3.11.2004
the pianist
i finally saw roman polanski's the pianist last night, and i must say it surpassed my expectations. it has many of the usual conventions of a film geared towards a large audience ("everyman"-ish lead character, emphasis on the personal over the political-- at least for the most part), but it manages to steer clear of the heavy hand that generally marks dramatic films that clean up at the oscars. i think what distinguishes it as a real class act is the way spatial arrangements are orchestrated throughout the film. i'll explain...
the pianist is largely about exile, and likewise actor adrien brody spends much of his screen time in hiding. unlike the majority of WWII epics i've seen, the focus is less on major events (battles, etc.) and more on the schematics of brody/szpilman's survival. this makes it by-and-large an "indoor" picture, as brody makes his way from his initial home in poland, to his home in the warsaw ghetto (a particularly engaging segment of the movie), to a series of hide-outs as his predicament grows increasingly grave. polanski shows great restraint in sticking to a singular narrative. when atrocities do appear on screen, they are often from brody's perspective, and lacking many typical cinematic embellishments.
a favorite moment of mine is during an uprising in the polish ghetto, which is shot entirely from the point of view of brody in an apartment window. through this birds-eye view, one watches as guns are shot and grenades are thrown. but there is no slo-mo... no close-ups of hacked off limbs... what emerges is similar to the sort of camcorder footage that shows up in news footage alongside current atrocities (in its lack of editing, zooming, etc.), but without the staged grittiness that a deliberate attempt to mimic such a thing might entail. the conflict is rendered with understated dignity, as well as a clear faith in the viewer's ability to process its content (as well as its intensity).
when the time is finally right for a more sweeping panorama of war-torn ruin, it is all the more effective because of such understatement. the single wide shot of brody entering the abandoned, apocalyptic ruins near the end of the film (where he will eventually meet the nazi officer portrayed by thomas kretschmann), maintains its dark sublimity because it is not the latest in a series of lord-of-the-rings-esque spectacles. it earns its legitimacy by waiting for the proper time to arrive. again and again, the film seems borne not only out of great emotion, but great respect as well. which is probably why it's increasingly on my mind now that it's over.
the pianist is largely about exile, and likewise actor adrien brody spends much of his screen time in hiding. unlike the majority of WWII epics i've seen, the focus is less on major events (battles, etc.) and more on the schematics of brody/szpilman's survival. this makes it by-and-large an "indoor" picture, as brody makes his way from his initial home in poland, to his home in the warsaw ghetto (a particularly engaging segment of the movie), to a series of hide-outs as his predicament grows increasingly grave. polanski shows great restraint in sticking to a singular narrative. when atrocities do appear on screen, they are often from brody's perspective, and lacking many typical cinematic embellishments.
a favorite moment of mine is during an uprising in the polish ghetto, which is shot entirely from the point of view of brody in an apartment window. through this birds-eye view, one watches as guns are shot and grenades are thrown. but there is no slo-mo... no close-ups of hacked off limbs... what emerges is similar to the sort of camcorder footage that shows up in news footage alongside current atrocities (in its lack of editing, zooming, etc.), but without the staged grittiness that a deliberate attempt to mimic such a thing might entail. the conflict is rendered with understated dignity, as well as a clear faith in the viewer's ability to process its content (as well as its intensity).
when the time is finally right for a more sweeping panorama of war-torn ruin, it is all the more effective because of such understatement. the single wide shot of brody entering the abandoned, apocalyptic ruins near the end of the film (where he will eventually meet the nazi officer portrayed by thomas kretschmann), maintains its dark sublimity because it is not the latest in a series of lord-of-the-rings-esque spectacles. it earns its legitimacy by waiting for the proper time to arrive. again and again, the film seems borne not only out of great emotion, but great respect as well. which is probably why it's increasingly on my mind now that it's over.
