THE PIANIST (2002) | FIRST TIME WATCHING | MOVIE REACTION

In German, there are two “you”s, Sie = formal “you” and du = informal “you”. This matters because Hosenfeld consistently uses “Sie” with Szpilman. In other words, the correct translation of his lines is, “What are you doing here, sir?” and “Who are you, sir?”, showing that he treated Szpilman with respect. Szpilman also emphasized this later in a TV interview.

Szpilman married and had a son, and in 2011 during an unveiling of a commemorative plaque the daughter of the german officer who helped him attended the event

Szpilman means minstrel/musician in German. Hence why the German tells him it's a fitting name for a pianist

A lot of the small details like the boy being beaten on the other side of the wall, starving neighbors fighting over whatever food they could have, and the kapo telling him ‘Don’t run!’ we’re all recollections Roman recalled from his Holocaust experiences in Krakow, the same city in Schindler’s List.

This film always hit me harder than the Schindler's List. It's a horrifying masterpiece. It's very powerful and poignant. Chopin's music only adds to the tragedy: how such divine beauty could coexist with such abhorrent, inhuman evil. Brody delivered a genius performance in this one.

"I wish I knew you better" as the last thing he says to his sister hits hard

28:09 Warsaw was deliberately destroyed by German sappers and flamethrower units (Brandkommando). Not only houses, but also many Polish monuments and cultural sites were destroyed, including the Royal Castle, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Metropolitan Cathedral, and important archives and libraries.

Wilm Hosenfeld did not just save Szpilman he saved the lives of several other Polish Jews as well. But sadly the Soviet's refused to believe that a German could have ever done anything good and he was treated with appalling cruelty and died defeated and broken in 1952. He never saw his family again. In 1998 Szpilman requested that Hosenfeld be recognised by Yad Vashem as one of the Righteous among Nations. In 2008 this honour was granted to Hosenfeld and presented to his son Detlev in 2009.

SS Officer shooting that girl in the head out of nowhere traumatized me for life.

Adrien Brody won the Oscar for this film when he was 29 years old, making him (to date) the youngest person to win in the Best Actor category. Earlier this year he won again - 22 years later! - for playing another Holocaust survivor in THE BRUTALIST (the movie takes place entirely after the war but there's still plenty of trauma to go around). Brilliant film, Brody's great as usual. (I know several people who went to high school with him but alas, I've never met him.)