my top 20 films of all time and comes HIGHLY recommended. Sad, suspenseful, thrilling, beautiful and hopeful all at the same time - THIS is the way films should be done. I have subsequently attempted to get all of Roman Polanski&#39;s films on DVD...I&#39;m getting close... http://www.spout.com/blogs/go-ape/archive/2007/10/6/20454.aspx Post By: Go-Ape
Post To: Go-Ape Blog
Post Date: 10/6/2007 4:15:22 PM
Body: I gave this film a miss for a long time, partly because I think you need to be in the right frame of mind to watch a film that is this heavy, but mainly because of my dislike of Roman Polanski. I mean he's a great film maker but we all know what he did, but I don't need to go into that here. This film was amazing. I think that this film should be compulsary viewing in schools. I took History, we studied World War 2, I don't remember this film being mentioned let alone watched. Not only would this film be very educational, but it might just stir up a sense of compassion which Britain seems to be lacking at the moment, espeically in it's youth. So I think that the compulsary viewing of this film in schools would be hugely beneficial. This film, like I said is one that you really need to have a set head for because it does deal with such a heavy content. If you aren't in the right frame of mind, you may get bored, or you may just turn it off as being too depressing. But either way, you should stick with it. It is a truely inspirational story about a man who withstood pretty much everything that the world could throw at him and stood up to it. I would really reccommend that you see this film, it is an inspiration and a truely amazing film.
]]>Sat, 06 Oct 2007 20:15:22 GMTGo-ApeGo-Ape Blog10/6/2007 4:15:22 PMI gave this film a miss for a long time, partly because I think you need to be in the right frame of mind to watch a film that is this heavy, but mainly because of my dislike of Roman Polanski. I mean he&#39;s a great film maker but we all know what he did, but I don&#39;t need to go into that here. This film was amazing. I think that this film should be compulsary viewing in schools. I took History, we studied World War 2, I don&#39;t remember this film being mentioned let alone watched. Not only would this film be very educational, but it might just stir up a sense of compassion which Britain seems to be lacking at the moment, espeically in it&#39;s youth. So I think that the compulsary viewing of this film in schools would be hugely beneficial. This film, like I said is one that you really need to have a set head for because it does deal with such a heavy content. If you aren&#39;t in the right frame of mind, you may get bored, or you may just turn it off as being too depressing. But either way, you should stick with it. It is a truely inspirational story about a man who withstood pretty much everything that the world could throw at him and stood up to it. I would really reccommend that you see this film, it is an inspiration and a truely amazing film. http://www.spout.com/groups/Chicks_who_like_Flicks/Re_Why_do_I_like_movies_that_make_you_cry/453/19577/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: divinemsjunebug
Post To: Chicks who like Flicks
Post Date: 9/9/2007 11:58:32 AM
Body: Oh, sorry you had such a bad day at work that day, believe me, I have been there. I have to say I really don't like watching a lot of tear jerkers (maybe the really old ones like Wuthering Heights, An Affair to Remember or Dark Victory). There was one movie that made me cry for 20 minutes after the stupid movie was over and that was Iris. Whew, I have NEVER done that before. Then there was Schindler's List and the Pianist, oh my god, talk about tear my heart out. They were excellent movies and I think everyone should be MADE to watch them in school because it showed the brutality and evilness and non caring of how a lot of people were and still are, but I don't want to see them again. whew, way too painful and sad. Anyway, you are right, after you have a good cry at a movie you do feel a lot better. Maybe in some movies we cry because we think how we would be in that situation, but it's a SAFE cry because we know we aren't in that predicament...
]]>Sun, 09 Sep 2007 15:58:32 GMTdivinemsjunebugChicks who like Flicks9/9/2007 11:58:32 AMOh, sorry you had such a bad day at work that day, believe me, I have been there. I have to say I really don&#39;t like watching a lot of tear jerkers (maybe the really old ones like Wuthering Heights, An Affair to Remember or Dark Victory). There was one movie that made me cry for 20 minutes after the stupid movie was over and that was Iris. Whew, I have NEVER done that before. Then there was Schindler&#39;s List and the Pianist, oh my god, talk about tear my heart out. They were excellent movies and I think everyone should be MADE to watch them in school because it showed the brutality and evilness and non caring of how a lot of people were and still are, but I don&#39;t want to see them again. whew, way too painful and sad. Anyway, you are right, after you have a good cry at a movie you do feel a lot better. Maybe in some movies we cry because we think how we would be in that situation, but it&#39;s a SAFE cry because we know we aren&#39;t in that predicament... http://www.spout.com/blogs/jimbell/archive/2007/4/29/7808.aspx Post By: JimBell
Post To: JimBell Blog
Post Date: 4/29/2007 12:48:00 AM
Body: Pianist, The—Although I was reluctant to rent this DVD because it seemed like yet another Jews-in-Hitler’s-era film, it was one of the best movies of the year. Part of the power came from the movie’s faithfulness to the autobiography of a Jewish Polish pianist’s story of how he survived the horrors—just one man’s perspective. But part of the power also came from Roman Polanski’s excellent direction, where he drew on his experience as a child in occupied Europe. Jim Bell
]]>Sun, 29 Apr 2007 04:48:00 GMTJimBellJimBell Blog4/29/2007 12:48:00 AMPianist, The&mdash;Although I was reluctant to rent this DVD because it seemed like yet another Jews-in-Hitler&rsquo;s-era film, it was one of the best movies of the year. Part of the power came from the movie&rsquo;s faithfulness to the autobiography of a Jewish Polish pianist&rsquo;s story of how he survived the horrors&mdash;just one man&rsquo;s perspective. But part of the power also came from Roman Polanski&rsquo;s excellent direction, where he drew on his experience as a child in occupied Europe. Jim Bell http://www.spout.com/groups/HORROR_MOVIES_101/Re_Is_quot_DELIVERANCE_quot_a_Horror_Movie/222/7446/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: quint
Post To: HORROR MOVIES 101
Post Date: 4/23/2007 9:37:37 AM
Body: Honeysuckle, I don't know if it's ironic, but it seems to me that the stereotypes are as much derived from the film as exemplified by it. A general ignorance of all things south by we folks in the midwest leads easily to a kind of reverse engineering. I suppose, duelling banjos has been embraced as some banner of southern exuberance, but then a creepy kid plays it as a sort of dialogue with the man at the gas station in a kind of cultural exchange that seems empowering to both. But then, he's portrayed as a really creepy redneck of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre variety.Do you think that Texas Chainsaw Massacre portrays negative stereotypes? At some point, it's just crazy people. Not crazy southern people. It's an interesting thing to consider though. Rob Zombie seems to have made a cottage industry of these sort of stereotypes. Is there a midwestern variation? I was discussing this whole question with my wife who hates horror movies, but loves John Boorman. Her opinion is that horror movies are war movies in disguise which I thought was an interesting point as well. In some manner, we are wired for the extreme emotional circumstance that war creates. When this is displaced into other circumstances, we get horror movies. Dawn of the Dead seems very much like a war movie. It also sort of works in reverse. Isn't Polanski's The Pianist a horror movie? Saving Private Ryan? Horrific...
]]>Mon, 23 Apr 2007 13:37:37 GMTquintHORROR MOVIES 1014/23/2007 9:37:37 AMHoneysuckle, I don&#39;t know if it&#39;s ironic, but it seems to me that the stereotypes are as much derived from the film as exemplified by it. A general ignorance of all things south by we folks in the midwest leads easily to a kind of reverse engineering. I suppose, duelling banjos has been embraced as some banner of southern exuberance, but then a creepy kid plays it as a sort of dialogue with the man at the gas station in a kind of cultural exchange that seems empowering to both. But then, he&#39;s portrayed as a really creepy redneck of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre variety.Do you think that Texas Chainsaw Massacre portrays negative stereotypes? At some point, it&#39;s just crazy people. Not crazy southern people. It&#39;s an interesting thing to consider though. Rob Zombie seems to have made a cottage industry of these sort of stereotypes. Is there a midwestern variation? I was discussing this whole question with my wife who hates horror movies, but loves John Boorman. Her opinion is that horror movies are war movies in disguise which I thought was an interesting point as well. In some manner, we are wired for the extreme emotional circumstance that war creates. When this is displaced into other circumstances, we get horror movies. Dawn of the Dead seems very much like a war movie. It also sort of works in reverse. Isn&#39;t Polanski&#39;s The Pianist a horror movie? Saving Private Ryan? Horrific... http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/family/MemberTagFilms.aspxfamily
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