Classical music and cinema

The Pianist, a film by Roman Polanski

2002

A masterpiece that won a number of awards (three Oscars in 2003 and a Golden Palm in 2002),The Pianist is the true story of Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Jewish pianist and survivor of the Warsaw ghetto, by Franco-Polish filmmaker Roman Polanski.

To discover The Pianist

Based on the memoirs of Szpilman (played by American actor Adrien Brody), the film depicts the years the pianist spent in hiding in Warsaw, after being the only one in his family to escape being deported by the Nazis during World War Two. A German officer who hears him play the piano provides unexpected by decisive assistance. The music becomes a key part of the script. The score is almost entirely composed of works by Chopin, a composer and pianist who was also Polish. His Nocturne no. 20opens the trailer.