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Essay / Analysis of Setting and Morality in The Pianist
The context and circumstances we find ourselves in create the person we become and choose to be. In The Pianist directed by Roman Polanski, the setting was used to develop the viewer's understanding of Szpilman and Hosenfeld's characters. Szpilman is a Jewish citizen of Warsaw during World War II, who faced many struggles throughout his life. Hosenfeld was a German officer of World War II. The physical setting of the hospital and the Warsaw ghetto allowed the viewer to better understand Szpilman's will to survive and his strong moral compass. The physical setting of the POW camp and the abandoned buildings of Warsaw allowed the viewer to better understand Hosenfeld's remorse and regret for his actions during World War II, as reflected in the cinematography and dialogue techniques . Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The physical setting of the hospital was used to develop the understanding of Szpilman's character and his will to survive. While Szpilman survives on the streets of Warsaw, he finds refuge in an abandoned hospital. Through a high angle close-up, Szpilman is shown drinking dirty, contaminated water from a bucket with his hands. The Nazis reduced Szpilman to an animal-like state, making him so desperate that he drinks dirty water from a bucket. Szpilman has been reduced to despair as he sacrifices his dignity to survive. This shows the audience that Szpilman's strong sense of survival helped him survive in this abandoned hospital. He has lost his family and personal belongings, but his survival is his first priority. The viewer finds this strong desire to survive in the hospital in a shot. Broken glass frames the photo of Szpilman watching the bodies of Nazis burn in the street. Watching this gives Szpilman motivation as he refuses to become a victim but instead uses fear to become more determined to survive. These horrible actions could easily have happened to him, but he does not give up but sees the horror with his own eyes. These horrible circumstances gave him the opportunity to show the best of himself and his ability to survive the harsh conditions imposed on him. It's almost ironic that at one of Szpilman's lowest and most physically desperate points, he finds himself in a hospital meant to help and heal him. But Szpilman continues and refuses to let his physical environment alter his strong motivation to survive. The will to survive is often defined as "a type of survival instinct that drives individuals to exert effort to overcome life-threatening situations and continue to enjoy the benefits of life." (sageGEEK). But what does it really take to have the will to survive? How do you know how much your will to survive has been tested? The struggle the audience sees Szpilman go through in the abandoned hospital shows that his will to survive outweighs his desire for this to end. Szpilman wants all his suffering and pain to become something more than that, but for him to survive the war for himself and live for his family. His will to survive was fully tested when he managed to survive all alone as a Jew in the abandoned Warsaw hospital. Szpilman's time spent in the physical setting of the Warsaw Ghetto developed his character and strong moral compass. Within the ghetto, Szpilman is forced to make many difficult, life-changing decisions and sacrifices that affect both himself andhis family. When the idea was proposed to Szpilman of joining the Jewish ghetto police, he replied: “Thank you, I have work.” This piece of dialogue shows the sacrifice Szpilman must make to maintain his moral integrity. He refuses to be the one who beats and mistreats the Jewish people in the ghetto. Even with his family starving, he refuses to earn money from this immoral source and would rather keep his dignity intact than feed his family and have a better life by harming his own people. We once again see Szpilman making sacrifices for himself and his family, with a mid-range shot from a slightly low angle. Szpilman plays piano in a Jewish café for wealthy members of the Jewish population. The expression on Szpilman's face is blank and empty, at this point playing the piano is almost a chore because he doesn't have the passion he usually feels when playing the piano. His face has split lighting with half the face in shadow and the other half in light, this shows his internal struggle between what he wants to do and what he needs to do. The Jewish population outside the cafe is starving and dying in the streets, but the people in the cafe eat good food and live in comfortable living conditions, but by playing he feels like he is supporting the separation between the Jewish population and Nazi control. on his people. Since the people he plays for made their money from bribes to the Nazis, he believes he is supporting this unethical way of getting money. He plays the piano to survive because it is what feeds his family. Szpilman's contradictory actions show us his strong moral compass as he only does what he must do to survive, in the Warsaw Ghetto. The condition of the Warsaw Ghetto forced Szpilman to make decisions that compromised his moral position and his internal struggle to do what was wrong but necessary shows his strong moral compass. These sacrifices we see Szpilman make are the same sacrifices director Roman Polanski made as a child during the Holocaust. Polanski was also separated from his family by a Jewish police officer. Polanski was the best person to show Szpilman's struggle because he experienced the same struggle in his own life and has a personal connection to the difficulties and struggles Szpilman experienced. The physical setting of the Warsaw Ghetto developed Szpilman's strong moral compass. The physical setting of the POW camp and the streets of Warsaw allowed the viewer to better understand Hosenfeld's remorse and regret for his actions during World War II. As a German officer, Hosenfeld made many decisions that he came to regret at the end of the war, while in a prisoner of war camp. Through a close-up, the audience sees Hosenfeld behind a barbed wire fence, looking guilty. This photo shows Hosenfeld at his lowest point physically but at his highest point morally. This is because he understands the right and wrong in his actions and is willing to admit his fault and responsibility for his actions. The distraught emotion on Hosenfeld's face suggests his regret as he now feels the weight of his actions. Hosenfeld also experiences what he did to the Jewish population. Hosenfeld again shows his remorse and regret for his actions when he hears Szpilman playing the piano, with a high angle shot. Hearing the piano strikes something in Hosenfeld, as he chooses to help Szpilman survive. He regrets what he did to Szpilman and the Jewish population, as he now sees the repercussions of his actions. He sees the love and passion that Szpilman puts into the piano and realizes that so much is being taken away from him. The regrets and guilt of.