Wladek's Portrayal Of The Holocaust In The Pianist

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Recommended: How do we remember the Holocaust through films

The film “ The Pianist” directed by Roman Polanski can be deemed somewhat useful to a historian studying the period of time during the Holocaust and the pernicious impact it had on the city of Warsaw and its civilians. The film's portrayal of the Holocaust is highly accurate depicting the horrors and trauma during that time through the eyes of Wladyslaw “Wladek” Szpilman and his experiences. Although the film presents a few historical inaccuracies and fictionalizations the film is highly accurate, as it is solely based on the memoir of Wladyslaw Szpilman. This is evident in the quote “ I heard the hoarse bellowing of the German on the other side of the wall. I ran to the child to help him squeeze through as quickly as possible, but in defiance of our efforts, his hips stuck in the drain” (Szpilman, W., and Hosenfeld, W. (2008). The Pianist. Pp. 12, Toronto: McArthur & Company.) This quote was depicted during the middle of the film. This depiction strengthens the film’s reliability as it is based on the factual account of an experience encountered by Wladek …show more content…

Due to its level of reliability, the film is deemed as an extremely useful as the portrayal of the characters is accurately showing that there is good and bad in every person, for example, the Nazis who helped Wladek hide displaying that he does not have an extremely hostile attitude towards Wladek as the Nazi are generally portrayed to have.

Due to the film, being a chronological factual recount of the life of Wladek during WWII Poland the film is not biased in any way or exhibits a negative attitude to either of these characters and who they represent therefore strengthening its usefulness. Additionally, the level of usefulness is strengthened to a greater extent as the clothes worn by the Polish and Jewish people it gives the audience insight into what Warsaw, Poland and its civilians were like

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