All Topics  
Roman Polanski

 
Roman Polanski

   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link






 

Roman Polanski



 
 
Roman Raymond Polanski (born August 18, 1933) is an Academy Award-winning and four-time nominated Polish
Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian Enclave and exclave, to the north....
-French
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 film director
Film director

A film director, or filmmaker, is a person who directs the making of a film. A film director visualizes the Screenplay, controlling a film's artistic and dramatic aspects, while guiding the technical crew and actors in the fulfillment of his or her vision....
, writer
Writer

A writer is anyone who creates a written work, although the word usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, as well as those who have written in many different forms....
, actor
Actor

An actor or actress is a person who acting in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio programming in that capacity....
 and producer
Film producer

A film producer is someone who creates the conditions for making film. The producer initiates, co-ordinates, supervises and controls matters such as fund-raising, hiring key personnel and arranging for distributors....
. Polanski began his career in Poland
Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian Enclave and exclave, to the north....
, and later became a celebrated director of both art house and commercial films, making such films as Rosemary's Baby
Rosemary's Baby (film)

Rosemary's Baby is a United States Horror film/thriller film written and directed by Roman Polanski, based on the bestselling novel Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin....
 (1968) and Chinatown
Chinatown (film)

Chinatown is a Cinema of the United States neo-noir film, directed by Roman Polanski. The film features many elements of the film noir genre, particularly a multi-layered story that is part Mystery fiction and part psychology drama....
 (1974). Polanski is one of the world's best known contemporary film directors. He is also known for his turbulent and controversial personal life.

Polanski survived the Holocaust in Nazi-occupied Poland during WWII. In 1969, his pregnant wife, Sharon Tate
Sharon Tate

Sharon Marie Tate was an American actress. During the 1960s she played small television roles before appearing in several films. After receiving positive reviews for her comedy performances, she was hailed as one of Hollywood, Los Angeles, California's promising newcomers, and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her performance in '...
, was murdered by the infamous Manson Family. In 1977, he was arrested in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles

Los ?ngeles is the Capital of the Biob?o Province, in the municipality of the same name, in Regions of Chile VIII , in the center-south of Chile....
 and pleaded guilty to "unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor
Statutory rape

The phrase statutory rape is a term used in some legal jurisdictions to describe consensual sexual relations that take place when an individual has sexual relations with an individual not old enough to legally consent to the behavior....
", a 13-year-old girl. Released after a 42-day psychiatric evaluation, Polanski fled to France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
. He is considered by U.S.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Roman Polanski'
Start a new discussion about 'Roman Polanski'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Roman Raymond Polanski (born August 18, 1933) is an Academy Award-winning and four-time nominated Polish
Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian Enclave and exclave, to the north....
-French
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 film director
Film director

A film director, or filmmaker, is a person who directs the making of a film. A film director visualizes the Screenplay, controlling a film's artistic and dramatic aspects, while guiding the technical crew and actors in the fulfillment of his or her vision....
, writer
Writer

A writer is anyone who creates a written work, although the word usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, as well as those who have written in many different forms....
, actor
Actor

An actor or actress is a person who acting in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio programming in that capacity....
 and producer
Film producer

A film producer is someone who creates the conditions for making film. The producer initiates, co-ordinates, supervises and controls matters such as fund-raising, hiring key personnel and arranging for distributors....
. Polanski began his career in Poland
Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian Enclave and exclave, to the north....
, and later became a celebrated director of both art house and commercial films, making such films as Rosemary's Baby
Rosemary's Baby (film)

Rosemary's Baby is a United States Horror film/thriller film written and directed by Roman Polanski, based on the bestselling novel Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin....
 (1968) and Chinatown
Chinatown (film)

Chinatown is a Cinema of the United States neo-noir film, directed by Roman Polanski. The film features many elements of the film noir genre, particularly a multi-layered story that is part Mystery fiction and part psychology drama....
 (1974). Polanski is one of the world's best known contemporary film directors. He is also known for his turbulent and controversial personal life.

Polanski survived the Holocaust in Nazi-occupied Poland during WWII. In 1969, his pregnant wife, Sharon Tate
Sharon Tate

Sharon Marie Tate was an American actress. During the 1960s she played small television roles before appearing in several films. After receiving positive reviews for her comedy performances, she was hailed as one of Hollywood, Los Angeles, California's promising newcomers, and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her performance in '...
, was murdered by the infamous Manson Family. In 1977, he was arrested in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles

Los ?ngeles is the Capital of the Biob?o Province, in the municipality of the same name, in Regions of Chile VIII , in the center-south of Chile....
 and pleaded guilty to "unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor
Statutory rape

The phrase statutory rape is a term used in some legal jurisdictions to describe consensual sexual relations that take place when an individual has sexual relations with an individual not old enough to legally consent to the behavior....
", a 13-year-old girl. Released after a 42-day psychiatric evaluation, Polanski fled to France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
. He is considered by U.S. authorities to be a fugitive from justice and cannot return to the United States without risking arrest and imprisonment. Polanski has since avoided visits to countries that were likely to extradite him, such as the United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
. As a French citizen, he is protected by France's limited extradition with the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, and Poland is also unlikely to extradite him. He travels mostly between France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
, where he resides, and Poland
Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian Enclave and exclave, to the north....
.

Polanski has continued to direct films in Europe, including Frantic
Frantic (film)

Frantic is a noted 1988 in film thriller film directed by Roman Polanski and starring Harrison Ford....
 (1988), Death and the Maiden
Death and the Maiden (film)

Death and the Maiden is a drama film directed by Roman Polanski, based on the Death and the Maiden by Ariel Dorfman, a Chilean exile who escaped the regime of Augusto Pinochet....
 (1994), The Ninth Gate
The Ninth Gate

The Ninth Gate is a 1999 feature film based on the novel The Club Dumas by Arturo P?rez-Reverte. Spanning several genres, The Ninth Gate is a mix of mystery, Thriller , and neo-noir, and additionally portrays facets of the rare book business....
 (1999), the Academy Award-winning (for best director) and Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival

The Cannes Film Festival , founded in 1946, is one of the world's oldest, most influential and prestigious film festivals alongside Venice Film Festival and Berlin Film Festival....
 Palme d'Or
Palme d'Or

The Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded to competing films at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee....
-winning The Pianist (2002), and Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist (2005 film)

Oliver Twist is a 2005 in film directed by Roman Polanski. It is based on the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. The screenplay was written by Ronald Harwood....
 (2005). He has also done occasional work in theatre and in the films of other directors. Polanski speaks 6 languages: his native Polish
Polish language

Polish , an official language of Poland, has the largest number of speakers of any West Slavic languages. Polish-speakers use the language in a uniform manner through most of Poland, and it has a regular orthography....
 and French
French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
 as well as English
English language

English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
, Russian
Russian language

Russian is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages, and the largest native language in Europe....
, Spanish
Spanish language

Spanish or Castilian is a Romance languages that originated in northern Spain, and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile and evolved into the principal language of government and trade....
, and Italian
Italian language

Italian is a Romance languages spoken by about 63 million people as a first language, primarily in Italy. In Switzerland, Italian is one of four Linguistic geography of Switzerlands....
.

