...engaging and discerning culture, as a way of life...

November 23, 2004

The Pianist - 6

This is a WWII movie, that juxtaposes the suffering and horrible world of Poland during this time, with the wonderful gift of music of the pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman. While the rest of his family is sent to the death camps, he is saved by a German officer who is touched by his music. This movie like Schindler's List is able to show that even Nazi Germany was not a place where one could easily separate out good from evil, human nature is too complex for that(See the quote above). This film shows how mysterious music is to us, and the aesthetic and the ethical are connected somehow. If only beauty could become a guide to our action, we might live more fully with ourselves, our neighbor, and with nature.

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