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Roman Polański

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Roman Polański (born 18 August, 1933) is a Franco-Polish film director and actor. A celebrated Hollywood director of such films as Rosemary's Baby (1968) and Chinatown (1974), he is also known for his tumultuous personal life. His wife, actress Sharon Tate, was murdered by the Manson Family in 1969 and he fled to Europe following a 1978 guilty plea to statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl. Unwilling to return to the United States and face arrest, he has continued to direct films in Europe, including Frantic (1988), the Academy Award-winning The Pianist (2002), and Oliver Twist (2005).

Biography

Early life

Raymond Roman Polański was born in Paris, France as Rajmund Liebling to Ryszard Polański (aka Ryszard Liebling), a Polish Jew, and Bula Polanska (née Katz), who was born in Russia to a Jewish father and Roman Catholic mother. In 1937 his family moved back to Poland, where they were eventually captured and imprisoned by the Nazis, along with millions of other Polish Jews. His mother died in an Auschwitz concentration camp, but Polański avoided incarceration there, escaped the Kraków Ghetto and spent the war wandering the countryside of Europe. These experiences later influenced the style in which he directed his 2002 Academy Award winning film The Pianist, which starred Adrien Brody, whose father is Jewish and whose mother is a Hungarian Catholic.

He was educated at the film school in Łódź, Poland, from which he graduated in 1959. Polański speaks six languages: Polish, Russian, English, French, Spanish, and Italian.

File:SharonTateRomanPolanskiTheFearlessVampireKillers.jpg
Polański with his future wife Sharon Tate in The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967)

Several short films made during the study gained considerable recognition. His first major film Knife in the Water (1962) was the first significant Polish film after the war that was not associated with the war theme. It was Polański's first nomination for the Oscar.

Polański then made films in Britain; Repulsion (1965), a disturbing tale of madness and alienation; Cul-de-Sac (1966) is similar in tone to the plays of Samuel Beckett, telling the story of a couple living on a remote island (Donald Pleasance and Françoise Dorleac) who are visited by two gangsters (Lionel Stander and Jack MacGowran).

File:SharonTateandRomanPolanski.jpg
Polański and Tate photographed in 1968.

The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967) is the American title for Dance of the Vampires, an unusual combination of comedy and horror. Polański's visuals give the film the feeling of a fairy tale, and at the same time he continues to explore the darker side of human relationships. The director was not happy with the American version of the film, which was re-cut in addition to having its title changed.

Relationship with Sharon Tate

Polański met rising star Sharon Tate while filming The Fearless Vampire Killers and during their time together doing the film they began dating. In 1968 Polański went to Hollywood, where his reputation was enhanced by the success of the sophisticated psychological thriller Rosemary's Baby (1968), based on Ira Levin's book of the same name, about a woman (Mia Farrow) who discovers she is pregnant with Satan's baby. On January 25, 1968, he married Tate in London, England.

On August 9, 1969, Tate, who was eight months pregnant, and four others (Abigail Folger, Jay Sebring, Wojciech Frykowski, and Steven Parent) were brutally murdered by members of Charles Manson's "Family", who entered the Polański home on Cielo Drive in the Hollywood Hills with the intention that they would "kill everyone there". Distraught and heartbroken, Polański returned to Europe shortly after the killers were arrested.

Also in 1969, Polański lost friend and collaborator Krzysztof Komeda (1931–1969). Komeda had been a popular jazz artist in Poland when the director first approached him to score a short film. He went on to score almost all of Polański's feature films until a head injury resulted in the composer's premature death. He is probably best known in the US for the haunting soundtrack to the movie Rosemary's Baby, but Komeda is also considered one of the most important figures of the Polish jazz scene of the 1950s and 1960s.

The seventies

Polański's next feature was a film version of Macbeth (1971), which was both praised for its intelligence and criticized for its explicit violence. This was followed by What? (1972), a surreal comedy about a young woman (Sydne Rome) and her adventures in a remote villa inhabited by an assortment of eccentric, and sometimes scary, people.

