The Pianist (2002)

Based On the Life of: Wladyslaw Szpilman

Starring: Adrien Brody

Movie Budget: $35 million

Star Salary: $2 million

Released in 2002, The Pianist, was directed by Roman Polanski. Adrien Brody stars as Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Jewish radio station pianist living in Poland during WWII. The movie documents Szpilman’s struggle as he watches his beloved Warsaw get torn down by the Nazis.

He is briefly forced into the Warsaw Ghetto, but Operation Reinhard separates him from his family and he is released. The pianist then hides in the ruins of the city, narrowly avoiding capture by the Nazis. The film takes place between 1939 and 1945. The screenplay was adapted by Ronald Harwood directly from Szpilman’s autobiography.