The Pianist (2002)

The Pianist rating: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic

IMDb8.5/10· 1M votes

Rotten Tomatoes95%

Metacritic85%

TMDb8.375/10· 10K votes

With 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, backed by 8.5/10 on IMDb and 85/100 on Metacritic, critical reception of this film has been very positive.

About The Pianist

The true story of pianist Władysław Szpilman's experiences in Warsaw during the Nazi occupation. When the Jews of the city find themselves forced into a ghetto, Szpilman finds work playing in a café; and when his family is deported in 1942, he stays behind, works for a while as a laborer, and eventually goes into hiding in the ruins of the war-torn city.

Cast of The Pianist

• 

  Adrien Brody

  as Władysław 'Władek' Szpilman

• 

  Thomas Kretschmann

  as Captain Wilm Hosenfeld

• 

  Frank Finlay

  as Father

• 

  Maureen Lipman

  as Mother

• 

  Emilia Fox

  as Dorota

• 

  Ed Stoppard

  as Henryk Szpilman

• 

  Julia Rayner

  as Regina Szpilman

• 

  Jessica Kate Meyer

  as Halina Szpilman

• 

  Michał Żebrowski

  as Jurek

• 

  Wanja Mues

  as SS Slapping Father

• 

  Richard Ridings

  as Mr. Lipa

• 

  Nomi Sharron

  as Feather Woman

The Pianist facts

Budget

$35M

Box office

$120.1M

Our take on The Pianist

Polanski's 2002 Holocaust drama recounts the true survival of Polish-Jewish pianist Władysław Szpilman through the destruction of the Warsaw ghetto and years hiding in the ruins. Restrained and devastating, it bears witness without melodrama, finding fragile humanity amid annihilation. If its solemn realism and quiet endurance stayed with you, seek out serious Holocaust and wartime dramas that honour survival and memory.