FIRST TIME WATCHING: The Pianist (2002) REACTION (Movie Commentary) 

It is shocking to me, that some people don't believe that this actually happened.

I have deeply conflicted thoughts about Polanski, but as a filmmaker he is a master of his craft.

The Pianist is even more harrowing than the already difficult Schindler's list. Adrian Brody 10000000000000000% deserved his Oscar. His performance was.... something else.

There is something about Adrien Brody that DEMANDS that I watch him. In any movie. I can’t take my eyes off of him. Like I might miss something if I look away.

You can tell when he finally plays Chopins nocturne in d minor on the piano that he's been holding that in for years

The definitive holocaust film for me. It seers right through the soul and Adrien Brody was magnificent

To connect with the feeling of loss felt by this character, Adrian Brody sold his car, his home, disconnected his phone, and broke up with his girlfriend before moving to Europe for a year. Polanski was 8-12 years old during the Holocaust - his father was sent to Mauthausen and his mother to Auschwitz. Polanski survived the war hiding in the ruins of Krakow and Warsaw, much like Władysław did. He eventually found his father after the war, but his mother was killed at the camp. From Roger Ebert: by showing Szpilman as a survivor, but not a fighter or a hero - as a man who does all he can to save himself, but would have died without enormous good luck and the kindness of a few non-Jews, Polanski is reflecting his own deepest feelings - that he survived, but need not have and also that survival was not a victory when so many he loved had died. The death of Polanki’s mother in the gas chambers left a wound that had never healed and still remains so hurtful that only his own death will bring closure.

29:55 the German officer Wilm Hosenfeld then Wilm Hosenfeld saved Wladyslaw Szpilman's life, filmed in 2002 in The Pianist Wilhelm Adalbert "Wilm" Hosenfeld (born May 2, 1895 in Mackenzell near Fulda; † August 13, 1952 in Stalingrad) was a Wehrmacht officer in World War II who probably killed at least 30 Polish citizens, including several Jews, during the German occupation of Warsaw saved. Hosenfeld became known through the description in Władysław Szpilman's autobiography The Pianist - My Wonderful Survival, which was made into a film by Roman Polański (The Pianist). The Jerusalem Holocaust Memorial Yad Vashem awarded Hosenfeld posthumously the honorary title Righteous Among the Nations in November 2008. It was not until 1951 that Szpilman found out the name of his helper and that he was a Soviet prisoner of war. He tried to save him, but Hosenfeld died on August 13, 1952 at the age of 57 in the Stalingrad POW camp. In January 1945 he was taken prisoner by the Soviets. Truthfully, he stated that the sports department he ran was organizationally subordinate to Department Ic. This information was his undoing, because in addition to the troop support, this department also performed intelligence tasks. In order to obtain information about his alleged secret service activities from Hosenfeld, he was subjected to "strict interrogation" in the Minsk remand prison. After six months of torture and solitary confinement, he was a broken man. He suffered the first stroke. In 1950 he was sentenced to 25 years of forced labor as a war criminal without proof of any offense. Several times he tried in vain to be extradited to Poland. Despite the intercession of those he rescued, Hosenfeld was not released. Paralyzed on one side and desperate, he died on August 13, 1952 at the age of 57 in the Stalingrad prisoner-of-war camp of internal bleeding, probably caused by mistreatment. Szpilman did not find out the name of his helper until 1950. In 1957 he visited Hosenfeld's widow in Thalau and told her that her husband had saved him the Protestant-pacifist way of thinking of Wilm Hosenfeld The Leuphana University of Lüneburg has awarded the Hosenfeld / Szpilman Memorial Prize annually since 2005. Musicological examinations, research work from the cultural and human sciences and studies from an educational perspective can be submitted. In October 2007, Hosenfeld was posthumously honored by the Polish President Lech Kaczyński for the rescue of Polish citizens with the order of Polonia Restituta (Commander). In October 2008, a square in the Kassel district of Biebergemünd was named after Wilm Hosenfeld. The Jerusalem Holocaust memorial Yad Vashem named Hosenfeld posthumously on November 25, 2008 as Righteous Among the Nations. The appointment of the former Wehrmacht officer was made at the request of Władysław Szpilman in 1998 and after years of efforts by his son Andrzej Szpilman. This was preceded by intensive research on the part of the memorial, which ensured that Hosenfeld had not been involved in any war crimes. Wilm Hosenfeld's birthplace in Mackenzell was named Wilm-Hosenfeld-Haus on March 11, 2011. On February 25, 2018, a memorial stone was inaugurated at the Thalau elementary school. It pays tribute to Hosenfeld's work and is a reminder and reminder for future generations.

