Journal #2: The Pianist

Journal #2

Movie: The Pianist

The Pianist was a very good movie. This Jewish man named Szpilman had a wonderful life, being with his family and doing what he loves, which was playing the piano on a radio station. One day as he is playing the piano, a bomb explodes by the radio station. This is the beginning of the war and formation of the ghetto. Szpilman and his family are all Jewish. Soon after the bomb, the Nazis are making all Jewish civilians wear white bands with the star of David on it and move them all the a ghetto in their city. Eventually, the ghetto would be cleared out and the Jews would be sent to a death camp. As everyone is walking to get on the cattle car, a man saves Szpilman from going on the car. Szpilman was helped by many people to survive the holocaust. After a while, he started to run out of food and water. Szpilman became terribly sick and now the whole city was a battlefield, so no one could help him. There were bombs and fires everywhere, not only in the ghetto. There was no one to be found in the city and Szpilman needed to find shelter. He was able to live in an attic until the war was over. One night, a Nazi general found him. He asked what Szpilman did for a living and he replied saying he was a pianist. Luckily there was a piano for Szpilman to play for the General. The Nazi General thought his talent was remarkable and wanted to help him. He provided Szpilman with clothing, food, and water. In the end, Szpilman became world known and very successful pianist. I enjoyed this movie very much because I loved watching a video where a Nazi actually helped a Jew survive. It reassures people that there was some “good guys” during the holocaust who wanted to help Jews instead of demolish them. The Nazi general was in fact a “good guy”.