Biography


Early life

Polanski was born Rajmund Roman Liebling in Paris
Paris

Paris is the Capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the ?le-de-France Regions of France ....
, France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
, the son of Bula (née
Married and maiden names

A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage, and in speaking of the many cultures where the practice is traditional for women, the maiden name is the family name that the married name replaces....
 Katz-Przedborska) and Ryszard Liebling (aka Ryszard Polanski), who was a painter and plastics manufacturer. Polanski's parents were agnostics. His father was a Polish Jew
History of the Jews in Poland

The history of the Jews in Poland dates back over a millennium. Poland was home to the largest and most significant Jewish community in Europe and served as the center for Jewish culture, ranging from a long period of religious tolerance and prosperity among the country's Jewish population, to its nearly complete genocide destruction by Naz...
 and his mother, a native of Russia
Russia

Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
, was brought up as a Catholic
Catholic

Catholic is an adjective derived from the Greek language adjective , meaning "whole" or "complete". In the context of Christianity ecclesiology, it has a rich history and several usages....
 as she had a Jewish father and a Roman Catholic mother.

The Polanski family moved back to the Polish town of Krakow
Kraków

Krak?w , in English also spelled Krakow or Cracow , is one of the largest and oldest cities in Poland, with a population of 756,336 in 2007 ....
 in 1937, and were living there in 1939, when World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
 began. Poland was invaded
Invasion of Poland (1939)

The Invasion of Poland in 1939 precipitated World War II. It was carried out by Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak invasion of Poland contingent....
 and occupied by Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany

Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the colloquial English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party , which established a Totalitarianism dictatorship that existed from 1933 to 1945....
 and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a Constitution of the Soviet Union socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991.The name is a translation of the , romanization of Russian Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated ????, SSSR....
. As a Jewish family, the Polanskis were targets of German Nazi persecution
The Holocaust

The Holocaust , also known as , Churben is the term generally used to describe the genocide of approximately six million European Jews during World War II, as part of a program of deliberate extermination planned and executed by Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler....
 and forced into the Kraków Ghetto
Kraków Ghetto

The Jewish Ghetto in Krak?w was one of the five main ghettos created by Nazi Germany in the General Government during their Military occupation of Poland in World War II....
, along with thousands of other Polish Jews. His father survived the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp
Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp

Mauthausen Concentration Camp grew to become a large group of Nazi Germany Nazi concentration campss that were built around the villages of Mauthausen and Gusen in Upper Austria, roughly east of the city of Linz....
 in Austria but his mother was eventually murdered in the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Polanski himself managed to escape the Kraków Ghetto, and survived the war with the help of a Polish Roman Catholic
Rescue of Jews by Poles during the Holocaust

Nazi Germany, invasion of Poland. Soon after, Polish Jewsthe largest in contemporary Europebecame one of Holocaust in Poland of the Nazi-organized Holocaust....
 farmer in poor and uncertain conditions, sleeping in a barn next to cows. After the war he was reunited with his father and moved back to Krakow.

During the Soviet imposed communism in Poland
History of Poland (1945–1989)

The history of Poland from 1945 to 1989 spans the period of Soviet Union Communism dominance over the People's Republic of Poland following World War II....
, he attended the Polish film school in Lódz
National Film School in Lódz

The Leon Schiller's National Higher School of Film, Television and Theatre in L?dz is the most notable academy for future actors, directors, photographers, camera operators and TV staff in Poland....
, and graduated in 1959.

Early short films in Poland and Knife in the Water
Knife in the Water (film)

Knife in the Water is a 1962 film directed by Roman Polanski. It features only three characters and deals with rivalry and sexual tension....
 (1962)

In the early 1950s, Polanski took up acting, appearing in Andrzej Wajda
Andrzej Wajda

Andrzej Wajda is a Poland film director. Recipient of an honorary Academy Awards, he is one of the most prominent members of the Polish Film School....
's film Pokolenie (A Generation) (1954) and in the same year in Silik Sternfeld's Zaczarowany rower (known as Enchanted Bicycle
Bicycle

The bicycle, bike, or cycle is a pedal-driven, human-powered transport with two bicycle wheel attached to a bicycle frame, one behind the other....
 or Magical Bicycle). Polanski's directorial debut was also in 1955 with a short film Rower (known as Bicycle, not to be confused with Zaczarowany rower). Rower is a semi-autobiographical feature film, currently believed to be lost, which also starred Polanski. It refers to his violent altercation with a notorious Krakow
Kraków

Krak?w , in English also spelled Krakow or Cracow , is one of the largest and oldest cities in Poland, with a population of 756,336 in 2007 ....
 felon who promised to sell the then cycling enthusiast a bicycle at a secluded location and instead beat him up severely and stole his money. Several other short films made during his study at Lódz
Lódz

L?dz is the third-largest city in Poland. Located in the central part of the country, it had a population of 753,192 in 2007. It is the capital of L?dz Voivodeship, and is approximately south-west of Warsaw....
 gained him considerable recognition, particularly Two Men and a Wardrobe
Two Men and a Wardrobe

The movie Two Men and a Wardrobe is considered an allegory.In a 20-minute black and white silent movie, Roman Polanski illustrates how a relationship between two friends causes them trouble in everyday life....
 (1958) and When Angels Fall (1959). The latter starred Polanski's first wife, Barbara Lass.

Polanski's first feature-length film, Knife in the Water, was also the first significant Polish film after WWII that did not have a war theme. Made from a script by Jerzy Skolimowski
Jerzy Skolimowski

Jerzy Yurek Skolimowski is a Poland film director, scriptwriter, dramatist and actor. A graduate of the prestigious Polish Film School in L?dz, Skolimowski has directed more than twenty films in and outside of Poland since his 1960 d?but Oko wykol ....
, Jakub Goldberg
Jakub Goldberg

Jakub Goldberg was a Polish scriptwriter, assistant director and actor.A graduate of the prestigious Polish Film School in L?dz, Goldberg was a well-known personality in the post-war Polish film community....
 and Polanski himself, Knife in the Water is an intense, moody, claustrophobic three-hander (meaning it had only 3 main characters) about a wealthy, unhappily married couple who decide to take a mysterious hitchhiker with them on a weekend boating excursion. A dark and unsettling work, Polanski's debut feature subtly evinces a profound pessimism about human relationships with regard to the psychological dynamics and moral consequences of status envy and sexual jealousy.

Although not well-received by the Polish communist
People's Republic of Poland

The People's Republic of Poland or Polish People's Republic was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1989 inclusively.Although the People's Republic of Poland was a sovereignty state as defined by international law, its leaders were at the very least approved by Soviet Union leaders....
 cultural authorities because of its lack of a socially redeeming message, Knife in the Water was nevertheless a major commercial success in the West
West

West is most commonly a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction or geography.West is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points....
 and gave Polanski an international reputation. The film also earned its director his first Academy Award nomination (Best Foreign Language Film, 1963). Despite his reputation as a major Polish filmmaker, Polanski chose to leave communist Poland and moved to France.

British films made in collaboration with Gérard Brach during the mid-1960s


Polanski then made three feature films in England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
, based on original scripts written by himself and regular collaborator, Gérard Brach
Gérard Brach

G?rard Brach was a France film director and screen writer who worked with the Polish film director Roman Polanski....
.

Repulsion
Repulsion

Repulsion is a 1965 in film film directed by Roman Polanski on a scenario by Gerard Brach and Roman Polanski. It was Polanski's first English language film, and was filmed in United Kingdom....
 (1965)
A psychological horror film focusing on a young Belgian woman named Carol (Catherine Deneuve
Catherine Deneuve

Catherine Deneuve is a two-time C?sar Award-winning, BAFTA Award-nominated and Academy Award-nominated French actress. She gained recognition for her portrayal of beautiful ice maidens for various directors, including Luis Bu?uel and Roman Polanski....
), who is living in London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
 with her older sister (Yvonne Furneaux
Yvonne Furneaux

Yvonne Furneaux is a French actress.She appeared with Errol Flynn in the British films Master of Ballantrae and The Warriors .She appeared in a prominent role in La Dolce Vita....
). While working as a beautician's assistant at a salon, Carol is often disturbed by the physical decrepitude of her elderly clients, and throughout the course of the film, she becomes increasingly distressed by sexual advances from the men around her.