The Kapos were the Jews appointed to oversee and keep the other Jews following the rules. They were hated because they were seen as collaborating with the Nazis. The Jews had underground fighters who were called Partisans and they did make inroads against the Nazis and others aligned with the Nazis. Most of the music played in this movie is Chopin, who was a Polish Composer. Right now in Eastern Europe, once again, horrific and unconscionable atrocities are being committed because a madman has unleased his hate.

The crazy thing is that no matter how bad things got…they kept getting WORSE! Unimaginable.

I highly recommend DOWNFALL (2004)!

Remember that the Soviet Union and the Nazis allied to destroy Poland.

The Piano scene is one of my favorite movie moments of all times. Both Brody and the actor who played the German officer killed it with their acting & expressions. After witnessing the deaths of so many people at the hands of others, Hosenfeld listening intently to every note that Spzilman played perfectly allowed him to regain that piece of humanity he had probably lost or forgotten about in the Horrors of War.

29:33 this scene always warms my heart to think despite of all the horrible things hitler did there was one decent person who saw this human being in front of him playing this beautiful music and chose to show him mercy, it really resonates to me a fight between good and evil in all of us.

This is an amazing film! Polanski was there during wartime, & got rights to making this, having known Szpilman’s story. U hit on a good point, of it being the view point of a European. I highly suggest JoJo Rabbit. It’s also a child’s eye view of aspiring to be a nazi with Hitler as his imaginary friend. Incredible, funny, & profound. Loved your reaction 🖤💁🏻‍♀️🙂!

This film made me a Brody fan he’s so good, that wheelchair scene was brutal! Thanks again

Please watch "Valkyrie" from 2008. True Story!

Now, think about how bad it really was. Movies never show the extent of the horror.

September 9, 1941 - the issue of the so-called Jewish Codex all the rules are written there ... It is forbidden to enter into a marriage between a Jew and a Gentile and between a Jew and a Jewish mixed [§ 2]. or A Jew cannot be: a) notary public (notarial curriculum), b) lawyers (lawyers' syllabus), (c) a civil engineer. or Jews are excluded from any studies at all schools and training institutes, Jews cannot obtain the right to fish. and many more... .

An incredible film. However, not one i really want to watch again, so forgive me for skipping straight to your thoughts at the end.

You should review (Come and See) it's pretty depressing but I think one of the best WW2 movies out there it's a hard watch at times

The first time I watched this movie, my anxiety drove me nuts. I couldn't control my heart rate, my body shook from fear for everyone in the movie, and it stayed with me for a long time. I still can't watch certain scenes to this day. And to this day, I still can't understand how the whole world allowed Hitler to get that big.

you should watch 'Katyn' for another top tier film in this genre.. not about the holocaust but about the soviet occupation on the other side of poland.

This movie broke my heart in thousand pieces. He is an artist, an artist in the middle of the war. He doesn't know how to kill another human being, he has the hands of a pianist and the heart of one too. So it was heart wrenching to see such sensitive soul exposed to this level of danger and trauma. It is truly soul crushing to watch. I love your reactions, btw! I've been watching a few of your videos and I really like how insightful you are with your comments. You don't react to the camera like many do, but really get invested in the stories, and that's what's all about. Btw, in case you want to hear the entire piece that Władysław played to the German officer, this is it: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-bvtdjIIcgWQ.html

This film is heartbreaking. Schindler’s List were shown for all the junior high classes in my town when it came out. Haven’t seen it since then, couldn’t bear it.

La Vita e Bella (Life is beutiful) should be next

In honor of St. Patrick's Day you should review The Boondock Saints (1999).

I was very happy he won the best actor for his great performance in this true story. Well earned!

You think Schindler's List is rough, well... And the man who helped Szpilman was Wilhelm Hosenfeld. He rescued and provided shelter for him and several Polish people, including Jews, during the Nazi occupation of Poland. I think another you might enjoy is Defiance, starring Daniel Craig.

Body gave away all his possessions before shooting to get into character. Watch some more of this director's films. And watch an interview with him if you want yo go deep.

Polanski is a great director. You can understand why Jews wanted their own land. WW2 was the end of hundreds of years of racism towards them throughout Europe

Polanski will forever be a disgusting pos, but this movie was so perfectly directed and will always remain one of my favorites.

"Downfall" if you want to look at the other side of WW2.

You wondering if they made up the law/rule on the spot. It felt like that arbitrary but the laws were so bizarre and restrictive down to how much space a Jew could take up on a sidewalk even. Some were sweeping - like when they declared no more school, Jews could not go to movies, museums, parks, pools, basically be out in public for anything other than work. Can't own property or businesses though Some were more local and arbitrary. Jews could not wear certain hats or dress in traditional "German" clothes. Depending on the area some were even cited for what fabric they had on. It was madness.

