I rewatched The Pianist yesterday, to compare - as much as possible - AB’s performance in it with The Brutalist and to remind myself of it, as it’s been a long time since I first watched it. Wow - it’s such a powerful film, and well worth watching for anyone on here who hasn’t seen it. Strap yourselves in for the review - it's on the long side (sorry!)
It is a very difficult watch - as it should be - as it doesn’t shy away from showing you the different aspects of life that emerged in the Jewish ghetto in Warsaw (which is where most of the film’s storyline is set).
There are a few very violent scenes, with graphic imagery, but the camera only shows them for a couple of seconds. For me, that meant they retained their power and stopped the film from sensationalising what happened and helped it to retell the events in a way that was (rightfully) respectful and also impactful.
For other scenes, Polanski makes good use of sound and landscape to recreate what happened, and doesn’t rely much on music - apart from in the scenes where Szpilman is playing the piano. I really liked that and thought it was effective, as I think any film that is showing or retelling a upsetting or shocking story shouldn’t rely on music but take a ‘less is more’ and ‘show, don’t tell’ approach, which I think Polanski does really well.
Incidentally, I found out that Polanski lived in the Warsaw Ghetto that he recreates in the film, and had a similar experience to Szpilman although was much younger than him - as I think his mum was deported to a concentration camp and he survived the war by essentially fending for himself in Warsaw.
Going back to AB, what I particularly liked and found powerful about his performance from my rewatch now was how he develops his character. At the start, he plays him as an elegant, intelligent and urbane young man who is attractive, charming and even a bit cocky. I think he keeps a well judged balance between making him an endearing character but also showing he is aware of his charms, showing his vulnerability and confidence at the same time, before showing a more questionable attitude when he keeps his job as a pianist and is playing for wealthy Jewish residents of the Warsaw ghetto. Emilia Fox is also in the film, initially as an acquaintance/potential love interest, and then also appears later on, and I thought she was good.
Broadly, I think AB deserved the Oscar because of the way he develops his character and brings out his different qualities in a very mature and responsible way (sounds horribly patronising but I can’t think of a better way to say it), the sheer amount of preparation he had to do for the role and the fact it obviously paid off (you can see he does actually play the piano at points in a believable way, learning German dialogue and the weight loss he went through to play his character when he's close to starving after being alone in the Warsaw Ghetto after most other residents had been deported to concentration camps).
I have to admit I haven't seen the other Oscar-nominated performances from the year he won, but for such a young actor, I think he did a brilliant job. The film itself is very good, but his performance definitely adds a lot of value and weight to it. I like how people have said AB’s performance in The Brutalist is sort of like an unofficial sequel to The Pianist - I think The Brutalist shows how much he has grown as an actor and equally gives him a chance to shine.