The Pianist (2002)
The Pianist refers to war drama film released in 2002 with the scriptwriter and director being Ronald Harwood and Roman Polanski respectively. The film is based on an autobiography by Władysław Szpilman bearing the same name and was published in 1946. The film revolves around the Jewish experience during the Holocaust and Adrien Brody, who plays the role of Wladyslaw Szpilman, is the main character. Other characters include Thomas Kretschmann, and Frank Finlay who play the role of Captain Wilm Hosenfeld and Samuel Szpilman, respectively, among others. The film is founded on a Holocaust survivor, Wladyslaw Szpilman, a composer and pianist with a Polish-Jewish background. This essay evaluates the music in the film and its relation to classical music.
Through the film, it is apparent that Szpilman is not a hero but a survivor of the Holocaust. It is evident that he does not fight but is saved by his ability to play the piano. In the highly dramatized and moving film, the realities of the Holocaust are evident. Szpilman loses his mother, a wound that does not heal. His survivor is through luck since there are many incidences in which his life is endangered. Non-Jews save him due to his artistic prowess. Polanski show how one can survive the chaos in life despite being susceptible in many ways. He successfully shows how humanity is complicated, using various as Szpilman struggles to survive. The destruction of Warsaw by the German’s Nazi is a defining moment in the film. In the film, it is evident that not all Nazis were morally decayed as Szpilman is saved an art living one who shows some level of moral decency. Classical music has been used in the film from the beginning to the end.
In the film, there are 12 different tracks, with ten of them being composed by Frederic Chopin, and others are composed by Ludvig Van Beethoven and Wojciech Kilar. The role of music during a period of massive traumatization is apparent. Despite Szpilman being spared due to his potential to make music, in the fil, music shows elements of memory and time. Szpilman uses music to express his internal feelings which cannot be expressed in words. Music is used to express his self-identity as a composer and a pianist. Hence, music is a symbolic tool used by Polanski in storytelling. Szpilman uses music to show his inner state in a sophisticated way.
The music by Frédéric François Chopin and Ludwig van Beethoven reflects classical music during in the early 20th century. During this period, the standard musical instruments included fortepiano, which was referred to as the modern-day piano. The piano is used in the film to reflect the importance of classical music during the era when the film is featured. Among the characteristic features of classical music that are shared in the film include style, presentation, and composition. For instance, The Nocturne No. 20 in C-sharp minor, is played in the film by Szpilman while in the concentration camp, which results in the commander, Wilm Hosenfeld, saving him from death because he is impressed. Hosengeld played a crucial role in Szpilman’s survival since he supplied him with food in the last days of the war.
One common feature with the music in the play, for instance, The Nocturne No. 20 in C-sharp minor, and classical music, is that it was composed during the classical period that was between 1730 and 1820. During the period, Ludwig van Beethoven and Mozart were among the renowned composers. The classical music was characterized by loud-soft play to express feelings. This is evident in the film where the main character uses music to express his opinions to the world. Thus, Szpilman uses the homophonic characteristic of Classic music to show his traumatic experience during the Holocaust.
The movie and the soundtrack reveal that classical music was prevalent during the period of the Holocaust and influenced society in diverse ways. While Szpilman is a popular performer and composer, the Nazis and Polish-Jews love classical music which plays in the Polish radio. The love for classical music is apparent when a Nazis solders save Szpilman due to his ability to entertain them.
Among the dramatic moments in the film include the suffering of the hunger-stricken Jews’ children who are lying in the streets while the Nazi soldiers are brutalizing their parents. The scenes happen to send a shiver down the spine since no one can expect to go through such experience. Witnessing the killing of the entire family is traumatizing, not only to Szpilman but also to viewers too.
Briefly, Pianist shows how Szpilman survives during the Holocaust and reveals the experiences that the European Jewish people went through after racial attacks by the Germans. Through the film, music is used as a symbol to tell Szpilman story. The music in the film is identical to classical music with the composes being renowned classical composers. Through the film, it is apparent that Polanski uses music to show people’s feelings. While the Polish-Jews and Nazis enjoy classical music, Szpilman uses it as a survival tool. This is because Hosenfeld saves him from extermination due to his ability to play the grand piano and entertain him. Just like the ideal classic music that became popular between 1750 and 1820, the composers of the soundtracks were famous classical music composers. Despite Szpilman surviving the Holocaust, the memories and experiences that he went through remained to haunt him all through his life as evidence in the autobiography. Music is used as an excellent tool for expressing one’s feelings.
References
Szpilman W. The pianist: The extraordinary story of one man’s survival in Warsaw, 1939–1945. Bell A, translator. New York: Picador/St. Martin’s Press. 1946. Print.