Pianist Roman Polanski\'s Film, \"The

¶ … Pianist

Roman Polanski's film, "The Pianist" is somewhat atypical of his work to date in its presentation. Whereas the filmmaker had at the time provided the public with films that turn and twist reality to unbearable proportions, "The Pianist" instead shows the audience the horrors that realism can depict. To achieve this, Polanski uses the Holocaust and the suffering of the Jews during this time as his subject matter. However, true to the filmmaker's style, he does not make this presentation in only one dimension. Indeed, the film depicts a variety of dimensions not only for the events in the film, but also the characters responsible for these events. Revenge, selfless love, hatred and even joy often manifest themselves in a single person fighting for survival in an environment of extreme social upheaval. As such, Polanski demonstrates Jew and Nazi alike as primarily human, and bases the main message of his film upon this.

Influences, Reception and Production: The War and the People

The film is based upon an autobiography by pianist Wladislaw Szpilman, and adapted for the screen by Ronald Harwood. Szpilman was a composer and musician for Polish radio in 1939, when the Nazis invaded his country. He initially titled the book Death of a City, and published it during 1946. Of course this was a very sensitive political time in terms of the relationship between Nazis, Jews, and Poles in general. According to Portuges, the Communist authorities banned the book because it provided a balanced and objective view of the events, i.e., it did not favor the Nazi viewpoint.

Despite this, the book was even at this stage recognized for its potential as a film, and the work appeared in this capacity as Robinson Warszawski. Again, the Communist regime of the time exercised its influence by not only renaming the film, but also making significant changes such as inserting depictions of Polish citizens welcoming the Communist Army when they arrive.

It is against this background that both the book and the treated film version survive to inspire Polanski for his work years later. According to Portuges, Polanski only discovered the book when it was republished in 1998, under its new title, the Pianist, and found himself inspired. The reason for this is not only the subject matter, presentation of events, and prose style, but also the fact that Polanski had found an author and topic that he could deeply identify with. Although disagreeing on many other aspects of the film, critics are unanimous in their assessment of this film as one of Polanski's most personal and most important works.

Polanski himself was victimized by the events during the Holocaust. Polanski's Polish Jewish parents were deported to Auschwitz. Here his mother died, while he escaped from Cracow as a young child and relied on the kindness of Polish families. Even today, Polanski remembers with a sense of sorrow the time during which he was separated from his parents. Specifically, Polanski's rescue was owed to his father and the Polish families who took him in, while the main character of the film's life was saved by a German soldier. Nonetheless, the parallel between the filmmaker's and author's lives show the peril that everybody was in during the time. By depicting the events in film, Polanski is provided with the opportunity to address the traumatic events during this time of his life.

Obviously the filmmaker's personal story will have an influence on the way in which the film is made. In this, film reviewers tend to disagree. Catherine Portuges and Marilyn Cole Lownes for example believe that all the characters were portrayed with an objectivity that precludes judgment. Nazis are portrayed with a realistic sense of cruelty, while Jews are mainly the victims. However, the Germans are also shown in their capacity as human beings, to sympathize with the plight of the Jews and help when the opportunity presents itself. The Jewish community in turn is depicted not only in its capacity as victimized group, but also with its inequities and inherent cruelty.

Other critics, such as John Petrakis, on the other hand feel that there is a disproportionate portrayal of violence perpetrated by the Germans. While Petrakis does not question the authenticity of these incidents, he does question the necessity of their frequency and graphic nature to further the message of the film. The author holds that such portrayals serve no purpose other than to depict Polanski's inherent hatred of the Germans. Once again, Petrakis does not dispute that the hatred is justified. What is questioned is once again the objectivity of the depiction. By these scenes of violence, however authentic they are, the author accuses Polanski of a subjectivity that is not justified by the book upon which the film is based. According to Petrakis, the film is therefore disproportionately subjective towards portraying the Nazis as villains and the Jews as victims, rather than the balanced view provided by the book.

A however fail to see how this can be a valid accusation. Clearly Polanski is influenced by the events in his own life. This is however not to say that it clouded his judgment when creating the film. Indeed, the above-mentioned portrayal of the characters not only as Nazis or Jews, but also as human beings, indicates objectivity rather than subjectivity. Indeed, the majority of critics appear to indicate that Polanski's work is a faithful rendition of the tone and subject matter displayed by the book.

Messages and Meanings, Vision and Sound

Like the characters in the film, its messages are multi-dimensional. In addition to the overriding humanity in every human heart, the main character embodies the themes of forgiveness, hope, and the power of music that can access what is best in the human spirit. The power and strength of the individual to survive against overwhelming odds is portrayed by the way in which the main character refuses to give up. Szpilman uses his music to keep him alive.