The director's next commercial success was Chinatown (1974), based on a screenplay by Robert Towne. The film was also embraced by critics, in part for its skillful evocation of the film noir classics made by the Hollywood studios. Chinatown references the history of the real Los Angeles, but it also alludes to the imaginary Los Angeles of the movies.

It may be telling that Polański chose to play the lead in his next film, The Tenant (1976), the story of a Polish immigrant living in Paris. The Tenant is a chilling exploration of alienation and identity, asking disturbing questions about how we define ourselves.

Pleaded guilty to statutory rape of 13-year-old girl

In 1977 Polański, 43, became embroiled in a scandal involving a 13-year-old girl, Samantha Geimer, that eventuated in Polanski's guilty plea on statutory rape charges. Polański was initially charged with rape, suspicion of sodomy, child molestation and furnishing dangerous drugs to a minor. The grand jury transcript describes the alcohol and drugs Polański supplied before engaging in oral, vaginal and anal sex on the girl. (In Roman by Polanski, Polanski alleged that the mother had set up the daughter as part of a blackmail scheme against him.) It was alleged the director drugged her with quaaludes and alcohol, during a "photo shoot", and then proceeded to have sexual intercourse with her at the Hollywood Hills home of actor Jack Nicholson. The sister of the girl heard her reporting the fact of sexual intercourse to her friend over the phone. When the girl's mother reported the incident to the police, Polański fled the United States but returned later to face the charges.

A fugitive from the United States

On February 1, 1978, after pleading guilty to the charges, Polański skipped bail and fled to France on learning that the judge was going to disregard the plea bargain and that he (Polański) could be sentenced to as much as 50 years in prison. France has a policy not to extradite its own citizens, which is reflected in the extradition treaty between France and the United States. As a consequence, American requests of extradition could not be heeded. It was possible for the US government to request Polański's prosecution by the French authorities. (The Washington Post, February 3, 1978 [1]). However US authorities chose not to avail themselves of this possibility, because the French have traditionally been unwilling to return U.S. criminals.

The United States could still request the arrest and extradition of Polański from other countries, should he visit them, mostly travelling between France and Poland. As a consequence, Polański has since avoided visits to countries that were likely to extradite him, such as the United Kingdom.

In a 2003 interview, Samantha Geimer said that "I'm sure if he could go back, he wouldn't do it again. He made a terrible mistake but he's paid for it." She is now in her second marriage, with three sons, living on Kauai, Hawaii.

Vanity Fair libel case

In 2004, Polański sued Vanity Fair magazine in London for libel. A 2002 article in the magazine written by A. E. Hotchner recounted a claim by Lewis Lapham, editor of Harper's, that Polański had made sexual advances towards a young model as he was travelling to Sharon Tate's funeral, claiming that he could make her "the next Sharon Tate". Unusually, he was permitted to provide evidence over a video link, after expressing fears that he might be extradited were he to enter the United Kingdom.[2][3]. The trial started on July 18, 2005, and Polański made English legal history as the first claimant to give evidence by video link. During the trial, which included the testimonies of Mia Farrow and others, it was proved that the alleged scene at the famous New York restaurant Elaine's could not possibly have taken place on the date given, because Polański only dined at this restaurant three weeks later. Also, the Norwegian then-model disputed the accounts that he had claimed to be able to make her "the next Sharon Tate".

Polański was awarded £50,000 damages by the High Court in London. Graydon Carter, editor of Vanity Fair, responded "I find it amazing that a man who lives in France can sue a magazine that is published in America in a British courtroom" while Samantha Geimer commented "Surely a man like this hasn't got a reputation to tarnish?" [4]


Later career

He received another Academy Award nomination for Tess (1979). Pirates (1986), a lavish period piece, was a commercial and critical failure. This was followed by Frantic (1988), probably the most conventional of the thrillers the director has made, and it, too, failed to excite critics or the general public. Frantic featured actress and model Emmanuelle Seigner, whom the director married in 1989. They have two children: Morgane and Elvis.

In 1997 he directed a musical version of The Fearless Vampire Killers which debuted on October 4, 1997 in Vienna as Tanz der Vampire, which was also the german title of the former movie. After closing in Vienna, the show continued to run very successful in Stuttgart and Hamburg, Germany.

