We live in an era of biopics, and musicians are an unusually common subject to dominate that genre. In recent years, we've seen biographical dramatizations of Elton John ("Rocket Man"), Elvis Presley ("Elvis") and Amy Winehouse ("Back to Black"). As of this writing, the latest entry in the musical biopic genre is "Complete Unknown," where Timotee Calamet channels what can only be described as a "pretty good" iteration of Bob Dylan. The cascade of music-infused biopics isn't slowing down anytime soon. We have projects by Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson, Louis Armstrong and The Beatles (among many others) on tap over the next few years.

The barrage of biopics on the pop chart begs the question, which one is the best? Is there a musician biopic that stands out above all the others? The answer, according to IMDB, is yes. In fact, there is one film that stands head and shoulders above all others in its genre. The movie in question? "The Pianist".

The tragic film was released in 2002 and depicts the animals, the Times and the trajectory of the wartime career of acclaimed Polish Jewish musician Wadislav Szpilman as he navigates World War II and the Holocaust. It was directed by Roman Polanski and written by Ronald Harwood himself and Spielman himself. Adrien Brody portrays the title character on screen, where he delivers a performance of Rip-Your Heart-Out that leaves you moved by the music and devastated by the story. As for the "best" moniker, the film doesn't just do it Top 250 Movies on IMDB of all times. It goes all the way down to #32 on the list. The ranking is based on the site's crowd rating system, which doesn't factor in nuanced things like critic ratings or posted reviews (As is the case with other sites like rotten tomatoes). It's a pure display of each film's mass appeal, and The Pianist has maintained its crowd appeal on this prestigious list over two decades after its release.

Although technically billed as a music-themed biopic, at its core, "The Pianist" has much bigger fish to fry. The story centers on Polish pianist Wadislav Szpilman during his early rise to fame against the backdrop of the simultaneous rise of Nazi Germany. Poland is invaded by the Third Reich in September 1939 (not long before Szpilman's 28th birthday), and from that point on, the film takes a very serious turn from the stage (or rather, the radio - Szpilman made his bread and butter over sound aerials). waves) to survival.

As Nazi armed forces occupy Poland and the Holocaust looms large, the protagonist's story turns into a fascinating one of disturbing danger and despair. He is confined to the Warsaw Ghetto, hides for extended periods of time, and even survives the apocalyptic destruction of his city after the Warsaw Uprising.

While the music underlies much of the film, it remains a large part of what makes this one so powerful. Despite his tragic circumstances, Spielman remains a musician at heart. The scene where he plays the piano for a German officer, for example, is filled with equal parts heartbreak and dramatic tension. The whole affair is bathed in drama, giving it an extra dimension of seriousness that few other biopics can remotely hope to emulate. The fact that Spielman survives the terrifying experience and then goes on to live to be 88 (he died in 2000) even gives him redemption at the end (albeit a sobering one).

The natural next question is, well, what other musical biopics are considered all-time classics? The answer, unfortunately, is not much. Few top-shelf films in the genre managed to make the list at all. "Amadeus" is the 73rd. After that, you have to bend the rules to even find anything remotely like a musician biopic. (You could technically say that "the sound of music," which is the 235th, is for a family of musicians, but again, that's stretching it.)

However, there are other common themes that run in the same direction as "pianist". One of these is Saving Private Ryan, which arrives on the 24th and is also set in a World War II setting. The Holocaust also features heavily towards the top of the list, with Life Is Beautiful at #27 and Schindler's List coming all the way at #7.

Not far behind The Pianist is Studio Ghibli's emotional wrecking ball Grave of the Fireflies, a film set in wartime Japan that was part of Barbenheimer's own level event. Right after Spielman's biopic, we even get Gladiator on the 33rd, which is another story about a protagonist who faces a catastrophic accident. There is a common pattern there. The relatively happy ending of Spielman's stunning accident even mirrors the number one on the list: "The Shawshank Redemption," which highlights innocent suffering, the resilience of the human will, and ultimately, survival and healing. Relationships are comforting. In a world where action heroes are commonplace and reality TV is king, it's good to know that the highest-grossing entertainment experiences—whether they're biopics, fiction, or anything else—are still those with an exceptional story that they have to tell it.