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Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski's ability to wring laughter from the most degrading heartbreaks will carry the same wealth of healthy shocks in a hundred years. He creates a macabre beauty to be wooed by and wondered at. But behind the laughter and the beauty is the ghostly truth that Polanski was orphaned by the Nazis and wandered Poland alone from ages 9 to 13. Consider the isolated intensity that bridges Knife in the Water, Cul de Sac, Rosemary's Baby, Chinatown, Death and the Maiden and his Oscar-winning masterpiece The Pianist. In each, the omniscient viewpoint feels ?childlike? in the least innocent sense: we listen and watch, ever-wary; the truth of what's been hidden, or is being planned in secret, is always a matter of life and death; one's survival (even within the playful confines of a fantasy) depends on not missing so much as one detail. This book has been made with full access to Roman Polanski's archives.
- GenresFilmMedia Tie In
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 7, 2014
I've been collecting books about Polanski for the showing of CHINATOWN in my Cinema & Soundtracks class (about two weeks ago, in fact). The book I prefer -- _Polanski_, by Dennis Meikle -- is unavailable or unaffordable -- I am returning my copy to ASU's library today.
I chose this book about the director because of how impressed I was with the commentary of F.X. Feeney in one of the DVD extras for either THE SAND PEBBLES or CHINATOWN. I looked him up on the WWW, and found that I liked what criticism I could find.
This book is not strong on learning about Polanski because it is mostly photographs, with occasional narrative by Feeney. It does add some new material to what I've garnered already, and it was fairly cheap on Amazon (used), so I do not regret buying it.
I am skimming it, as it is not the type of book that lends itself to reading from start to finish.
I chose this book about the director because of how impressed I was with the commentary of F.X. Feeney in one of the DVD extras for either THE SAND PEBBLES or CHINATOWN. I looked him up on the WWW, and found that I liked what criticism I could find.
This book is not strong on learning about Polanski because it is mostly photographs, with occasional narrative by Feeney. It does add some new material to what I've garnered already, and it was fairly cheap on Amazon (used), so I do not regret buying it.
I am skimming it, as it is not the type of book that lends itself to reading from start to finish.
June 19, 2025
A Fairly Good Introduction to the Topic
All and all this is a fairly good introduction to its topic. The author provides a good overview of Polanski’s childhood life and, just as importantly, an explanation (or hypothesis, depending on how one looks at it) of how it impacted his later artistic vision. In addition, the book provides a good filmography of the director’s films through the year 2005. These are positives and make the book worth reading for anyone desiring an introduction to Roman Polanski. On the negative side, like so many art/film books (and unlike so many published by Taschen), the author sounds pretentious, verbose and hagiographical.
In short, this is a four (of five) star book.
All and all this is a fairly good introduction to its topic. The author provides a good overview of Polanski’s childhood life and, just as importantly, an explanation (or hypothesis, depending on how one looks at it) of how it impacted his later artistic vision. In addition, the book provides a good filmography of the director’s films through the year 2005. These are positives and make the book worth reading for anyone desiring an introduction to Roman Polanski. On the negative side, like so many art/film books (and unlike so many published by Taschen), the author sounds pretentious, verbose and hagiographical.
In short, this is a four (of five) star book.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews