In Wladyslaw Szpilman’s reccollection of his time during WWII in Warsaw, as well as the adaption of this novel by director Roman Polanski (The Pianist(2002)), we see the circumstances that change an individual when it comes to life, as well as their livelihood. In his memoir, Szpilman often talks about committing suicide but can never actually do the act. Even when he gets hurt, death is not the first thing on his mind, but his hands. How could he be a concert pianist if his hands were not in perfect condition. He has already given up on his family, and it seems as though, in the memior, Szpilman is only trying to stay alive so that he may once again play the piano. He practices while he is hiding, trying to remember his music, and finally, after two years of playing without an instrument and while his hands are cold and dirty, his fingernails long, Szpilman plays beautifully, as though nothing has changed. Through the use of his art, Szpilman is able to stay who he is, and the idea of him playing the piano keeps him sane, as if once he gets through this and if freed, he will once again do what he is exceptional at, what he loves.
In The Pianist, Szpilman(Adrien Brody) does not neccessarily make one think that he is only trying to stay alive for his passion, but instead focuses on his bodily changes when he is forced from hiding place to hiding place, wearing what soon become rags, his beard unshaven and body unwashed, while he is slowing beginning to starve to death. Through this thrid person view that the audience sees as they watch the film, Szpilman is drastically changed character wise from, in the memoir(first person narrative), one who is driven by his passion, to in the film, where one is merely trying to stay alive.
Using the first person narrative makes everything more real to the reader, as opposed to just standing on the sidelines. The reader gets a sense of who the protagonist really is. Getting inside the protagonist’s head is really how to understand the emotion that runs through Szpilman during his time of hiding in Warsaw. Reading his chilling thoughts of suicide, driven to stay alive instead, show through his words and create a sense of understanding. By reading directly from Szpilman, the reader can understand and forge a closer connection to the author, as opposed to watching another heartbreaking story about a man’s life during the holocaust, where really, the biggest change is his appearance. The two narratives both add something the other doesn’t have, however on an emotional level, getting inside the head of a victim of the Holocaust allows for a greater sense of empathy for the reader.
I agree that in his memoir, Szpilman gives us a personal insight into his thoughts. In the book we are able to know what is going on in his mind and realize that he contemplates suicide more than once. However, in the movie he only briefly debates jumping out the window when his building is under attack. In the book he even attempts suicide by attempting to drug himself. Another aspect in which the movie lacks insight is the importance of music. While in the movie we are shown that he sits in front of a piano and pretends to play it, in the book we are shown how much music is still part of his life. He often thinks about what he will do after the war. Playing the piano again seems to be the only thing that keeps him alive and hopeful for the end of the war since he is aware that he will never see his family again. In the book we are shown his passion for music more while in the movie we are only shown a few instances of him passionately playing the piano for the radio. This may be because we are given much more detail about his life before the war in the ghetto and the extent to which he is involved in the musical scene. His concern for the condition of his fingers is another indication of how much being a musician is part of his life. He is extremely concerned about not being able to play the piano ever again. I feel that in the book we see that Szpilman’s identity is that of a musician, he is trying to survive so he can go back to this.
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