Her sister departs for a holiday in Italy with a boyfriend, and Carol is left alone in their shared apartment flat. Carol's disordered mind finally breaks from reality as actual threats of domestic and sexual invasion blend into grotesque paranoid hallucinations, causing her to respond with desperate, deadly acts of violence.

The film's themes, situations, visual motifs, and effects clearly reflect the influence of early Surrealist cinema as well as horror movies of the 1950s — particularly Luis Buñuel
Luis Buñuel

Luis Bu?uel Portol?s was a Spanish people-born filmmaker who worked mainly in France and Mexico, but also in his native Spain and in the United States....
's Un chien Andalou
Un chien andalou

Un chien andalou is a short silent film surrealism film produced in France by two Spain auteurs: the Aragonian director Luis Bu?uel and the Catalonian artist Salvador Dal?....
, Jean Cocteau
Jean Cocteau

Jean Maurice Eug?ne Cl?ment Cocteau was a French poet, novelist, dramatist, designer, boxing manager, playwright and filmmaker. Along with other Surrealists of his generation Cocteau grappled with the "algebra" of verbal codes old and new, mise en sc?ne language and technologies of modernism to create a paradox: a classical avant-garde....
's The Blood of a Poet
The Blood of a Poet

The Blood of a Poet is an avant-garde film directed by Jean Cocteau and financed by Charles, Vicomte de Noailles. Photographer Lee Miller made her only film appearance in this movie, and it also features an appearance by the famed acrobat Barbette ....
, Henri-Georges Clouzot
Henri-Georges Clouzot

Henri-Georges Clouzot was a France film director, screenwriter and film producer....
's Diabolique
Les Diaboliques (film)

Les Diaboliques is a French film directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot, starring Simone Signoret and V?ra Clouzot. The title translates as 'The Devils'....
 and Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock

Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, Order of the British Empire was a British filmmaker and film producer who pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres....
's Psycho
Psycho (1960 film)

Psycho is an Cinema of the United States Thriller /thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock, from the screenplay by Joseph Stefano. It is based on the Psycho by Robert Bloch, which was in turn inspired by the crimes of Wisconsin serial killer Ed Gein....
.

Cul-de-Sac (1966)
A bleak nihilist
Nihilist

Nihilist can refer to* a person who believes human existence has no objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value. See nihilism* a Russian cultural and political movement, see Nihilist movement...
 tragicomedy
Tragicomedy

Tragicomedy is fictional work that blends aspects of the genres of tragedy and comedy. In English literature, from Shakespeare's time to the nineteenth century, tragicomedy referred to a serious Play with a happy ending....
 filmed on location in Northumberland
Northumberland

Northumberland is a Counties of England in the North East England of England. The non-metropolitan counties of England of Northumberland borders Cumbria to the west, County Durham to the south and Tyne and Wear to the south east, as well as having a border with the Scottish Borders council area to the north, and nearly eighty miles of Nort...
. The general tone and the basic premise of the film owes a great deal to Samuel Beckett
Samuel Beckett

Samuel Barclay Beckett was an Irish people writer, dramatist and poet. Beckett's work offers a bleak outlook on human culture and both formally and philosophically became increasingly minimalism....
's Waiting for Godot
Waiting for Godot

Waiting for Godot is a play by Samuel Beckett, in which two characters wait for someone named Godot. Godot's absence, as well as numerous other aspects of the play, have led to many different interpretations since the play's premiere....
, along with aspects of Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter

Harold Pinter, Companion of Honour, Order of the British Empire , an English people playwright, screenwriter, actor, Theatre director, poet, author, political activist, and the 2005 Nobel Prize in Literature, was at the time of his death considered by many "the most influential and imitated dramatist of his generation."...
's The Birthday Party
The Birthday Party (play)

The Birthday Party is the first full-length play by Harold Pinter and one of Pinter's best-known and most-frequently performed plays. After its hostile London reception almost ended Pinter's playwriting career, it went on to be considered "a classic"....
. Indeed, the original title for the film was When Katelbach Comes (named after the actor André Katelbach, who played the role of the master in Polanski's very Beckettian 1961 short film The Fat and the Lean), and among the cast was Jack MacGowran
Jack MacGowran

John Joseph "Jack" MacGowran was an Irish character actor....
, a veteran of Beckett's stage and television work.

The film's setup concerns two gangsters, Dickie and Albie (Lionel Stander
Lionel Stander

Lionel Jay Stander was an United States actor in movies, radio, theater and television....
 and MacGowran), who are on the run after a heist gone bad. The film opens with Dickie pushing their broken-down car along the tidal causeway of Lindisfarne
Lindisfarne

Lindisfarne is a tidal island off the north-east coast of England also known as Holy Island, the name of the civil parish. It has a population of 162 ...
 island. It is implied that the shootout which occurred during the heist had left Albie bleeding and paralyzed, and Dickie, who is also wounded but still mobile, now seeks to contact their underworld boss, Katelbach. (Like Beckett's Godot, Katelbach is frequently alluded to throughout the course of the film, but never actually appears.)

As he searches the island, Dickie discovers that the famous medieval castle is inhabited by an eccentric, effeminate and neurotically excitable middle-aged Englishman named George (Donald Pleasence
Donald Pleasence

Donald Henry Pleasence, Order of the British Empire, was an England actor. His high work rate in international cinema earned him the distinction of being the most prolific film actor at the time of his death with over 200 screen credits....
), and his adulterous, nymphomaniacal young French wife, Teresa (the late Françoise Dorléac
Françoise Dorléac

Fran?oise Dorl?ac was a France actress.Born in Paris, she was the daughter of screen actor Maurice Dorl?ac and Ren?e Deneuve, and the elder sister of Catherine Deneuve....
, Catherine Deneuve's older sister). A series of absurd mishaps, both farcical and tragic, ensues when Dickie decides to take the couple hostage in their castle as he waits (in vain) for further instructions from the mysterious Katelbach.

The Fearless Vampire Killers
The Fearless Vampire Killers

The Fearless Vampire Killers is a 1967 film directed by Roman Polanski and written by G?rard Brach. It has been produced as a musical, named Dance of the Vampires....
 (1967)

A spoof
Spoof

Spoof, spooves, spoofer or spoofing can refer to:*Parody by imitation*Forgery of goods or documents*Spoofing attack, a computer security term...
 of vampire films (particularly those made by Hammer Studios) which was filmed using elaborate sets built on sound stages in London with additional location photography in the Alps
Alps

The Alps is the name for one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east; through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany; to France in the west....
 (particularly Ortisei, an Italian ski resort in the Dolomites
Dolomites

The Dolomites are a section of the Alps. They are located for the most part in the province of Province of Belluno, the rest in the provinces of Province of Bolzano-Bozen and Province of Trento ....
).

The plot concerns a buffoonish professor named Abronsius (Jack MacGowran, the only actor to appear in two consecutive Polanski films until Emmanuelle Seigner
Emmanuelle Seigner

Emmanuelle Seigner is a C?sar Award-nominated France Actor and model , best known as the wife of Academy Award winning director Roman Polanski, and for her roles in La Vie En Rose , The Diving Bell and the Butterfly , and Frantic ....
 two decades later) and his clumsy assistant, Alfred (played by Polanski himself), who are traveling through Transylvania
Transylvania

Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountains, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term frequently encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical regions of Crisana, Maramures, and Banat....
 in search of vampires.

