My father ‘The Pianist’. The true story

Eminent Polish-Jewish composer and pianist Władysław Szpilman was a household name in pre-WWII Warsaw, but it was his miraculous story of survival during the war that would later form the basis for the Oscar-winning film ‘The Pianist.

First pulled out of a line by a Jewish police officer as he awaited deportation to the German extermination camp Treblinka, he was then hidden for over a year by Polish friends before the Warsaw Uprising left him cut off from them in the ruins of the capital.

Hiding in a burnt out building on 223 Aleja Niepodległości, he was found by a German officer who, remarkably, helped him survive.

As Poland approaches another anniversary of the end of the Warsaw Uprising on the 3rd of October, Heart of Poland interviewed Władysław Szpilman’s son, Andrzej Szpilman, who gave an intimate insight into how he first came to accidentally find his father’s memoir, his journey to getting it published and the film made, and his experiences on the set with Roman Polanski and Adrien Brody.

He also discusses his hopes for his father’s legacy and further projects he is planning to tell his father’s story.

[janmarsh]

What is said that after you see the film you never forget the setting, the character and the story. It has made an indelible mark on me even now after all this time. This movie is very important. It confronts the human condition for good and for bad.

[candicepohlner]

I thoroughly enjoyed watching and listening to this. Thank you and the dog is gorgeous like a little calming therapy dog!

[sagitarius]

Pana ojciec zapisał piękną kartę historii.
Książki niestety nie czytałam ale postaram się to nadrobić.
Film Romana Polańskiego widziałam i odebrałam bardzo mocno.
Pozdrawiam serdecznie 🇵🇱♥️

[emmeayoub]

What a remarkable, honest and humble human being. I sincerely hope that his 🎹Father🪽is proud of his contributions to our World 🌎 🤗

[lucynajanik]

Amaizing story and amaizing son of amaizing father. Thank You❤️

[mikadorek]

Excelent, fascinating interview. Thank you both!

[miriambirenbaum]

This is a very interesting and fascinating story. So much history, thanks for sharing this interview!

[carlvonlinne]

This is the complete story of the book "Pianist" and told by his son Andzrej in cronolgy and fantastic storytelling way. Congratulations, now translated into Swedish (Bookmark) and should be given for free to all young people to remind them of these days desinformation and rightwing dictatorship. Gunnar

[lucjamazurkiewicz]

Thanks a lot for an amazing story. I wonder why there is no street in Warsaw dedicated to Mr Szpilman?

[krystynacollier]

Also, with great compassion to Jewish getting, not only Jews but also others, my uncle was one of first Oswiecim prisoner, no 122 out of 758 first transport. He was Catholic, soldier, partisan, after 1.5 year. Escaped, fpugt in British army and ended POW IN Nazi camp in Germany, liberated by Americans, left and lived on Australia, millions like him, prisoners no one mentions...

[rescuepetsrule]

What history! I wish the Russians hadn't kept Hosenfeld rotting in a camp until he died- a reunion with him and Spillman would have been epic. Now I want a Yorkie!

[SheSmilesattheFuture]

All interviews should have a little dog in it! 🥰

[SupernovaX]

Watch this again post October 7th 2023. 😭😭

[bogdak]

Jak może w takim materiale nie być polskiego tłumaczenia :(

[krystynacollier]

With great respect to The Pianist movie, historical comments are bit true, 1968 many Jewish people left Poland, not because they were expelled, they left as they lost key positions, 75 %kept by Jews in post war Poland, after nationalization and position purge by government. The most brilliant university classmates were Jews, and awarded by highest honors and rewards in 1968, it is important to keep facts straight

[Elly]

The slowest interview ever! I couldn’t finish it

[bigjohn]

Pierwszy normalny czlowiek ktory mowi ze w PL nie bylo Komunizmu, mimo ze zyje w PL pewnie z 50 lat .

[annalisa]

Thank you for the video but the licking was unnecessary

[rahscoh]

Captions are so weak as not to compensate for his accent & verbal struggles making this interview pointless, as well as the wiki reference of the holocaust, of wich took out 35+ million non Jewish peoples! I'm not rejecing the historicle persecution of jews, I'm just pointing to the hundreds of millions of non jews persecuted "mostly Indiginous" threw out history..We are a putrid lifeform capable of better, but consuming all other life as well! ..."Sorry for the wrist cutting comments of our existence"