DAY 61 (Dec 2) The Pianist

Today's viewing is fairly self-explanatory and further depicts "in"humanity, that is, humanity at it's worst.  Many of you discussed wanting to do something about social injustice and today we saw the results of the uprising against the Nazi occupation of Warsaw - the ghetto was levelled and any resistors who were caught were quickly executed.

When Szpilman is finally confronted by an articulate and finely cultured German officer in the abandoned building in which Szpilman is hiding, the tone of the story changes dramatically (sorry for the pun).  We know that the young officer is cultured as we hear his music coming from the main floor - Beethoven's Sonata opus 27 #2, 1st Movement (popularly known as the "Moonlight Sonata").  For the first time we see exactly what it is about a human being that could account for him (in this case Szpilman) being fully human and not sub-human as was decreed by the Nazis at that time . . . through the eyes of a Nazi.  The officer asks Szpilman to play the piano and, despite years of not touching a keyboard, he sits at the piano and plays, quite beautifully I might add, Chopin's Ballade No. 1 in G Minor (Op. 23, No. 1) - (in the actual event the real life Szpilman played Chopin's Nocturne No. 1 in C# Minor which is a much gentler tune, it's a nocturne, afterall, but it would have not been nearly as dramatic as the piece played in the film.  Notably, Nocturne No. 1 in C# Minor is the melancholy theme music throughout the music. This is seminal moment in the film as it depicts Szpilman as a human being, an entity worthy of protection, comfort and the rights of any other citizen.  The German officer begins to question his own views and the actions of the Germans in the war.

A quick reminder, as discussed in class please convene in the Bearpit at the beginning of period 3 on Monday as you'll spend the period perusing the displays and sampling the foods of my grade 12 students in Food and Culture Day - my expectation, as discussed in class, is that you spend the entire period talking to the people at the displays.