The two of them arrive in a small village near a vampire-infested castle, which they plan to examine. While taking lodgings at the village tavern, Alfred falls in love with Sarah, the local innkeeper's daughter (played by Polanski's future wife, Sharon Tate
Sharon Tate

Sharon Marie Tate was an American actress. During the 1960s she played small television roles before appearing in several films. After receiving positive reviews for her comedy performances, she was hailed as one of Hollywood, Los Angeles, California's promising newcomers, and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her performance in '...
). Shortly after, Sarah is abducted by the vampires and taken to the castle. The rest of the film concerns Abronsius and Alfred's madcap
Madcap

Madcap is a pop punk band from Southern California which loosely formed in 1994. After several lineup changes a solid group was formed in 1999 with original members Lee LeBaigue, Johnny Mastantuono, Alfredo Gonzalez and new member Jake Beil....
 efforts to penetrate the castle walls and rescue the girl. The ironic and macabre ending is classic Polanski.

The Fearless Vampire Killers was Polanski's first feature to be photographed in color and using a widescreen 2.35:1 aspect ratio. The film's striking visual style, with its snow-covered, fairy-tale landscapes, recalls the work of Russian fantasy filmmakers Aleksandr Ptushko
Aleksandr Ptushko

Aleksandr Lukich Ptushko is a Soviet animation and fantasy film director, and Meritorious Artist. Ptushko is frequently referred to as "the Soviet Walt Disney," due to his prominent early role in animation in the Soviet Union, though a more accurate comparison would be to Willis O'Brien or Ray Harryhausen....
 and Alexander Row. Similarly, the richly textured, moonlit-winter-blue color schemes of the village and the snowy valleys evoke the magical, kaleidoscopic paintings of the great Russian-Jewish artist Marc Chagall
Marc Chagall

Marc Chagall ; [shuh-GAHL] , was a Jewish Russians artist, born in Belarus and naturalized France in 1937, associated with several key art movements and was one of the most successful artists of the twentieth century....
, after whom the innkeeper in the film is named.

The film is also notable in that it features Polanski's love of winter sports, particularly skiing
Skiing

Snow skiing is a group of sports using skis as primary equipment. Skis are used in conjunction with ski boots that connect to the ski with use of a ski bindings....
. In this respect, The Fearless Vampire Killers recalls Polanski's earlier short film, Mammals
Ssaki

Ssaki was a short film written and directed by Roman Polanski in 1962. This was the last of Roman Polanski's short films before he began work on his first feature, Knife in the Water ....
.

Relationship with Sharon Tate, Rosemary's Baby
Rosemary's Baby (film)

Rosemary's Baby is a United States Horror film/thriller film written and directed by Roman Polanski, based on the bestselling novel Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin....
 (1968), and the Manson murders

Polanski met rising actress Sharon Tate
Sharon Tate

Sharon Marie Tate was an American actress. During the 1960s she played small television roles before appearing in several films. After receiving positive reviews for her comedy performances, she was hailed as one of Hollywood, Los Angeles, California's promising newcomers, and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her performance in '...
 shortly before filming The Fearless Vampire Killers
The Fearless Vampire Killers

The Fearless Vampire Killers is a 1967 film directed by Roman Polanski and written by G?rard Brach. It has been produced as a musical, named Dance of the Vampires....
 (she was known to producer Martin Ransohoff
Martin Ransohoff

Martin Ransohoff is a film and television producer.Ransohoff founded the film production company Filmways, Inc. in 1960 and remained with the company until 1972....
), and during the production the two of them began dating. On January 20, 1968, Polanski married Sharon Tate in London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
. In his autobiography, Polanski described his brief time with Tate as the best years of his life. During this period, he also became friends with martial-arts master and actor Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee

Bruce Jun Fan Lee was a Chinese people martial artist, philosopher, instructor, martial arts actor and the founder of the Jeet Kune Do combat form....
. Shortly after, in 1968, Polanski went to the United States, where he established his reputation as a major commercial filmmaker with the success of his first Hollywood film, Rosemary's Baby
Rosemary's Baby

Rosemary's Baby is a 1967 best-selling horror fiction novel by Ira Levin, his second published book....
, based on the recent popular novel of the same name by Ira Levin
Ira Levin

Ira Levin was an United States author, dramatist and songwriter....
. The film is a horror-thriller set in New York
New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
 about Rosemary (Mia Farrow
Mia Farrow

Maria de Lourdes Villiers-Farrow , better known as Mia Farrow, is an United Statesn actress, singer and former Model . Farrow has appeared in more than forty films and won numerous awards, including a Golden Globe award , three British Academy of Film and Television Arts nominations, and a win for best actress at the San Sebastian Inter...
), an innocent young woman from Omaha
Omaha

Omaha may refer to:*Omaha , a Native American tribe that currently resides in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Nebraska, and the direct or indirect source of all other things named "Omaha"...
, Nebraska
Nebraska

Nebraska is a U.S. state located on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States and Western United States.Nebraska probably gets its name from the archaic Chiwere language words ?? Br?sge or the Omaha-Ponca language N? Bth?ska meaning "flat water," after the Platte River that flows through the state....
, who is impregnated by the devil after her narcissistic actor husband, Guy (John Cassavetes
John Cassavetes

John Nicholas Cassavetes was an United Statesn actor, screenwriter and film director. He appeared in many Hollywood films, and is considered a pioneer of independent film....
), offers her womb to a coven of local witches in exchange for a successful career. Polanski's screenplay adaptation earned him a second Academy Award nomination.

In April 1969, Polanski's friend and collaborator, the composer Krzysztof Komeda
Krzysztof Komeda

Krzysztof Komeda was a Polish film music composer and jazz pianist. He wrote the scores for Roman Polanski?s films Rosemary?s Baby, The Fearless Vampire Killers, Knife in the Water and Cul-de-sac....
 (1931-1969), died from head injuries sustained from a skiing accident, though other accounts of the cause of his death exist. After the short Two Men and a Wardrobe, he scored
Film score

A film score is a broad term referring to the music in a film, which is generally categorically separated from songs used within a film. The term Soundtrack is often confused with film score, though a soundtrack may also include songs featured in the film as well as previously released music by other artists, while the score does...
 all of Polanski's feature films (with the exception of Repulsion), and is probably best known in the U.S. for his final collaboration with the director: the haunting soundtrack
Soundtrack

The term soundtrack refers to three related concepts: recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; and the physical area of a film that contains the synchronized recorded so...
 to Rosemary's Baby.

