Violence In Roman Polanski's The Pianist

Roman Polanski’s The Pianist tells the story about a Polish Jew pianist living in Warsaw during the German occupation of Poland. The story follows his life during the Holocaust, hiding from place to place in his Nazi-filled city. Roman Polanski made this film to show the cruelties that are commonly associated with the Holocaust. This tragedy caused some people to take measures to save themselves from being sent to their deaths in the German camps. Along with this, some non-Jews decided to assist Jews that are close to them by giving them a place to hide from the Nazis. To send the message that the Holocaust was a brutal and ruthless time in world history, Roman Polanski utilizes graphic scenes of violence, Vladek’s popularity as a musician

Examples of this in The Pianist included the ruthless and indiscriminate killing of all Jews by the Nazis. Taking the life of one sole person feels different compared to the systematic extermination of many Jews during the Holocaust, mainly because the systematic method lacks the personal touch to killing a man. This was shown in the scene where a small child attempting to take a package from the outside of the Warsaw ghetto gets stuck underneath the wall and beaten to death by a German officer. Another example of the indiscriminate killing was when a Jewish woman was shot in the head after simply asking the Nazi officer where they were going. Although they were probably ordered to kill any Jews that stepped out of line, including children and women, it was evident that these acts were more than just following orders. In normal circumstances, many would hesitate to kill a woman or child, making these acts feel even more ruthless and brutal. Despite this, not all of the perpetrators of the Holocaust were going in with entirely malicious