In September of 1939, one of Poland's finest pianists is playing Chopin for a Polish radio broadcast when the first Nazi bombs fall on the city of Warsaw. So begins The Pianist

A film about fate and chance, brutality and survival; a film that simultaneously crushes and restores our faith in humanity. Not a typical Hollywood blockbuster, then, but a breathtaking film that won the coveted Palme d'Or at Cannes in 2002 and Oscars for Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

The Pianist was directed by Roman Polanski, who as a seven year old, managed to escape from a Jewish ghetto in Krakow, while other members of his family weren't so lucky. His passion for the film and the lack of sentimentality in which the story is told, combined with superlative performances by the cast, particularly Adrien Brody's mesmerizing performance as the pianist, Wladyslaw Szpilman, Thomas Kretschmann as Captain Wilm Hosenfeld, Frank Finlay as Wladyslaw's father, and Maureen Lipman as Wladyslaw's mother, are what makes this film rise above so many other WWII films.

Based on the autobiography of Polish pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman, the film tells his story of survival and courage. As the first bombs fall, Szpilman's family are convinced that it‘s only a matter of time before the Allies come to their defense. When Nazi restrictions on the lives of Jewish citizens tighten, and the rumors of a Jewish district within the city become a reality, they soon find themselves in danger of Nazi brutality and humiliation, of starvation and separation.

Szpilman is saved by a friend in the Jewish police force from boarding a train with the rest of his family, headed for Treblinka. The rest of the film shows Szpilman's struggle to stay alive, helped by friends, the Polish resistance, and pure luck as he watches his city turn into a war zone.

Through Brody's Oscar-winning performance we experience the desperation and determination that we can only imagine would have kept someone alive in that hellish world. The Pianist tells the story of a man who isn't looking to become a hero, but a man who simply wants to survive so that he might play his music again. In Szpilman's character we see a man who instinctually fights against dying at the hands of the Nazis, an ability I think we would all hope to possess if found in the same circumstances.

Some films make us laugh, some make us cry, and some transport us to a world made possible only by a fantastic imagination. Then there are films, like The Pianist, which make us feel deeply; make us ponder the strength and fragility of mankind. These are often the most frightening films because they are based on reality; a reality, which, if we are very lucky, we will never have to experience first-hand.

The Pianist is not a light-hearted film, but then the best films rarely are. It's an attempt to humanize an otherwise de-humanizing period of world history which still affects us today, and it's for this reason that The Pianist is such an unforgettably beautiful film.

Every month, Films You Forgot will dust off a classic movie from the DVD cupboard and review it as a fan would, reliving all the great bits that elevate a good film to greatness. We will cover a wide variety, from iconic films to watch with the kids, through to romance, drama and good old fashioned action and adventure. Maybe you would like to write a review of your favourite movie or even remind us of a classic we may have forgotten.