The pianist [videorecording] / a Roman Polanski film ; R.P. Productions, Heritage Films, Studio Babelsberg, Runteam Ltd. with the participation of Canal+ ... [et al.] ; produced by Roman Polanski, Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde ; screenplay by Ronald Harwood, directed by Roman Polanski.
Material type:
FilmPublisher number: 30885 | Focus FeaturesLanguage: English, French Original language: English Subtitle language: English, French, Spanish Publication details: [Universal City, Calif.] : Focus Features : [Distributed by] Universal Studios Home Entertainment, [2006]Edition: Widescreen (1.85:1 aspect ratio)Description: 1 videodisc (150 min.) : sd., col. with b&w sequences ; 4 3/4 inISBN: - 1417020059
- 9781417020058
- Pianist (Motion picture : 2002).
- Director of photography, Pawel Edelman ; editor, Herve de Luze ; music, Wojciech Kilar ; costume designer, Anna Sheppard.
- Academy Awards for Best Actor (Adrien Brody), Best Director (Roman Polanski), and Best Screenplay (Ronald Harwood) for 2002. Palme d'Or, Cannes Film Festival, 2002.
| Item type | Home library | Collection | Call number | Materials specified | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adult DVD
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Dr. James Carlson Library | DVD | DRAMA Pianist | Available | 33111007434646 | ||||
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Adult DVD
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Main Library | DVD | DRAMA Pianist | Available | 33111007416940 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
Filmmaker Roman Polanski, who as a boy growing up in Poland watched while the Nazis devastated his country during World War II, directed this downbeat drama based on the true story of a privileged musician who spent five years struggling against the Nazi occupation of Warsaw. Wladyslaw Szpilman (Adrien Brody) is a gifted classical pianist born to a wealthy Jewish family in Poland. The Szpilmans have a large and comfortable flat in Warsaw which Wladyslaw shares with his mother and father (Maureen Lipman and Frank Finlay), his sisters Halina and Regina (Jessica Kate Meyer and Julia Rayner), and his brother, Henryk (Ed Stoppard). While Wladyslaw and his family are aware of the looming presence of German forces and Hitler's designs on Poland, they're convinced that the Nazis are a menace which will pass, and that England and France will step forward to aid Poland in the event of a real crisis. Wladyslaw's naïveté is shattered when a German bomb rips through a radio studio while he performs a recital for broadcast. During the early stages of the Nazi occupation, as a respected artist, he still imagines himself above the danger, using his pull to obtain employment papers for his father and landing a supposedly safe job playing piano in a restaurant. But as the German grip tightens upon Poland, Wladyslaw and his family are selected for deportation to a Nazi concentration camp. Refusing to face a certain death, Wladyslaw goes into hiding in a comfortable apartment provided by a friend. However, when his benefactor goes missing, Wladyslaw is left to fend for himself and he spends the next several years dashing from one abandoned home to another, desperate to avoid capture by German occupation troops. The Pianist was based on the memoir of the same name by the real-life Wladyslaw Szpilman; the book was first published in 1946 as Death of a City, but was banned by Polish Communist officials and went out of print until 1998, when a new edition was issued as The Pianist. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
Based on the book Śmierć miasta by Wladyslaw Szpilman.
Originally produced as a motion picture in 2002.
Special features: "A story of survival" featurette which includes insight into the making of the film, Roman Polanski's own story of survival during WWII, behind-the-scenes interviews with Oscar winners Roman Polanski, Adrien Brody and Ronald Harwood, clips of Władysław Szpilman playing the piano.
Director of photography, Pawel Edelman ; editor, Herve de Luze ; music, Wojciech Kilar ; costume designer, Anna Sheppard.
Piano solos performed by Janusz Olenjniczak ; music performed by the Warsaw Philharmonic National Orchestra of Poland, conducted by Tadeusz Strugala.
Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Frank Finlay, Maureen Lipman, Emilia Fox, Ed Stoppard.
Based on the memoirs of Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Polish Jew, who was a brilliant pianist. He watched as his family was shipped off to Nazi labor camps. He managed to escape and lived for years in the ruins of Warsaw, hiding from the Nazis.
MPAA rating: R, for violence and brief strong language.
DVD; Dolby digital 5.1 surround sound.
English or French soundtracks; optional English SDH, French or Spanish subtitles; closed-captioned.
Academy Awards for Best Actor (Adrien Brody), Best Director (Roman Polanski), and Best Screenplay (Ronald Harwood) for 2002. Palme d'Or, Cannes Film Festival, 2002.