Life / 'The Pianist' - the movie. What's your opinion? Polanski [59]


Perhaps there were no answers. This film was about ONE man's act of survival. Sure there are those who helped him survive and there stories were left untold because to Szpilman they were unknown. People were taken away everyday without anyone being told anything. I think this aspect of the film created a chaotic, uneasy sense, a sense that someone would feel in occupied Poland, I imagine.

I hear what everyone is saying, as far as Polanski "showing more brave Poles," but I'm not sure that is what the movie is about. And I'd be more apt to agree with these points if I felt that Polanski went out of his way to depict despicable Poles, or intentionally omitted Polish bravery, but I don't see it that way.

Upon the same lines, there is an upcoming film called "Defiance" about three Polish Jewish brothers who train Jews to fight the nazi's during World War II, I'm sure some of these complaints will be relevant in that film as well.

Life / 'The Pianist' - the movie. What's your opinion? Polanski [59]

I think this plays in to some of the guilt that survivors often feel. "Why me? What makes me so good and righteous to have survived when so many better people who helped me died?" It shows the dumb luck and randomness of some Holocaust survivors.

Genealogy / Reply from USC - will they answer in Polish? [11]

I live across the street from the University of Southern California. They have a large Polish Music school, but they probably wont read your letter. Send it to me across the street, I'll read it.

Life / 'The Pianist' - the movie. What's your opinion? Polanski [59]

The logic here makes no sense. How can the film be both about a "Polish citizen" and "patriot" AND anti-Polish propoganda? Nobody is argueing that the Polish characters are unnecissary but we're talking about a story arc. I swear, the film that is being proposed here would be an unfocused 8-hour bohemoth with almost zero domestic box office appeal, wouldn't that have made "The Pianist's" american distributer, Universal, happy. I don't even like this film THAT much, but Good Lord, it's like none of you have every seen a movie before. Is the "The Godfather," anti-Japanese because it doesn't show members of the Japanese mafia?

News / Should rape carry a life sentence in Poland? [146]

Quite right, Seanus. This is a fundamental issue that people miss. In the eyes of the law it SHOULDN'T MATTER if being gay is "right or wrong." The law shouldn't be concerned with right or wrong, only "fair and unfair," "just and unjust." If you think it's a sin for gay people to be gay, that's fine, let God deal with that, but a court should only rule on what is fair and unfair. Rape, is unfair, not only to the victim but to tax payers who must pay for rape kits and investigations, the victim's family, so on and so forth.

In response to the thread's title, I am weary to put a blanket statement over ANYTHING as their are always degrees and shades of gray and special circumstances. I will say that rape is one of the most vile and hurtfully violent things one person can do to another and should carry a maximum sentence longer than 12 years.