Well, finally an update to the original story. I sent the damaged disc some 3 weeks ago and not having heard anything, I started to fear that the disc had gotten lost. And that would be quite normal considering my previous run of bad luck with this movie.
I email DVD Pacific earlier last week and was told that my damaged disc had not arrived yet, but I was assured that it should turn up sooner or later. And yesterday, I received an email from DVD Pacific that my replacement copy has just been shipped to me via USPS International Priority Air Mail.
Part 3 of this story will hopefully see me getting a copy of The Pianist that actually fully works, which would be a first for me.