The Pianist (Blu-ray)

Wladyslaw Szpilman (Brody) is a famous Jewish pianist living in Poland while it’s on the brink of the Nazi invasion in 1939. When the Polish capital is finally compromised by the Germans, Szpilman and his family find themselves facing the newly imposed anti-Jewish laws, and with the rest of the Jewish community, they are imprisoned within an isolated ghetto. As Szpilman helplessly watches in despair as his family are carted off to the various concentration camps, the famous musician somehow manages to escape to the ruins of Warsaw where, against all odds, he must somehow survive the nightmare.

Polanski’s brutally honest film is a powerful and personal venture, with Wladyslaw Szpilman’s real-life memoirs allowing the director an opportunity to revisit war-torn Warsaw and to extract his own WWII experiences for the big screen. The result is amongst the finest of Polanski’s films, and it’s a film that also provides an excellent showcase for Adrien Brody, whose emotional, mental and physical transformation on screen is a sight to behold (he became the youngest person ever to win a Best Actor Oscar for the role).

From the first shot of Brody playing the piano at the beginning of the film to the final moment, the Blu-ray presents superior picture quality. Exterior daytime scenes look incredibly sharp, and the various shots of the snow-covered ruins of Warsaw boast impressive definition and striking textures. There are rare moments when the picture loses clarity and vibrancy, but generally the visual quality is top notch.

The audio impresses moments of gunfire and grenade throwing, and both dialogue and the beautiful music score are smooth and clear throughout.

Being one of Optimum’s new range of vanilla Blu-ray titles, The Pianist contains no special features, though this is an omission that will apparently be reflected in the price tag. It’s an interesting strategy, but it still means that you’re getting a very limited Blu-ray package.

Overall Verdict: The film looks amazing, though we’re not sure about the ‘no extras’ policy.

Special Features:
None

Reviewer: Lee Griffiths