This post is about Roman Polanski, the famous actor/director. We actually did a presentation in class about our chosen thriler director. But unfortunately, the powerpoint I showed to class won't upload to blogger so i've typed all the information up for you! It's lucky I'm nice isn't it really?
Roman Polanski
- He was born France in 1933, but his parents were Polish, they were trying to escape from the Second World War.
- In 1939, both his parents were captured by the Nazis and sent to different concentration camps. His father survived but his mother was murdered in Auschwitz.
- In 1945, he was reunited with his father and his father sent him to technical school which he didn't enjoy.
- In the 1950's, he took up acting, appearing in Andrzej Wajda's 'A generation'. (1955).
- He then studied at Lodz's film school in Poland.
- His feature debut 'Knife in the water' was the first Polish war film not associated with the war.
- He then moved back to France where we became a long-time collaborator with scriptwriter Gerard Brach.
- His next two films 'Repulsion' and 'Cul-de-sac' won silver and then golden bear awards at the Berlin film festivals.
- In 1968, Polanski went to Hollywood, where he made psychological thriller 'Rosemary's baby', one of his most famous films to this day.
- His wife was brutally murdered by the infamous 'manson gang' whilst she was eight months pregnant with their first child.
- In 1974, he made a US release, 'Chinatown', which began a promising career in film, but he was then convicted with the statutory rape of a Thirteen-year old girl.
- Afterwards, he fled from the US to avoid prison and made the film, 'Tess' which then won several Oscars and Caesar awards.
His filmography:
'Macbeth' (1971)
'Che' (1973)
'Chinatown' (1974)
'The Tenant' (1976)
'Tess' (1980)
'Pirates' (1986)
'Bitter moon' (1992)
'The Ninth gate' (2000)
'The pianist' (2002)
'Oliver twist' (2005)
'The Ghost writer' (2010)
'Carnage' (2011)
These are just a few of his films, if i posted them all, I'd be here all night!
Here are some reactions to his films and what audiences and thought of them:
- Many of his films were described as 'brooding, maccabre and eccentric.'
- Rosemary's baby was declared to be 'disturbing and convincing.
- In his film 'Macbeth', the scene with the murder of Macduff's family was said to have very realistically depicted his own family's Manson slaughterings.
- His 2002 film, 'The pianist' was given very positive reviews and said to be one of the most 'emotionally riveting films of the decade'.
- His 2010 film The ghost writer received mainly positive reviews and was said to be 'an intense thriller that doesn't let the audience relax.
This is a case study of the film 'Rosemary's Baby' (1968):
- Genre: Horror.
- Synopsis: An american couple plan to concieve a baby, and on the night, Rosemary falls unconcious and has a dream about being raped by a demonic presence. Her husband then tells her he had intercourse with her whilst she was asleep in order for her to concieve. She soon falls pregnant, but odd things begin to happen, as in the craving of raw meat etc. There is a massive discovery by one of her friends about one of her friends but the friend then mysteriously dies and Rosemary is left to work it out on her own. She is believed to be delusional and goes into labour after being chased by several doctors. She awakens to be told the baby died but then hears the cries of an infant and doesn't believe the doctors. She follows the cries and finds a coven of her next door neighbours crowded around er baby son. He is born with a hideous deformity and disturbing eyes and the coven tells her that she has borned the son of Satan. She is horrified when the coven try to beg her to be a mother to her son and tell her that she doesn't have to join if she doesn't want to. But, the film ends with Rosemary cradling her baby and adjusting her son's blankets.
- Mia Farrow plays Rosemary.
- Ruth Gordon plays her freaky next door neighbour, Minnie Castevat. Ruth won an oscar for her performance in this film
- Was universally given four stars.
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