Elements that specifically contribute to the meaning of the messages depicted by the film include sound and visual effects. In general, the primary color of the film is gray, only with occasional pastels and brighter colors, along with the music of Frederick Chopin. A number of meanings can be assigned to both these elements.

The color scheme portrays the gloomy nature of the events. Life has become gray not only for the Jews, but also for the Nazis with their perpetual tendency towards violence. This violence becomes a way of life, and tends to gray the individuality and humanity that occasionally sparks through like the brighter colors in the film. For the Jews, life is one long, gray misery at the hands of the Nazis. Gray is the color that depicts the misery and destruction of war.

The soundtrack contrasts with the dreary coloring in that it provides beauty amid the grim realities of life at the time depicted. The music of Frederick Chopin, which tends to dominate the music, represents the culture in Poland before the invasion. The music is at war with the visual effect of the color in representing a culture that is being obliterated, but which is also resisting this with what little is still left. Particularly, the opening scenes of the film poignantly foreshadow the events to come via a number of different contrasts of vision and sound elements.

The film opens with a black and white scene that depicts various scenes in Warsaw. The black and white create an atmosphere of the ancient and innocent past. The scenes are of any urban setting, where families are enjoying themselves and individuals are engaged in various activities. The activities are carefree and the people seem happy. After these initial scenes, the film depicts Szpilman in his workplace where he plays the piano. Visually, this contrasts with the initial scenes in terms of the vivid colors depicted. It provides a sense of a more contemporary setting and helps the audience identify more closely with the character and scene depicted. Initially, the sound effects create the same atmosphere of careless enjoyment that the film opened with.

This however soon changes as the sounds of war soon contrast and finally drown the piano music. Szpilman continues to play the piano for as long as he can, but is obliged to stop when the visual and sound begin to match. The studio window shatters, and Szpilman leaves for his home. Here the contrast between the state of peace and war is depicted via visual and sound effects. The initial scenes are of innocence and joy, where people are allowed to carry out the duties and the pleasures of their lives as they chose. Once color and modernity begins to override the past, upheaval inevitably follows. The contrast between black and white and color in this way depicts the contrast between the prewar and war states. Color and explosions are the symbolic shattering of peace and innocence that can never be retrieved.

When Szpilman leaves the studio, he meets a beautiful blonde, with whom he finds an immediate and romantic rapport. The interaction between the two is also symbolic of the innocence of the prewar state. Before the war, interactions and romantic interludes between Jew and Caucasian were no problem. During the war, however, Jews were marginalized to the point where they were no longer recognized as human beings. This is symbolized by the harsh treatment of an old Jewish man by a Nazi soldier, also during the beginning scenes. The man is ordered to walk away from the sidewalk and into the gutter, where he steps into water. This contrasts with the pleasure that Szpilman and the blonde derives from their interaction. Visually, the contrast between the Jews and Germans is symbolically depicted by the physical differences between Szpilman and the girl, which would become symbolic not only of ethnic differences, but also of the way in which these differences are used to justify the death of hundreds of thousands of Jews.

The visual depiction of the interaction between Szpilman and the girl is brightly colored. They accompany each other on their way through town. The innocence and enjoyment of this excursion is contrasted by the dark social realities that are related with the bombings at the beginning of the film: the sign "No Jews" thoroughly ruin Szpilman's first date: he cannot take her to a restaurant, to a park, or even to sit on a bench, because everything has been reserved to exclude Jews. This is symbolic of the ultimate ruination of lives that becomes the theme of the film.

Most poignantly, music and its potential salvation is symbolized by the instruments in Szpilman's home. When he reaches his family, they are relieved to see him. The atmosphere is frantic, busy and almost excited when he arrives. This is however soon darkened by the reality of their situation. Throughout the ordeal, the audience is impressed with the sense of the family unit between Szpilman, his siblings and his parents. This, like the peace, is also soon shattered by the realities of the war. The violin and the piano symbolize potential salvation. Initially, it is suggested that the family hide the excess of their already dwindling funds in the violin so that the Nazis cannot confiscate it, while the piano is sold in order to keep food on the family's table.

Despite this, there is soon too little money left to buy anything, and the progressive poverty of the family is symbolized by the decreasing amounts of money available: 5,000 zlotys become the 20 left in the mother's purse and then the 3 that could be obtained for the novel, the Idiot. Music was unable to provide the family with financial security or salvation. This however both contrasts with and foreshadows the later salvation that Szpilman would obtain from his music. It is an inner salvation that perpetuates itself by being shared.

