Trailer 1 / Trailer 2

I've just finished watching this three-times Academy Award-winning (Best Lead Actor Adrien Brody; Best Director Roman Polanski; Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay Ronald Harwood) movie for the first time. It's very well done and powerful, with terrific performances by all involved. That goes, too, for the magnificent performances (piano solos by Janusz Olejniczak) of the beautiful Frederic Chopin pieces. The look and feel of the film also is impressive. No false notes are struck, in any regard.

A compelling part (and that had me paranoid about what might happen next) is when Władek performs a Chopin (my all-time fave composer, incidentally) movement for German officer Hosenfeld in the deserted house. Also I love the substantial piano with orchestral accompaniment concert performance at the very end. Gorgeous.

A particular (while very simple) moment that made a strong lingering impression on me is when Władek and his sister are walking together to the train and he says to her, "It's a funny time to say this, but ... I wish I knew you better" - Halina responds, "Thank you" - and you completely "get" that this gentle, sincere exchange is probably goodbye.

This is definitely a film worth seeing. (Also the soundtrack album - which I've owned a copy of for years - is superb.)

I spent time in Warszawa years back, and it's hard to fathom all that once transpired there - not to mention that nearly all of what today stands there is as built or rebuilt (in large part is reconstructions of old pre-20th Century architecture) post-war, Warszawa having been near entirely destroyed into oblivion during the war. The Pianist tells one of that famous city's stories.

Incidentally, here's the Wikipedia article about Władysław "Władek" Szpilman, whose WWII-era story this movie tells.

Please check out the following list of titles and celebrities I've created TMDb threads for: https://www.themoviedb.org/list/118052