In May 2002, Polański won the Palme d'Or (Golden Palm) award at the Cannes Film Festival for The Pianist, which also later won the 2002 Academy Award for Directing. In 2004 he received the Crystal Globe award for outstanding artistic contribution to world cinema at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. He could not attend the Academy Awards in Hollywood, because he still faces sentencing of up to 50 years in prison if he ever returns to the U.S.

During the summer and autumn of 2004, Polański shot a new film adaptation of Charles Dickens' novel Oliver Twist. The shooting took place at the Barrandov Studios in Prague, Czech Republic. Ronald Harwood wrote the screenplay. Starring are Barney Clark (Oliver Twist), Jamie Foreman (Bill Sykes), Harry Eden (the Artful Dodger), Ben Kingsley (Fagin), Leanne Rowe (Nancy), Edward Hardwicke (Mr Brownlow). Besides the cast, the director gathered again some of his collaborators from his previous movies: Ronald Harwood (screenplay), Allan Starski (production designer), Pawel Edelman (director of photography), and Anna Sheppard (costume designer).

Style

Most of Polański's works are often considered psychological thrillers. He has been called a genius of exploring the dark sides of human personality. His favourite theme that can be found in almost every movie he made is the relationship between the victim and the hangman (Death and The Maiden, Bitter Moon, Cul-de-Sac, Rosemary's Baby). The world of Polański's movies is cruel, grotesque and filled with brutal sex and dark humour. The main characters seem to be frail and weak, not able to fight whatever is surrounding them. Polański likes to shoot his films from the position of a voyeur. He has been critically praised as a director who brought intelligent and artistic values to commercial cinema (Rosemary's Baby, Chinatown). Death and the Maiden star Stuart Wilson said of Polański, "Roman is very deep water pretending shallow water."

Other facts

  • PolaÅ„ski has said that the greatest regret he has about his life was not being at his home on Cielo Drive when Sharon Tate and the others were murdered.
  • Dedicated the movie Tess to Sharon Tate. After spending time with Polanski in London, Tate left a copy of the book, along with a note saying it would make a good film, on Polanski's nightstand. She returned to the United States and was murdered soon after.

