The Pianist » Quotes (Movie)

Dorota: No-one play Chopin like you.
Wladyslaw Szpilman: I hope that's a compliment.

Radio announcer: Poland is no longer alone.

Wladyslaw Szpilman: Where are we going?
Mother: Phhhhh, out of Warsaw.
Wladyslaw Szpilman: (confused) Out of Warsaw? Where?
Regina: You haven't heard?
Wladyslaw Szpilman: (exasperated) Heard what?
Regina: Haven't you seen the paper?
Wladyslaw Szpilman: No!
Regina: Ah, where's the paper?
Halina: I used it for packing.
Regina: (incredulous) Ah, she used it for packing.

Wladyslaw Szpilman: So, you play the cello, Dorota. That's nice. And who's your favorite composer? Chopin? Really? Well, you'll have to learn to play his cello sonata, won't you? And what about you, Wladek? Well, perhaps I can accompany? Me on the piano, you on the cello?
Dorota: Mr. Szpilman, you are quite, quite wonderful.
Wladyslaw Szpilman: (kisses Dorota's hand) Call me Wladek. Please.

Dorota: (amazed) Mr. Szpilman?
Wladyslaw Szpilman: (breathless) Hello.
Dorota: I've come specially to meet you, I love your playing.
Wladyslaw Szpilman: (chuckling) Who are you?
Dorota: My name is Dorota, I am Jurek's sister.

Man Waiting to Cross: And the Germans claim to be intelligent! You know what I think, I think they are totally stupid. I have a family to feed. I spend half my time here, waiting for them to let us through. Why do they think I come here, to listen to the music?

(Szpilman is discovered by the Polish army, wearing the German dress coat given him by Capt. Hosenfeld)
Wladyslaw Szpilman: No. Please. I'm Polish. I'm not a German.
Polish Soldier: Then why the fucking coat?
Wladyslaw Szpilman: I'm cold.

Wladyslaw Szpilman: (taking off his watch) Here, sell this. Food is more important than time.

Wladyslaw Szpilman: What does my tie have to do with anything? I need it for work.

Yehuda: Majorek used to be in the army. Brilliant man. The only thing I've got against him is he's not a socialist.

Wailing Woman: Why did I do it? Why did I do it? Why did I do it?
Halina: She's getting on my nerves. What did she do, for God's sake?
Father: She smothered her baby.

Halina: We could hide the money. Look here. We can hide the money under the flower pots.
Father: No, no, no, no, I'll tell you what we do. We use tried and tested methods. You know what we did in the last war? We made a hole in the table leg
(taps the leg)
Father: and hid the money in there.
Henryk Szpilman: And suppose they take the table away?
Father: What do you mean, take the table away?
Henryk Szpilman: The Germans go into Jewish homes and they just take what they want, furniture, valuable, anything.
Mother: Do they?
Father: Idiot, what would they want with a table, a table like this?
(rips a piece of wood off the table)
Mother: What on earth are you doing!
Halina: No, listen. This is the best place for it. No-one would think of looking under the flower pots.
Henryk Szpilman: No, no, no, listen, listen to me, I've been thinking...
Wladyslaw Szpilman: Oh, really? That's a change.
Henryk Szpilman: You know what we do? We use psychology.
Wladyslaw Szpilman: We use *what*?
Henryk Szpilman: We leave the money and the watch on the table, and we cover it like this, in full view.
Wladyslaw Szpilman: (amazed) Are you stupid?
Henryk Szpilman: The Germans will search high and low, I promise you, they'll never notice!
Wladyslaw Szpilman: That's the stupidest thing I've ever seen, of course they'll notice it. Look.
(takes the violin and a bill, folds it and slips it into the opening of the violin)
Wladyslaw Szpilman: Look here... idiot.
Henryk Szpilman: And you call me stupid?
Mother: No, that is very good, because that is the last place they will ever look.
Henryk Szpilman: This will take hours!
Mother: We're not in a hurry, we'll get it back...
Wladyslaw Szpilman: It won't take hours.
Henryk Szpilman: How will you get them out? Tell me that, tell me how, I'd like to know, how would you get them out. You take each one out individually...
Halina: No-one listens to me, no-one.

Dorota: I'll get a doctor.
Dorota's Husband: You can't, it's too dangerous.
Dorota: I'll get Doctor Laczek, we can trust him.
Dorota's Husband: Dorota, don't be ridiculous, he's a pediatrician.
Dorota: He's still a doctor.

(first lines)
Dorota: (running from bombing) Mr. Szpilman?
Wladyslaw Szpilman: Hello.
Dorota: Oh, I came specially to meet you. I love your playing.
Wladyslaw Szpilman: Who are you?
Dorota: My name is Dorota. I, I'm Jurek's sister... You're bleeding.

Wladyslaw Szpilman: It's an official decree, no Jews allowed in the parks.
Dorota: What, are you joking?
Wladyslaw Szpilman: No, I'm not. I would suggest we sit down on a bench, but that's also an official decree, no Jews allowed on benches.
Dorota: This is absurd.
Wladyslaw Szpilman: So, we should just stand here and talk, I don't think we're not allowed to do that.