War X Art
“The Pianist”

Since 1933, when Hitler became the most powerful man in Germany (he was chosen to be prime-minister and president at the same time), the faith of the jews seemed to be defined. Their perspectives were the worst. Anyone that have read the book written by the german “fuhrer” (“Mein Kampf”) would foresee the persecutions and humiliations that would be applied to the jewish community, at least inside Germany.

Aware that the nazi's objectives included territorial expansion and the quest for the “vital space” (ways of obtaining low cost labor, supplies such as minerals and food, new areas for investment and major consuming markets), actions that were being done since Germany invested against Austria and Tchecoslovakia, the situation of the jews that lived in the neighbour countries was also turning out to be delicate. A german anexation or invasion would represent, on a practical basis, the submission to violences and the worst living conditions.

The invasion of Poland in September of 1939 confirmed the worst prognosis. The Polish and specially the Jews were locked in ghettos and later on transferred to concentration or extermination camps. On a practical basis it meant that these people lost their properties and their money; they were installed in places that had the worst conditions (no heating system, no current water, dirt all over…); Jews and other prisoners were used as slave labor; everyone separated from their families (most of them would never see their relatives again); and many violent acts were commited against all of them (from beating up a person for small mistakes to brutal murders in front of the other prisoners to establish fear among them).

How can someone survive to these losses and agressions? In what way the prisoners could resist without the support of their families being exhausted by the slave labor and being fed with quantities of food lower than human beings needs? What hope could they have if they didn't know what was going on outside in the warfront?

The movie “The Pianist”, from director Roman Polanski, put us in a very unusual situation regarding the history of the Second World War. A very particular story, from a known artist, that shows the enormous difficulties of war and how someone can turn out to be a mad man or use the art to survive, to resist. Wladyslaw Szpilman, a famous pianist in Poland at that time suffered the worst happenings that were possible, saw his relatives being sent to places that he knew meant death, was beaten and threatened of death, realized slave labor and had to hid himself from the racial hate of the nazis in his own country. It could only become a great and awarded movie…

The Movie

The Nazi desire for conquest was so big that their spectacular plans allowed them to conquer Poland in just a few hours. There was not even enough time for the Polish defense and population organize a defense line and fight against the enemy. There was not enough time for Wladyslaw Szpilman (Adrien Brody, in a great interpretation that gave him the best actor award by the Hollywood Academy) and his family to escape and take refuge in a neutral country.

Szpilman was considered an outstanding pianist and had a radio program in Warsaw. He was a refined man with a high cultural level but phisically fragile althoug very elegant. He knew that he had only a few chances of surviving if the Germans caught him. He carried with him something that made many people suffer under the nazi's fury, he was a Jew.

Like all the Polish Jews that lived in Warsaw, he was imprisoned and submitted to live in the ghetto. Well known and respected by his fellowships because of his musical abilities, he was saved from the lines that were sending prisoners to extermination camps such as Treblinka or Auschwitz. Instead of being condemned to death he became a slave. His job was to carry bricks. He was beaten and humiliated by the nazi soldiers every single day. Resisted and kept on dreaming about a Polish resistance that could fight against the Germans even if it meant death for all of them.

He had a different faith when compared to the other prisoners, he managed a way to escape from the ghetto. It didn't mean that his life was ensured neither that he got away from the problems of the war. On the contrary, his fight for survival was just beginning…

For Teachers

1-  What do we have to do to survive under the worst conditions such as the ones that we find in a war or a major natural catastrophe? How much food and water will a person need to resist a long period of isolation? It would be very interesting if the Biology teacher worked with information that could allow students to foresee the basic levels of human beings survival regarding liquids and nutrients. Just like what happened with Wladyslaw Szpilman, Adrien Brody's character, in the movie “The Pianist”.

2- The book “Mein Kampf” by Adolf Hitler is considered by many historians as a fundamental element to clearly understand the nazi ideology. What are the main ideas presented on this book? How did Hitler and the nazis reach the power in Germany? What did they do to estimulate the racial hate against the Jews in their country and begin another World War? What was the function of the SA, SS and Gestapo troops? There are many questions to be used to propose projects in history. The most interesting is that students have an enormous curiosity about this subject.

3-  Propose the students (after they watch the movie and do some research about the nazi period in Germany) to write letters as if they were living in a ghetto or in a concentration camp; an interesting alternative would be asking them to write those letters supposing that they were nazi soldiers or officials. To make this activity seem more realistic tell them to send the letters through the mail services to you.

4-  An interesting proposition would be a research about Ghettos, Concentration and Extermination Camps. The students could make panels explanining these places by presenting the architectural plans and pictures with captions and, at the same time, statements or descriptions found in books or in the web.

João Luís Almeida Machado
Master Degree in Education, Arts and History of Culture (Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, in São Paulo); Professor at Faculdade Senac in Campos do Jordão; Middle and High School teacher; writes weekly columns for the website Planeta Educação

Send e-mails, comments, suggestions and critics for:
profjoaoluis@planetaeducacao.com.br

Technical Information

The Pianist

Country/Year of Production:- France/Germany/England/Poland, 2002
Lenght of time/Gender:- 148 min., Drama
Director: Roman Polanski
Screenwriters: Ronald Harwood, Roman Polanski, Wladyslaw Szpilman
Cast:- Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretzchmann, Emilia Fox, Ed Stoppard, Frank Finlay, Julia Rayner, Jessica Kate Meyer, Joachim Paul Asbock, Michael Zebrowski.

Links
(in portuguese)

- http://www.cinemaemcena.com.br/crit_editor_filme.asp?cod=1975
- http://www.adorocinema.com/filmes/pianista/pianista.htm
- http://e-pipoca.cidadeinternet.com.br/filmes_zoom.cfm?id=4259