The Pianist
Music was his passion. Survival was his masterpiece.
The true story of pianist Władysław Szpilman's experiences in Warsaw during the Nazi occupation.When the Jews of the city find themselves forced into a ghetto, Szpilman finds work playing in a café; and when his family is deported in 1942, he stays behind, works for a while as a laborer, and eventually goes into hiding in the ruins of the war-torn city.
- Director
- Roman Polanski
- Signature
- Craft · Drama · Action
- Worldwide
- $120M
Who's in it
Cast
The billed ensemble, with character names. Open any performer for their Nutevio filmography.
The Nutevio profile
Movie DNA
How The Pianist actually feels to watch, measured on the twelve traits our editors track across every Nutevio title.
Perfect if you enjoyed
Story overview
What It's About
Spoiler-free. Read the analysis below for the full argument.
The true story of pianist Władysław Szpilman's experiences in Warsaw during the Nazi occupation. When the Jews of the city find themselves forced into a ghetto, Szpilman finds work playing in a café; and when his family is deported in 1942, he stays behind, works for a while as a laborer, and eventually goes into hiding in the ruins of the war-torn city.
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
Checking regional listings…
Why We Recommend It
Why It's Ranked
The Pianist appears in 4 Nutevio collections. Here is the argument behind each placement.
- Best Philosophical Movies Ranked #26
Placed at #26 by the Nutevio ranking model. An editor's written case is on the way.
- Movies With Incredible Endings Ranked #29
Placed at #29 by the Nutevio ranking model. An editor's written case is on the way.
- Drama Movies Ranked #36
Placed at #36 by the Nutevio ranking model. An editor's written case is on the way.
- Top 250 Movies of All Time Ranked #43
Placed at #43 by the Nutevio ranking model. An editor's written case is on the way.
The record
Awards
8 wins · 11 nominations
Academy Awards
3 wins · 7 nominations
- WinnerAcademy Award for Best Actor
- WinnerAcademy Award for Best Cinematography
- WinnerAcademy Award for Best Costume Design
BAFTA Awards
2 wins
- WinnerBAFTA Award for Best Direction
- WinnerBAFTA Award for Best Film
Cannes Film Festival
1 win
- WinnerPalme d'Or
European Film Award for Best Cinematographer
1 win · 1 nomination
- WinnerEuropean Film Award for Best Cinematographer
National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
1 win
- WinnerNational Board of Review: Top Ten Films
European Film Award for Best Director
No wins yet · 1 nomination
- WinnerEuropean Film Award for Best Director
European Film Award for Best Film
No wins yet · 1 nomination
- WinnerEuropean Film Award for Best Film
Jameson People's Choice Award for Best Actor
No wins yet · 1 nomination
- WinnerJameson People's Choice Award for Best Actor
The numbers
Box Office & Release
The Pianist returned 3.4× its budget worldwide.
- Budget
- $35M
- Opening weekend
- —
- Domestic gross
- —
- International gross
- —
- Worldwide gross
- $120M
- Release date
- Sep 17, 2002
- Runtime
- 2h 30m
- MPAA rating
- —
- Language
- German, English
- Country
- Germany, France
Figures from the verified production record. Fields we cannot source are left blank rather than estimated.
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