Those people shooting at him were not "his own", they were Soviets.

It was dangerous to refuse to serve in the German army. Not only for yourself but for your family. A lot of us want to believe we would be the outspoken fighters who would risk it all. But most people are not. Many would be too afraid and do nothing. Hosenfeld chose a different route of using his position as a Nazi to save at least 20 Jews (that we know of). It was a big risk. It would have meant his and probably his loved ones' deaths if he was ever caught doing so. I'm not sure I would have been outspoken and ready to outright fight. I hope I would have. At any rate, I hope I would at least have had the convictions that Hosenfeld had to do what I could with whatever opportunities were presented to me.

You should really check into the movie Life is beautiful. It is a Italian movie but it dives into the subject of the Holocaust and a light-hearted way that will still make you smile at the end. It's a comedy done about a very dark subject and the way that the movie is made is fantastic. Probably my favorite movie of all time

Recommended: "Das Boot" - my favourite WW2 film. German made and from the German perspective.

The area they walled in was called the Ghetto. It's a word we have used again in more modern times. Shame on everyone.

I know it's a mini series but since you've seen Saving Private Ryan, Schindlers List and this movie...I really think you should watch Band Of Brothers. Alot of other channels have reacted to it so it's nothing groundbreaking for RU-vid but I think you as a person would really benefit from it. It's a master class in how it was made.

I’ve watched this movie multiple times 👍🏾 great movie but again can I recommend “rosewood” true story about a black massacre in Florida. Excellent cast too

I recently rewatched this film due to everything that’s going on and it’s so moving. Adrien Brody definitely deserved that Oscar. Such an important film.

I love to see your reactions to history as foul as this. And actually beginning to understand how bad it was for the Jewish people. I urge you to watch "The boy in the striped pyjamas”

80 years have passed and nothing changed. Still the same senseless evil. People are still... people

These are the movies that need watched atm

Wonderful reaction. This is a true story, so it all happened. And the director Polanski as a young boy, survived the holocaust and the camps but lost all his family, except for his father, if I remember correctly. Also years later The Charles Manson gang, killed his friends and his wife who was pregnant at the time. Polanski is a survivor and he was traumatized, I'm sure. The movie was made by a survivor. Here is my review 2002 - THE PIANIST* (directed by Roman Polanski) Roman Polanski always had a strong sense of environment in his films you could not mistake them for anyone else’s. In ‘The Pianist’ he dominates the world with an ‘in your face’ reality without trying as hard as most modern filmmakers. He accomplishes this feat with a suddenness of life’s welcome and very unwelcome surprises as we become horrified witnesses in a story of a pianist who manages to escape the camps of the holocaust but not escape the horror of inhumanity and deep loneliness. He uses subtle yet effective editing to further the story to its’ inevitable conclusion.

This was the Holocaust. No Schindler came to save him. Things just kept getting worse. As in real life. The German officer was human and kept his humanity. As did Spiel Ann. No phony heroics. Just surviving was heroic enough. The Holocaust guides all Polanski films. In them you never think things could get worse. But they do. They get worse and worse until they don't. Roman Polanski may be the best director from the 1960s on. Only Antonioni and Eastwood are even close.. From Rosemary's Baby on. Really from Repulsion in 1966 on.

good propaganda

For once I would love for you to actually watch a movie you don’t actually like lol

I was fortunate that my school was excellent in teaching us history and the horrors of the Holocaust and war. I spent hours in the public library reading about these events. It's too bad your educational experience was lacking and you are just learning about this now. I hope this film helps but books are another valuable source.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.....will break your heart...

Please watch "Denial" of Deborah Lippstadt. Also based on true story.

I'm a baby boomer close to 70 now, and I don't think your generation is taught the holocaust with as much intensity as we were. Most of our fathers all fought in WWII and the war was still fresh to them. all the boys in the neighborhood and my brothers use to play army all day throughout the neighborhood wearing their fathers combat helmets, vests, and using their canteens. pulling the pins of toy grenades and lobing them over fences. Our parents wanted desperately to teach their children to assure nothing like it would happen again. Education has changed so much and many important things were lost along the way. By all means watch these movies because I promise you all the horrific things you see, actually happened. And I've noticed how many of the younger generation is appalled and says things like why couldn't we all just get along and love one another. There was NO getting along with the Nazis. They were ruthless and are responsible for killing not just six million jews, but all the brave men who fought against them, the unknown resistance fighters murdered in basements and hideouts, the innocent civilians tortured to death to get them to talk, the mentally ill, physically disabled, homosexuals almost wiped out in Europe. There is no excuse for you now that you are beginning to see, not to dive into history documentaries and learn. With understanding comes wisedom. God bless.

really sad to see my country in that state.. i seen this movie many years ago but i didnt understand it in its entirety.. it breaks my heart

Was some drama in my family in the 40s my grandfather was a high ranking german officer and my grandmother a swedish girl. So she left Germany too get back home

I recently saw Schindler's list, saving privet ryan and this movie, but I think this is the best

A little side sad note! Roman Polanski that directed this film , there is a scene when they put everyone in the train with a pregnant woman yelling, that was reference to his dead Wife sharon tate that was murdered by the manson family! she was also pregnant.