Filmography

Film director

Actor

References

  • Aloviso, Silvio. (2002). "Roman PolaÅ„ski: Chinatown". Torino: Lindau. 134p. ISBN 8871804139
  • Avron, Dominque. (1987). "Roman PolaÅ„ski". Paris: Rivages. 194p. ISBN 2869300557
  • Belmans, Jacques (ed). (1971). "Roman PolaÅ„ski: presentation par Jacques Belmans". Paris: Seghers. 185p.
  • Berkoff, Steven. (2003). "Tough acts: memories of working with Stella Adler, Christopher Plummer, Leonard Rossiter, Stanley Kubrick, Brad Davis, Eddie Murphy, Sylvester Stallone, Roman PolaÅ„ski, Christopher Walken, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Joan Collins, Al Pacino". London: Robson. 164p. ISBN 1851056699
  • Bird, Daniel. (2002). "Roman PolaÅ„ski". Harpenden: Pocket Essentials. 96p. ISBN 1903047897
  • Bisplinghoff, Gretchen (ed). (1979). "Roman PolaÅ„ski: a guide to references and resources". Boston/London: GK Hall. 116p. ISBN 0816179069
  • Blume, Antje. (2003). "Roman PolaÅ„ski, Macbeth". Paderborn: Schoningh. 103p. ISBN 3140412355
  • Bonnotte, Stephane; Zamochnikoff, Frederic. (2004). "PolaÅ„ski entre deux mondes". Neuilly sur Seine: Lafon. 324p. ISBN 2749901081
  • Boutang, Pierre-Andre (ed). (1986). "PolaÅ„ski par Polanski: textes et documents". Paris: Chene. 231p. ISBN 2851084380
  • Bruno, Edoardo (ed). (1993). "Roman PolaÅ„ski". Roma: Gremese. 123p. ISBN 8876067943
  • Butler, Ivan. (1970). "The cinema of Roman PolaÅ„ski". London: Zwemmer. 192p. ISBN 0302020616 (pbk)
  • Butler, Ivan. (1970). "The cinema of Roman PolaÅ„ski". New York: Barnes. 191p. ISBN 0498077128
  • Castro, Antonio (ed). (1999). "Miradas sobre el mundo: veinte conversaciones con cineastas [includes PolaÅ„ski]". Caceres: Cinefila Re Bross. 288p.
  • Censorini, Debora. (1997). "Il luogo chiuso e il perturbante nel cinema di Roman Polanski". Pavia Universita: thesis.
  • Ciment, Michel. (1987). "Passeport pour Hollywood: entretiens avec Wilder, Huston, Mankiewicz, Polanski, Forman, Wenders". Paris: Seuil. 392p. ISBN 2020095270
  • Conde, Michel. (2002). " Le pianiste: un film de Roman Polanski". Liège: Les Grignoux. 64p. ISBN 293036601X
  • Couvy, Claire. (2003). "Anormalité, transgression et creation: a partir de l'etude du transsexualisme et du transvestisme dans l'analyse de 'L'annee des treize lunes' de Fassbinder et 'Le locataire' de Polanski". Paris: Sorbonne University. Thesis. 93p.
  • Daubner, Anton. (1985). "Psychologische Elemente in den Filmen Roman Polanskis". Erlangen-Nuremberg Universität: Magisterarbeit. 157p.
  • Eagle, Herbert J. (2003). "Exile and emigration in the films of Roman Polanski". IN
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  • Edenberger, Patrizia. (1997). "Die Probleme bei der audiovisuellen Umsetzung phantastischer Literatur am Beispiel von 'Der Sandmann von E.T.A. Hoffmann' und 'Der Meister des Jüngsten Tages' und 'St. Petri-Schnee' von Leo Perutz im Vergleich mit 'Rosemary's Baby' von Ira Levin". Wien, Universität: Dissertation. 335p.
  • Elliott, Kamilla. (2003). "Rethinking the novel/film debate[discusses PolaÅ„ski's Tess]". Cambridge (UK): Cambridge University Press. 302p. ISBN 0521818443
  • Farrow, Mia. (1997). "What Falls Away: A Memoir". New York: Bantam.
  • Fischer, Jens Malte. (1983). "Filmwissenschaft Filmgeschichte: Studien zu Welles, Hitchcock, Polanski, Pasolini und Max Steiner". Tübingen: Narr. 174p. ISBN 3878089074
  • Gelmis, Joseph. (1970). "The film director as superstar [includes PolaÅ„ski]". New York: Doubleday. 316p.
  • Gieysztor, Stefan. (2002). "Moj Pianista [Gieysztor played the piano for Adrien Brody in the movie 'The Pianist']". Jelenia Gora: Oficyna Wydawnicza ER. 111p. ISBN 8390049449
  • Goodridge, Mike (ed). (2002). "Directing [interviews with Directors, including Roman PolaÅ„ski]". Boston: Focal Press. 176p. ISBN 0240804988
  • Goulding, Daniel J (ed). (1994). "Five filmmakers: Tarkovsky, Forman, Polanski, Szabo, Makavejev". Bloomington: Indiana University Press. 289p. ISBN 0253326095 (hbk) ISBN 025338254 (pbk)
  • Heffernan, Kevin. (2004). "Ghouls, gimmicks, and gold : horror films and the American movie business, 1953-1968 [chapter on PolaÅ„ski's Rosemary's baby]". Durham: Duke University Press. 323p. ISBN 0822332027 (hbk) ISBN 0822332159 (pbk)
  • Henderson, Summers. (1999). "Polanski and Scorsese: violence sex and alienation in the New American Cinema". 250p. Austin: University of Texas. MA Thesis
  • Hobbs, William. (1995). "Fight directions for stage and screen [foreword by PolaÅ„ski]". Portsmouth [NH]: Heinemann; London: A&C Black. 143p. ISBN 0435086804 (hbk) ISBN 0713640227 (pbk)
  • Jacobsen, Wolfgang (ed). (1986). "Roman Polanski". Munich: Hanser. 222p. ISBN 3446144099
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