The Pianist (2002)

France/Germany/Poland/UK 150m, Colour
Director: Roman Polanski; Cast: Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Frank Finlay, Maureen Lipman, Emilia Fox, Michał Żebrowski

The Pianist is an autobiographical drama based on the memoirs of Władysław Szpilman, a Polish-Jewish musician who survived the Nazi occupation of Poland during World War II. Escaping the fate of his family first as a slave laborer, and then hidden by friends, he is eventually discovered by a German officer Wilm Hosenfeld who supplies him with food, after learning that Szpilman is an accomplished pianist. Arguably Polanski’s finest work, The Pianist is an astonishing story and an emotionally powerful drama with superb performances and a beautiful soundtrack (Klaus Ming March 2016).