If ya haven't yet look into Amistad. Deep movie.

That german captain hosenfeld had also helped others. Unfortunately he died in the labor camp. A clear difference between whermacht and SS. One was politically attached. The other is just regular army.

Taking friends to see this on the Big Screen yielded a stronger impact simply because home-entertainment can allow easy distraction.

This movie, as well as Brody, are super underrated. To many didn't get the deepness of this movie. I can't recall if it won an Oscar or not.

The series Band of Brothers is 🔥🔥🔥 true story ❤️

What always amazes me is that Warsaw was almost completely destroy, but the polish decided to reconstruct it after the war. That’s determination!

This movie is so beautiful in the ugliest way.

Sophie's Choice

shout out to the German officer he was a real one

This is one of my favorites. I'm a pianist. I cried in the theater.

Nominated for 7 Oscars including Best Picture but won for: Best Director Best Actor Best Adapted Screenplay.

one of my all time favorite movies. just amazing

Now pivot from this subject, but stay in the time period and check out “Enemy at the Gates”

As his uniform denoted, Hosenfeld was regular German Army. The German Army (Wermacht), were rarely if ever used to commit atrocities. Had Hosenfeld been wearing an SS uniform that final scene would likely have been horrifyingly different!

I'm polish and my great-grandpa was the one who joined the Warsaw Uprising and I'm so proud of him,that's the first thing. Second thing,whatever polish people found were pieces of metal,irons and such to make the ammos and the weapons of out them to fight against Nazis,just like in Warsaw Uprising...

I don't know if you've reacted to The Uprising yet, but that's what is happening at 19:50. It's a fantastic film about the Jewish people fighting back...like hell!

lovey and sad

The screenplay and directory did really great job with all those bestiality scenes if you were terrified seeing Wehrmacht boots in the scene with the can. After this scene you can also understand how Poles were feeling seeing someone in german army coat... And yeah, Hitler gave an order to destroy the city in revenge for Warsaw Uprising (about 30% of the city was burned down during that period, adding to total of 65% of the city destroyed during the war), so those scenes showing debris in wide shot is not without context, especially when you compare it with Szpilman's beloved Warsaw from before the war showed in intro.

I love this film and the true story of Szpilman. Here is the link of Mr. Szpilman playing, you can see the pain in his eyes. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-n9oQEa-d5rU.html I would suggest reacting to " The Fallen off WWII ". It's eye opening.

If you watched this movie - youre a great human. GOD bless you.

You should check out Defiance. Its a true story about 4 Jewish brothers that lead a successful Jewish resistance in belarus during ww2.

Great movie ! If I could say, you should see "Life is beautiful" wich is a must to see too. Same subject matter but different angle.

OMG. That guy said be as quiet as possible and what does he do was just down start playing the piano!! 😮

He's a survivor

as a movie, this is gut wrenching and hard to watch, imagine countless people in real life that actually went through it

That kid that was beaten to death was smugling food into the getto crawling under the wall. Love from Poland

I have followed a lot of other reactors and always recommend this movie. They just won’t watch it. I was so happy and impressed that you chose this. Such a powerful movie.

Defiance is good movie if your looking for another movie that takes place in ww2

Adrien Brody is also amazing (as is John Leguizamo) in Spike Lee's ''Summer of Sam'' (1999).

Because they know what the trash thieves did. . It wasn't me I never knew them

Nope , Jew's had to step to the curb. In today's slang it would be . 'Step off Jew'.

👍👍

15:14 learned helplessness is the psychological term

I don’t cry easy, this movie makes me cry.

5:06 it was a rule for OUR ancestors... Not so far fetched

If you interested in another Holocaust movie then I recommend Son of Saul, not a lot of people have heard of it but it's really great. It's basically following one guy as he goes through a concentration camp (lots of handheld stuff like Children of Men). It really made it feel real for me.

Hope you have an great and awesome weekend. Much ❤ as always

IMO, The 'i am cold' scene is the coldest scene in this movie

You should check out this awesome movie Jumper

Son of Saul should be on that Holocaust movie list.

a movie recommendation “train de vie”its pretty great

we are almost to the point again.

34:00 Made me laugh out of happiness