The Pianist - 20th Anniversary Edition

The Polish pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman (Adrien Brody) is imprisoned in the Warsaw Ghetto by the Nazis in 1940, along with countless other Jews. The Jewish residents have no hope of escaping deportation to the inhumane concentration camps. Already on the way to the train cars, and thus condemned to death, a Jewish policeman helps Wladyslaw to escape. This marks the beginning of a time of loneliness, hiding, and fleeing for him—until he is discovered in the ruins of a house by the German officer Wilm Hosenfeld (Thomas Kretschmann) just before the end of the war.

Roman Polanski's poignant film adaptation, based on a screenplay by Ronald Harwood, is inspired by the autobiography "The Pianist - My Wonderful Survival" of the Polish pianist and composer Wladyslaw Szpilman. The film has won numerous awards, including three Oscars (Best Director, Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay), seven Césars, the European Film Award, and the Palme d'Or. The Pianist presents the harrowing events in the notorious Warsaw Ghetto during World War II in documentary-like imagery. Adrien Brody received his first Oscar for his outstanding performance as the lead actor, along with a French César, the award from the U.S. National Society of Film Critics, and numerous nominations, including for the Golden Globe. Other roles are brilliantly filled by Thomas Kretschmann (Blade II, U-571) and Frank Finlay (Lifeforce, The Three Musketeers).