On August 9 1969, Tate, who was eight months pregnant with the couple's first child (a boy), and four others (Abigail Folger
Abigail Folger

Abigail Anne "Gibby" Folger was an United States coffee heiress, debutante, socialite, volunteer social worker, Civil and political rights devotee and member of the prominent United States Folger family....
, Jay Sebring
Jay Sebring

Jay Sebring was an United States Haircut for celebrities. He is also known as one of the murder victims of the Manson Family....
, Wojciech Frykowski
Wojciech Frykowski

Wojciech Frykowski was a Poland actor and writer who was murdered in the home of Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski by members of Charles Manson's "Family"....
, and Steven Parent
Steven Parent

Steven Earl Parent was a victim of the Charles Manson murders....
) were brutally murdered by members of Charles Manson
Charles Manson

Charles Milles Manson is an United States criminal who led what became known as the Manson Family, a quasi-Commune that arose in California in the late 1960s....
's "Family", who entered the Polanskis' rented home at 10050 Cielo Drive
10050 Cielo Drive

The original home at 10050 Cielo Drive in Benedict Canyon, Los Angeles, California is infamous for being the scene of one of the Charles Manson murders....
 in the Hollywood Hills intending to "kill everyone there". Previous resident Terry Melcher
Terry Melcher

Terry Melcher was an United States musician and record producer....
 had angered Charles Manson
Charles Manson

Charles Milles Manson is an United States criminal who led what became known as the Manson Family, a quasi-Commune that arose in California in the late 1960s....
 because he had declined to record some of his music. Melcher and his girlfriend at the time, actress Candice Bergen
Candice Bergen

'Candice Patricia Bergen' is an Academy Awards-nominated and Golden Globe- and Emmy Awards-winning United States actress and former fashion model, best known for her starring role on the television situation comedy Murphy Brown, and as Shirley Schmidt, the legal partner of Denny Crane , on the American Broadcasting Company comedy-drama B...
, had been living at the house but moved out in February 1969. The following month, Polanski and Tate moved in.

When Manson ordered members of his group to go to the property and kill everyone, they obeyed. After Parent, Sebring, Frykowski, and Folger had been murdered, Tate pleaded for the life of her unborn son. Susan Atkins
Susan Atkins

Susan Denise Atkins is a convicted United States murderer who was a member of the "Manson family", led by Charles Manson. Manson and his followers committed a series of nine murders at four locations in California, over a period of five weeks in the summer of 1969....
 replied that she felt no pity for her and began stabbing her. She soaked up some of Tate's blood with a towel and wrote "PIG" on the front door with it.

Polanski was at his house in London at the time of the murders and immediately traveled to Los Angeles, where he was questioned by police. As there were no suspects in the case, police checked on the past history of Polanski and Tate to try to determine a motive. After a period of months, Manson and his "family" were arrested on unrelated charges, which revealed evidence of what came to be known as the Tate-LaBianca murders. Polanski returned to Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
 shortly after the killers were arrested. He later said that he gave away all his possessions as everything reminded him of Tate and was too painful for him, and that the greatest regret of his life was that he was not in Los Angeles with Tate on the night of her murder.

Films of the 1970s


Macbeth
Macbeth (1971 film)

Macbeth is a 1971 in film film directed by Roman Polanski, based on William Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Macbeth, about the Scots Lord who becomes King of Scotland through deceit, treachery, and murder....
 (1971)
Polanski's first feature following Sharon Tate's murder was a bleak and violent film version of Shakespeare's Macbeth
Macbeth

Macbeth is a tragedy by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest Shakespearean tragedy and is believed to have been written some time between 1603 and 1606, with 1607 being the very latest possible date....
, which was mostly made on location in the rugged environs of Snowdonia National Park in North Wales
North Wales

File:North Wales .pngNorth Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales, bordered to the south by Mid Wales and to the east by England....
; Jon Finch
Jon Finch

Jon Finch is an English people actor noted for many William Shakespeare roles. Perhaps his most notable role was Macbeth in Roman Polanski's 1971 film of Macbeth ....
 and Francesca Annis
Francesca Annis

Francesca Annis is a Brazil-born British people actor, particularly well known for her film and television appearances, most recently the BBC series, Wives and Daughters, Cranford , and Deceit ....
 appeared in the lead roles. Polanski adapted the text into a screenplay with the British theater critic Kenneth Tynan
Kenneth Tynan

Kenneth Peacock Tynan was an influential and often controversial United Kingdom theatre critic and writer....
, and gained financing for the film through his friendship with Victor Lownes
Victor Lownes

Victor Aubrey Lownes III . An executive with Playboy Enterprises in various capacities, various vice-presidencies, always a close confidant of Hugh Hefner....
, who was an executive for Playboy magazine in London at the time.

A number of critics were disturbed by the rampant violence in the film as well as the unsparing bleakness of Polanski's modernist interpretation of Shakespeare's tragedy (influenced by the writings of Polish drama critic and theoretician, Jan Kott
Jan Kott

Jan Kott was a well-known Poland critic and theoretician of the theatre.Born in Warsaw in 1914, Kott moved to the United States in 1966 and lectured at Yale University and University of California, Berkeley....
). Film critic Pauline Kael
Pauline Kael

Pauline Kael was an American film critic who wrote for The New Yorker magazine from 1968 to 1991. Earlier in her career she was published by City Lights, McCall's and The New Republic....
 commented that the slaughter of Lady Macduff and her household appeared to have been staged in an especially lurid manner that was clearly intended to evoke the Manson killings.

What? (1972)
Written by Polanski and his old partner Gérard Brach
Gérard Brach

G?rard Brach was a France film director and screen writer who worked with the Polish film director Roman Polanski....
, What? is a mordant absurdist comedy made in the spirit of Roger Vadim
Roger Vadim

Roger Vadim, born Roger Vladimir Plemiannikov was a French journalist, author, actor, screenwriter, film director, and film producer who launched Brigitte Bardot's career in the film And God Created Woman ....
 and Terry Southern
Terry Southern

Terry Southern was a highly influential American author, essayist, screenwriter and university lecturer, noted for a distinctive satirical style....
 and loosely based on the themes of Alice in Wonderland and Henry James
Henry James

Henry James, Order of Merit , son of theologian Henry James Sr., brother of the philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James, was an United States author....
. The film is a rambling, shaggy-dog story about the sexual indignities that befall Nancy (Sydne Rome
Sydne Rome

Sydne Rome is a United States-born, Italy-based film actress. Her first name is often misspelled Sydney or Sidney.Born in Akron, Ohio, Rome grew up in a wealthy family in Upper Sandusky, Ohio....
), a winsome young American hippie
Hippie

The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the early 1960s and spread around the world. The word hippie derives from hipster , and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district....
 hitchhiking through Europe. After escaping a farcical rape attempt in the back of a truck, she soon finds herself stranded in the hothouse atmosphere of a remote Italian villa inhabited by a band of decadent, lecherous grotesques — the main three are played by Marcello Mastrioanni, Hugh Griffith
Hugh Griffith

Hugh Emrys Griffith was a Wales film, stage and television actor.Griffith was born in Marian Glas, Anglesey, Wales and educated at local schools....
 and Polanski himself.

What? is also significant in that it is Polanski's only film to date in which a character breaks the fourth wall. The film was a failure with audiences and critics, although in the years since its release What? has attracted a minor cult following and a modicum of critical notice.

Chinatown
Chinatown (film)

Chinatown is a Cinema of the United States neo-noir film, directed by Roman Polanski. The film features many elements of the film noir genre, particularly a multi-layered story that is part Mystery fiction and part psychology drama....
 (1974)
In 1973, Polanski returned to Hollywood to make Chinatown, with Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures

Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production company and distribution company, located on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, California....
' Robert Evans
Robert Evans (film producer)

Robert Evans is an United States film producer best known for his work on Rosemary's Baby , Love Story , The Godfather and Chinatown as well as his seven marriages....
 as producer. The film was nominated for a total of 11 Academy Awards. Stars Jack Nicholson
Jack Nicholson

John Joseph "Jack" Nicholson is an United States actor, film director, film producer, and screenwriter, Movie star for his often dark-themed portrayals of Neurosis Fictional character....
 and Faye Dunaway
Faye Dunaway

Dorothy Faye Dunaway , known as Faye Dunaway, is an United States actor. She has starred in a variety of films, from blockbusters such as The Towering Inferno and the camp classic Mommie Dearest , to the most critically acclaimed including Bonnie and Clyde , Chinatown , and Network ....
 both received Oscar nominations for their leading roles. The screenplay by Robert Towne
Robert Towne

Robert Burton Towne is an United States screenwriter and film director. He is the author of many notable film scripts, including Chinatown , for which he received an Academy Award, plus its sequel, The Two Jakes , and Oscar-nominated screenplays The Last Detail and Shampoo as well as the first two Mission: Impossible f...
 won for Best Original Screenplay. Chinatown is a classic example of the neo-noir genre of New Hollywood filmmaking. It is Polanski's greatest commercial and critical success to date.

