A very good film about a very brutal time in the world’s history. Fascinating to watch as the film maintains a certain nobility, even while the protagonist slips into a feral pseudo-existence.

Every time I see films about the period, the tiny incremental details (forbidden to enter the park, use the benches, walk on the sidewalk) of the discrimination against Jews, the banal practicality of it all, hits me hard. The brutality is incomprehensible.

I had a personal response as I watched people being lined up and selected seemingly at random for slaughter. Though I’m not Jewish and could probably avoid the pink triangle if I chose to lie, it’s frightening to me to think that if I ever were “rounded up” in such a group, my height would guarantee I would get far too much unwelcome attention. It would end badly.

The Pianist reminds us of our humanity, just as it reminds us that we must be ever-vigilant against tyranny. Let the words “Never again” be our motto forevermore.

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 26th, 2003 at 2:32 pm and is filed under Film.. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.