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Last Updated: Mar 17th, 2009 - 10:42:11
Censorship in Movies
Movie: The Pianist
By Sarah Lane
Aug 21, 2006, 06:53 PST
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The Pianist
‘Music was his passion. Survival was his masterpiece.’
Grade Level: 9-12, college
Subject: History, Music, Current Events
Keywords: Lesson Plan, Movies in the Classroom, holocaust, attic, based-on-autobiography, based-on-true-story, deportation, execution, fugitive-from-nazi, genocide, gestapo, ghettoization, hiding-place, humiliation, hunger, jaundice, luggage, murder, music, nazi-occupied-poland, nazi, piano-concerto, piano-player, piano, polish-resistance, starvation, tank, underground-resistance, violence, warsaw-ghetto, wheelchair, wwii, 1930s, 1940s, anti-semitism, concert, contraband, freight-train, historical, hospital, jewish, mass-murder, mistaken-identity, musician, pianist, police-brutality, prisoner-of-war, radio-broadcasting, restaurant, rooftop, separation-from-family, wall, war-crime, warsaw-poland, whipping, panzer.
Author: Sarah Lane
Affiliation: ClassBrain, Inc.
Date: 6 May 2003
Duration: 1-4 class periods
Background: Based on a true story. A Polish Jewish musician struggles to survive the destruction of the Warsaw Ghetto of World War II. Wladyslaw Szpilman, a brilliant Polish pianist escaped deportation and is forced to live in the heart of the Warsaw Ghetto. As he is hiding in the ruins of the capitol, a German officer comes to his aid and helps him to survive. Wladyslaw Szpilman published Death of a City in 1946 which recounts his experience including life in the ghetto, and how it was for the victims and the torturers. The work was banned by the communist authorities. In 1998 his son Andrzej Szpilman discovered the manuscript of his father’s memoirs which led to a new publication of the work. It was first translated and published in France as The Pianist.
Objective: Watch the movie or excerpts from the movie The Pianist (2002). Use the lesson plans to gain a better understanding of the plot and structure of the film. Use the Resources & Materials to complement your lesson plans or to develop unique lesson plans. This film is not recommended for younger viewers.
Lesson Plan - Censorship
In recent news, a company called Clean Flix has developed a service that will edit your purchased DVD’s and videos of all “offensive” content. The term offensive is a subjective (particular to a person) term, but usually refers to swear words, nudity, and violence. Film producers and movie studios are arguing that this compromises the artistic integrity of their films. Imagine that every part of the movie The Pianist that was violent or contained swear words was simply removed from the film. Would this change the overall effect of the movie? Would this change your opinion of the movie? How and why? Do you think the film producers and movie studios have a legitimate argument? Why? What do you see happening in the future to film making? What would you, your parents, your friends, and other people you know think about censoring home movies? Have your students take a stand on this issue and write a paper that answers these questions.
Resources & Materials:
“The Pianist” Film Facts
Websites for Student Resources
Websites for Teacher Resources
Vocabulary List - If you plan on using the Lesson Plans for younger students, this vocabulary list will be helpful.
Film Facts
Genre(s): Drama, War
Rating: R for violence and brief strong language
Family Rating: kids-in-mind Please visit the "kids-in-mind" website to get a detailed explanation of why this movie is rated "R". This film is not recommended for kids ages 16 and under.
Running Time: 149 minutes
Primary Actors: Adrian Brody (Oscar 2003, Best Male Actor) as Wladyslaw Szpilman, Emilia Fox as Dorota, Thomas Kretschmann as The German Officer, Michal Zebrowski, Ed Stoppard, Maureen Lipman as The Mother, Frank Finlay as The Father.
Director: Roman Polanski
Music: Wojciech Kilar (original), Frederic Chopin (non-original)
Screenplay: Ronald Harwood
Producers: (Primary) Robert Benmussa, (Executive) Timothy Burrill, (Co-Producer) Gene Gutowski
Studio: Focus Features
Related Internet Resources:
www.thepianistmovie.com
www.thepianist-themovie.com
© Copyright 2006 by Classbrain.com
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