Chinatown follows the pessimistic, revisionist New Hollywood
New Hollywood

New Hollywood or post-Classical Hollywood cinema, sometimes referred to as the "American New Wave", refers to the brief time between roughly the mid-1960s and the early 1980s when a new generation of young filmmakers came to prominence in America, drastically changing not only the way Hollywood films were produced and marketed, but al...
 neo-noir
Neo-noir

Neo-noir is a style often seen in modern motion picture and other forms that prominently utilizes elements of film noir, but with updated themes, content, style, visual elements or media that were absent in films noirs of the 1940s and 1950s....
 style. In it, the rapid economic development and urban expansion of Los Angeles during the 1930s is attributed to a (fictionalized) instance of widespread civic corruption.

A private detective (Nicholson) hired to investigate a case of suspected adultery winds up discovering a nefarious cabal of corrupt public officials and crooked businessmen who are secretly undermining the publicly owned water supply. These conspirators are also depriving San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley

The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in Southern California, United States. More than half of the city of Los Angeles' land area lies within the San Fernando Valley....
 farmland of much-needed irrigation in order to render it practically worthless and thereby force the farmers there to sell out; vast areas of this blighted farmland are then quietly purchased by the conspirators under assumed names at very low prices.

Meanwhile, the conspirators promote construction of a taxpayer-funded dam and aqueduct under the fraudulent pretext that it will be used to enhance the urban water supply, when in fact it will serve only to irrigate the outlying valley and not the city itself — thus causing land prices in the San Fernando Valley (and consequently, the personal profits of the new owners) to skyrocket. The conspirators also plan to cover up this fraudulent misuse of public funds by formally extending the city limits to include the San Fernando Valley.

As the detective finds out, the ringleader of the conspiracy is responsible for the libel and murder of a key public official who was opposed to building the dam, along with the murder of an actress who takes part in the scheme to discredit that official at the beginning of the film, as well as an incestuous rape.

The Tenant
The Tenant

The Tenant is a 1976 psychological thriller/psychological horror film directed by Roman Polanski based upon the 1964 novel Le locataire chim?rique by Roland Topor....
 (1976)
Polanski returned to Europe for his next film, The Tenant, which was based on a 1964 novel by Roland Topor
Roland Topor

Roland Topor , was a France illustrator, Painting, writer and filmmaker, known for the surrealism nature of his work. He was of Poland Jewish origin and spent the early years of his life in Savoy where his family hid him from the Nazi peril....
, a French writer of Polish-Jewish origin
History of the Jews in Poland

The history of the Jews in Poland dates back over a millennium. Poland was home to the largest and most significant Jewish community in Europe and served as the center for Jewish culture, ranging from a long period of religious tolerance and prosperity among the country's Jewish population, to its nearly complete genocide destruction by Naz...
. In addition to directing the film, Polanski also played the lead role of Trelkovsky, a timid Polish immigrant living in Paris
Paris

Paris is the Capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the ?le-de-France Regions of France ....
 who seems to be possessed by the personality of a young woman who committed suicide by jumping out of the window from her apartment — the very apartment that Trelkovsky now occupies.

Many have noted the similarities with Repulsion and Rosemary's Baby, and together with these two earlier works, The Tenant can be seen as the third installment in a loose trilogy of films exploring the theme of urban alienation
Social alienation

In sociology and critical social theory, alienation refers to an individual's estrangement from traditional community and others in general. It is considered by many that the Atomism of modernity means that individuals have shallower relations with other people than they would normally....
, social anomie
Anomie

Anomie, in contemporary English language is a sociology term that signifies in individuals an erosion, diminution or absence of personal norms, standards or values, and increased states of psychological normlessness....
, and the psychic and emotional breakdown of an individual personality. For The Tenant, Ingmar Bergman
Ingmar Bergman

Ernst Ingmar Bergman was a Sweden director, writer and Film producer for film, stage and television. He depicted bleakness and despair as well as comedy and hope in his explorations of the human condition....
's regular cinematographer, Sven Nykvist
Sven Nykvist

Sven Vilhem Nykvist was a two-time Academy Award winning Sweden cinematographer. He worked on over 120 films, but is known especially for his work with film director Ingmar Bergman....
, served as cameraman, and Isabelle Adjani
Isabelle Adjani

Isabelle Yasmine Adjani is a four-time C?sar award-winning and two-time Academy Award-nominated France film actress. She performs in French language, English language, and German language....
 and Shelley Winters
Shelley Winters

Shelley Winters was an Academy Award-winning American actress who appeared in dozens of films, as well as on stage and television....
 both appeared in supporting roles.

Sex alleged with 13-year-old

In 1977, Polanski, then aged 44, became embroiled in a scandal involving 13-year-old Samantha Geimer (then known as Samantha Gailey). It ultimately led to Polanski's guilty plea to the charge of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor
Statutory rape

The phrase statutory rape is a term used in some legal jurisdictions to describe consensual sexual relations that take place when an individual has sexual relations with an individual not old enough to legally consent to the behavior....
.

According to Geimer, Polanski asked Geimer's mother if he could photograph the girl for the French edition of Vogue
Vogue (magazine)

Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine published in eighteen countries by Cond? Nast Publications. Each month, Vogue publishes a magazine addressing topics of fashion, life and design....
, which Polanski had been invited to guest-edit. Her mother allowed a private photo shoot. According to Geimer in a 2003 interview, "Everything was going fine; then he asked me to change, well, in front of him." She added, "It didn't feel right, and I didn't want to go back to the second shoot."

Geimer later agreed to a second session, which took place on March 10, 1977 at the Mulholland area
Mulholland Drive

Mulholland Drive is a road in Los Angeles, California, California, United States, named after engineer William Mulholland. A portion of it is also called Mulholland Highway....
 home of actor Jack Nicholson
Jack Nicholson

John Joseph "Jack" Nicholson is an United States actor, film director, film producer, and screenwriter, Movie star for his often dark-themed portrayals of Neurosis Fictional character....
 in Los Angeles. "We did photos with me drinking champagne," Geimer says. "Toward the end it got a little scary, and I realized he had other intentions and I knew I was not where I should be. I just didn't quite know how to get myself out of there." Geimer testified that Polanski performed oral sex on her, and vaginal and anal intercourse, after giving her a combination of champagne and quaaludes
Methaqualone

Methaqualone is a sedative medication that is similar in effect to barbiturates, a general central nervous system depressant. It was used in the 1960s and 1970s as an hypnotic, for the treatment of insomnia, and as a sedative and muscle relaxant....
. In the 2003 interview, Geimer says she resisted. "I said no several times, and then, well, gave up on that."

In his autobiography
Autobiography

An autobiography is a biography written by its subject . The term was first used by the poet Robert Southey in 1809 in the English language Periodical publication Quarterly Review, but the form goes back to antiquity....
, Roman by Polanski, Polanski alleged that Geimer's mother had set up her daughter as part of a casting couch
Casting couch

The casting couch is a euphemism for a sociological phenomenon that involves the trading of Sexual intercourse by an aspirant, apprentice employee, or subordinate to a superior, in return for entry into an List of occupations, or for other career advancement within an organization....
 and blackmail
Blackmail

Blackmail is the crime of threatening to reveal Substantial truth information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand made upon the victim is met....
 scheme against him.

