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The Pianist

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The Pianist
Film Analysis
The Pianist
Based on the autobiographical book by Wladyslaw Szpilman, The Pianist tells the story of Szpilman 's struggle to survive the Nazi livelihood of Poland during World War II. Szpilman, a talented Jewish pianist and composer, witnessed first-hand horrors of the Warsaw Ghetto. The Nazis used this notorious, walled slum to imprison Polish Jews until their "resettlement" to concentration camps. While most of his Jewish relatives and friends perished in the holocaust, Szpilman managed to survive through sheer force of will and a number of lucky strokes. The film tells his heart breaking survival story with persistent honesty. The outbreak of the war, Great Britain 's declaration of war on German-Nazi occupation of Poland, Warsaw Ghetto uprising, the holocaust, Russian attacks and the ultimate capture of German-controlled area and then the captivation of the German forces, every detail of history is represented through it. The Pianist deals with the events of World War II as history on the one hand and with the story of Szpilman as fiction on the other. The historical part of The Pianist is related to an image of the way daily life unfolded for the masses, how they were peacefully working at the time of the outbreak of the war, what they were doing for fun, how families fell apart, or the fabric of daily life was trampled upon. These social and cultural aspects of daily life have been shown through the story of Szpilman.

The Pianist is serving the role of national history to Jews in particular while it is also serving as role model - passion against the cruelties of war and terrorizing other nations in general. The history of the holocaust is of great importance in the eyes of Jews and it is teaching them the moments of their collective past. While it is also teaching the other nations that war is harmful to all; and that all Germans were not evil and there were men like Captain Wilm Hosenfeld who saved Szpilman and had a soft heart like any



References: Polanski, R. (Director). 2002. The Pianist. France: Focus Features Universal Studios

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