The various contrasts of visual presentation and sound also depicts the war not only between the main parties at opposite sides of the political spectrum, but also within each character's heart. The Nazi for example could sympathize with the Jew, while the Jew in desperation for survival may ultimately join the Nazis against his own people. It is a continual dynamic of backstabbing and heroism, with human motive and desire underlying politics.

Historical Authenticity

Roman Polanski has made the film with extreme attention to detail. Having been part of the events himself, the audience is impressed with the authenticity not only of the events, but also of the set and surroundings. Indeed, it is unlikely that authors on the subject could disagree on the point of historical authenticity of the physical surroundings. This was enhanced by the work of professionals such as the designer Allan Starski and the costume designer Ann Sheppard. Both were previously involved in films of this, with distinguished works such as Schindler's List and the Insider on their profiles. This talent combines with Polanski's passion for the perfection of detail in his work (Lownes).

Petrakis does however suggest that the use of a single character's viewpoint to depict the entire story might act as a limiting factor within the film. The events are seen and experienced solely through the eyes of the Pianist, the Jew who often survives on the basis of no more than luck. As such, Petrakis believes that true objectivity is lost.

A rather significant point for authenticity is however the fact that the story is told from the dual perspective of an author and a filmmaker who have experienced the actual events depicted. This in itself provides the film with a sense of accuracy. Indeed, rather than adjusting the film for modern tastes, more modern tendencies were modified to create greater accuracy. Redlich addresses the issue of decidedly non-objective historians who have ignored significant facts of history relating to the Jews and Nazis during the time of the film. Particularly, the author mentions the issue of Nazis offering help to Jewish victims.

According to the author, it appears that many Jews have suppressed memories of Germans have helped them in their escape and survival efforts during the time of the Holocaust. This is an issue portrayed with particular authenticity and accuracy within the film. While the Nazis are undoubtedly brutal, they are also human in a great number of respects. This is most poignantly demonstrated in the help the main character receives from the German.

Polanski's own experience during his childhood and now in his capacity as a father lends a further sense of authenticity to the emotion in the film. Being acutely aware of his own displacement as a child, Polanski brought this sense of being lost to the main character of the film. The character is completely left to his own devices, without friends or family to assist him. He is utterly alone in his world, but finds within himself and in his talent a new sense of connection. It is like a child returning to a parent, or a long-lost patriot who returns to the country of his birth. The pianist's music brings not only himself, but also his audience, home to the peace they experienced before the invasion. By revisiting the profession he took for granted before the invasion, he is able to help himself and his audience once again touch upon the human element within themselves that was unsoiled by the war and its atrocities. This human elements lends and extra dimension to the authenticity of the film.

An interesting element of authenticity is addressed by Larry Wolff. The music in the film as well as the book is one of the central elements in the story. Indeed, it is the most important elements in the story. It is responsible for life, hope and healing. Wolff however notes that, while the film depicts Frederic Chopin's music as an anthem to not only spiritual, but also to national survival, this is not necessarily entirely accurate. Indeed, while Chopin is of Polish origin and also heavily involved in the Polish cause, his music itself is not purely symbolic of Polish culture before the war. In fact, in the decades before the war, Chopin's music was appreciated only in a limited fashion by Polish audiences. During the pre-war years, much of Polish culture was integrated with the Austria rule of the time.

The musical world was colored by the operetta, imports from Vienna and Paris, as well as dance music. Indeed, many Polish popular musical forms were the result of imports rather than nationally emerging forms. Austria was also directly involved in introducing Richard Wagner's music to the country during 1888, and for performing the music of Chopin.

This does not however invalidate the central motif of music in the film, or indeed the fact that the Pianist used Chopin's music in the way depicted. The only inaccuracy that might be identified here is the fact that Austria is never mentioned in its influence on the musical tastes in the Poland of the time. Nevertheless, such mention might have seemed unnecessary, as it had not part in the Nazi occupation and the struggle during the time.

Petrakis's critique can once again be mentioned here. The author argues that, as mentioned above, Szpilman's single-eyed view detracts from providing a truly objective account of the events. The audience experiences everything through the eyes of the single Jewish character. According to Petrakis, a more accurate depiction might have been provided had Szpilman taken a less involved role.

Another objection that Petrakis raises is the theme of salvation. According to the film, the Pianist's music plays a central role in his salvation, as well as those of his compatriots. In the book however, the main character is saved in a more material fashion - primarily by the German soldier who saves him from the gas chamber. Had this not occurred, he would not have survived to play the piano. Furthermore, Petrakis argues that the motive for this was not music, but rather revenge. The German soldier was attempting to take revenge on his own side rather than demonstrate his greatness of human spirit by saving the enemy.