Sex crime charges and guilty plea

Polanski was initially charged with rape
Rape

Rape, also referred to as sexual assault, is an assault by a person involving sexual intercourse with or sexual penetration of another person without that person's consent....
 by use of drugs, perversion
Perversion

Perversion is a concept describing those types of human behavior that are perceived to be a serious deviation from what is considered to be orthodoxy or normal ....
, sodomy
Sodomy

Sodomy is a term used today predominantly in law to describe the act of anal intercourse, oral intercourse, as well as bestiality. When used in a religious context, it has a negative connotation....
, lewd and lascivious act upon a child under 14, and furnishing a controlled substance (methaqualone) to a minor. These charges were dismissed under the terms of his plea bargain
Plea bargain

A plea bargain is an agreement in a criminal case whereby the prosecutor offers the defendant the opportunity to plead guilty, usually to a lesser charge or to the original criminal charge with a recommendation of a lighter than the maximum sentence....
, and he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of engaging in unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.

Imprisonment and flight

Following the plea agreement, according to the aforementioned documentary, the court ordered Polanski to report to a state prison for a 90-day psychiatric evaluation, but granted a stay of ninety days to allow him to complete his current project. Under the terms set by the court, he was permitted to travel abroad. Polanski returned to California and reported to Chino State Prison for the evaluation period, and was released after 42 days.

On February 1, 1978, Polanski fled to London, where he maintained residency. A day later he traveled on to France, where he held citizenship
Citizenship

Citizenship refers to a person's membership in a political community such as a country or city. It has different legal definitions in different countries....
, avoiding the risk of extradition to the U.S. by Britain. Consistent with its extradition treaty with the United States, France can refuse to extradite its own citizens. An extradition request later filed by U.S. officials was denied. The United States government can request that Polanski be prosecuted on the California charges by the French authorities.

Polanski has never returned to England, and later sold his home in absentia
In absentia

In absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use it usually pertains to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings....
. The United States can still request the arrest and extradition of Polanski from other countries should he visit them, and Polanski has avoided visits to countries that are likely to extradite him (such as the UK) and mostly travels and works in France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
, Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
, the Czech Republic
Czech Republic

The Czech Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country borders Poland to the northeast, Germany to the west, Austria to the south and Slovakia to the east....
 and Poland
Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian Enclave and exclave, to the north....
.

Later developments in the case

In a 2003 interview, Samantha Geimer said, "Straight up, what he did to me was wrong. But I wish he would return to America so the whole ordeal can be put to rest for both of us." Furthermore, "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".

In 2008, Geimer stated in an interview that she wishes Polanski would be forgiven, “I think he's sorry, I think he knows it was wrong. I don't think he's a danger to society. I don't think he needs to be locked up forever and no one has ever come out ever — besides me — and accused him of anything. It was 30 years ago now. It's an unpleasant memory ... (but) I can live with it."

In 2008, a documentary film of the aftermath of the incident, Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired

Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired is an award-winning 2008 documentary film directed by Marina Zenovich. Winner: Best Editing, Sundance Film Festival 2008....
, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Following review of the film, Polanski's attorney, Douglas Dalton, contacted the Los Angeles district attorney's office about prosecutor David Wells' role in coaching the judge, Laurence J. Rittenband. Based on statements by Wells included in the film, Polanski and Dalton are seeking review of whether the prosecutor acted illegally and engaged in malfeasance in interfering with the operation of the trial.

In December 2008, Polanski's lawyer in the United States filed a request to Judge David S. Wesley to have the case dismissed on the grounds of judicial and prosecutorial misconduct. The filing says that Judge Rittenband (now deceased) violated the plea bargain by keeping in communication about the case with a deputy district attorney who was not involved. These activities were depicted in Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired

Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired is an award-winning 2008 documentary film directed by Marina Zenovich. Winner: Best Editing, Sundance Film Festival 2008....
.

In January 2009, Polanski's lawyer filed a further request to have the case dismissed, and to have the case moved out of Los Angeles, as the Los Angeles courts require him to appear before the court for any sentencing or dismissal, and Polanski will not appear.

That same month, Samantha Geimer filed to have the charges against Polanski dismissed from court, saying that decades of publicity as well as the prosecutor's focus on lurid details continues to traumatize her and her family.

Vanity Fair libel case

In 2004, Polanski sued Vanity Fair magazine in London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
 for libel. A 2002 article in the magazine written by A. E. Hotchner
A. E. Hotchner

Aaron Edward Hotchner, is an American editor, novelist, playwright and biographer who partnered Paul Newman for Newman's Own line of products....
 recounted a claim by Lewis Lapham
Lewis Lapham

Lewis Lapham was one of the founders of Texaco Oil Company. Lapham built Waveny House in New Canaan, Connecticut as a summer residence for his family to escape the heat of New York City....
, editor of Harper's
Harper's Magazine

Harper's Magazine is a monthly, general-interest magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. It is the second-oldest, continuously-published monthly magazine in the U.S.; current circulation is more than 220,000 issues....
, that Polanski had made sexual advances towards a young model as he was traveling to Sharon Tate's funeral, claiming that he could make her "the next Sharon Tate". The court permitted Polanski to testify via a video link, after he expressed fears that he might be extradited were he to enter the United Kingdom.

The trial started on July 18, 2005, and Polanski made English legal history as the first claimant to give evidence by video link. During the trial, which included the testimony of Mia Farrow
Mia Farrow

Maria de Lourdes Villiers-Farrow , better known as Mia Farrow, is an United Statesn actress, singer and former Model . Farrow has appeared in more than forty films and won numerous awards, including a Golden Globe award , three British Academy of Film and Television Arts nominations, and a win for best actress at the San Sebastian Inter...
 and others, it was claimed that the alleged scene at the famous New York
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
 restaurant Elaine's could not have taken place on the date given, because Polanski only dined at this restaurant three weeks later. Also, the Norwegian
Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a constitutional monarchy in Northern Europe that occupies the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula....
 model disputed accounts that he had claimed to be able to make her "the next Sharon Tate". In the course of the trial, Polanski did admit to having been unfaithful to Tate during their marriage.

Polanski 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". According to the British tabloid Daily Mirror, Samantha Geimer commented, "Surely a man like this hasn't got a reputation to tarnish?"

Later career


Tess
Tess

For other uses, see Tess Tess is a 1979 in film English language romance film directed by Roman Polanski, an adaptation of Thomas Hardy's 1891 novel Tess of the d'Urbervilles....
 (1979)
Unwilling to return to the United States for fear of jail, Polanski continued his work in Europe. He dedicated his next film, Tess (1979), to the memory of his late wife, Sharon Tate. According to the director, after spending time with him in London in the summer of 1969, Tate left a copy of Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy

Thomas Hardy, Order of Merit was an England author of the naturalism movement, though he regarded himself primarily as a poet and composed novels mainly for financial gain....
's Tess of the d'Urbervilles
Tess of the d'Urbervilles

Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented is a novel by Thomas Hardy, first published in 1891. It initially appeared in a censored and serialised version, published by the British illustrated newspaper, The Graphic....
 on Polanski's nightstand, along with a note suggesting that it would make a good film. It was the last time he would see her alive.

Roman Polanski
Tess was Polanski's first film since his 1977 arrest in Los Angeles, and because of the American-British extradition treaty, Tess was shot in the north of France instead of Hardy's Dorset
Dorset

Dorset , is a Counties of England in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester, Dorset, situated in the south of the county at ....
 and Wiltshire
Wiltshire

Wiltshire is a Ceremonial counties of England in the South West England of England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire....
 (a replica of Stonehenge
Stonehenge

Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the England county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of Earthworks surrounding a circular setting of large standing stones and sits at the centre of the densest complex of Neolithic and Bronze Age mon...
 was constructed at Morienval
Morienval

Morienval is a Communes of France in the Oise Departments of France in northern France....
 for the final scene).

The film became the most expensive made in France up to that time, causing producer Claude Berri
Claude Berri

Claude Berri was a French film director, actor, screenwriter and Film producer....
 considerable anxiety when there was difficulty finding a North American distributor for the picture, which was nearly three hours long.

Tess was eventually released in North America by Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures

Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an United States film production company and distribution company. It was one of the so-called studio system among the eight major film studios of Hollywood Cinema of the United States#Golden Age of Hollywood....
, which had also distributed Polanski's earlier Macbeth. Ultimately, Tess proved a financial success and was well-received by both critics and the public. For Tess, Polanski won French César Awards for Best Picture and Best Director
César Award for Best Director

Winners of the C?sar Award in France film for best director:*C?sar Awards 1976: Bertrand Tavernier: Que la f?te commence*C?sar Awards 1977: Joseph Losey: Monsieur Klein...
 and received his fourth Academy Award nomination (and his second nomination for Best Director). The film received three Oscars: best cinematography, best art direction and best costume design. In addition, Tess was nominated for best picture (Polanski's second film to be nominated) and best original score.

Pirates (1986), Frantic
Frantic (film)

Frantic is a noted 1988 in film thriller film directed by Roman Polanski and starring Harrison Ford....
 (1987), and relationship with Emmanuelle Seigner
Nearly seven years passed before Polanski completed his next film, Pirates
Pirates (film)

Pirates is an adventure/comedy film written by G?rard Brach, John Brownjohn, and Roman Polanski. It was directed by Roman Polanski and released in 1986 in film....
 (1986), a lavish period piece
Period piece

"Period piece" is phrase that is used to describe creative works....
 starring Walter Matthau
Walter Matthau

Walter John Matthau was an United States award-winning actor best known for his role as Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple and his frequent collaborations with fellow Odd Couple star Jack Lemmon....
, which the director intended as an homage to the beloved Errol Flynn
Errol Flynn

Errol Leslie Flynn was an Australian-born film actor, known for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films and his flamboyant lifestyle....
 swashbucklers of his childhood (particularly Captain Blood). The film was a major commercial and critical disaster, and stands as the biggest flop of Polanski's career.

The debacle of Pirates was followed by Frantic
Frantic (film)

Frantic is a noted 1988 in film thriller film directed by Roman Polanski and starring Harrison Ford....
 (1987), starring Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford

Harrison Ford is an United Statesn actor. Ford is best known for his performances as Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy, and as the Indiana Jones in the Indiana Jones franchise#Films film series....
 and the actress/model
Model (person)

A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who poses or who is displayed for the purpose of art, fashion, or other product s and advertising....
 Emmanuelle Seigner
Emmanuelle Seigner

Emmanuelle Seigner is a C?sar Award-nominated France Actor and model , best known as the wife of Academy Award winning director Roman Polanski, and for her roles in La Vie En Rose , The Diving Bell and the Butterfly , and Frantic ....
. She would go on to star in two more of his films, Bitter Moon
Bitter Moon

'Bitter Moon' is a 1992 film starring Hugh Grant , Kristin Scott Thomas , Emmanuelle Seigner and Peter Coyote . Directed by Roman Polanski. The film is also known as in France....
 (1992) and The Ninth Gate
The Ninth Gate

The Ninth Gate is a 1999 feature film based on the novel The Club Dumas by Arturo P?rez-Reverte. Spanning several genres, The Ninth Gate is a mix of mystery, Thriller , and neo-noir, and additionally portrays facets of the rare book business....
 (1999).

Polanski and Seigner married in 1989. They have two children, Morgane and Elvis. Elvis is named after Polanski's favorite singer, Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley

Elvis Aaron Presley was an United Statesn singer, actor, and musician. A cultural icon, he is commonly known simply as "Elvis", and is also sometimes referred to as "List of honorific titles in popular music" or "The King"....
.

Recent work and honours

In 1997, Polanski directed a stage version of The Fearless Vampire Killers
The Fearless Vampire Killers

The Fearless Vampire Killers is a 1967 film directed by Roman Polanski and written by G?rard Brach. It has been produced as a musical, named Dance of the Vampires....
, a musical, which debuted on October 4, 1997 in Vienna
Vienna

Vienna is the Capital of Republic of Austria and also one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.7 million...
 as Tanz der Vampire, the German title of the film version. After closing in Vienna, the show had successful runs in Stuttgart
Stuttgart

Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-W?rttemberg in southern Germany. The list of cities in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 590,429 while the metropolitan area referred to as Stuttgart Region has a population of 2.7 million ....
, Hamburg
Hamburg

Hamburg is the second-largest city in Germany , and is the Largest cities of the European Union by population within city limits. The city is home to approximately 1.8 million people, while the Hamburg metropolitan area has more than 4.3 million inhabitants....
 and Berlin
Berlin

Berlin is the Capital of Germany city and one of sixteen States of Germany of Germany. With a population of 3.4 million within its city limits, Berlin is the country's largest city....
.

On March 11, 1998 Polanski was elected a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts
Académie des beaux-arts

The Acad?mie des Beaux-Arts is a France learned society. It is one of the five academies of the Institut de France.It was created in 1795 as the merger of the:...
.

In May 2002, Polanski won the Palme d'Or
Palme d'Or

The Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded to competing films at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee....
 (Golden Palm) award at the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival

The Cannes Film Festival , founded in 1946, is one of the world's oldest, most influential and prestigious film festivals alongside Venice Film Festival and Berlin Film Festival....
 for The Pianist, for which he also took Césars for Best Film
César Award for Best Film

The C?sar Award for best picture winners:...
 and Best Director
Best Director

Best Director refers to several different awards, including:* Academy Award for Best Director , from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
, and later won the 2002 Academy Award for Directing
Academy Award for Directing

The Academy Award for Achievement in Directing is one of the Academy Award presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to Film directors working in the film industry....
. He did not attend the Academy Awards ceremony in Hollywood because he would have been arrested once he set foot in the United States. After the announcement of the "Best Director Award", Polanski received a standing ovation from most of those present in the theater . In 2004, he received the Crystal Globe
Crystal Globe

Crystal Globe is the main award at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival first given out in the city of Karlovy Vary of the Czech Republic, in 1948....
 award for outstanding artistic contribution to world cinema at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival

The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is a film festival held annually in July in Karlovy Vary , Czech Republic. Because of its success in the past few years the Karlovy Vary festival has become one of the most significant film events in Central Europe and Eastern Europe....
.

During the summer and autumn of 2004, Polanski shot a new film adaptation of the Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens

Charles John Huffam Dickens, Royal Society of Arts , pen-name "Boz", was the most popular English people novelist of the Victorian era, as well as a vigorous Reform movement....
' novel Oliver Twist, based on Ronald Harwood
Ronald Harwood

Ronald Harwood Order of the British Empire, is an author, playwright and screenwriter. He is most noted for his plays for the British stage as well as the screenplays for The Dresser and The Pianist, for which he won the 2003 Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay....
's screenplay. The shooting took place at the Barrandov Studios
Barrandov Studios

Barrandov Studios are a famous set of film studios in Prague, Czech Republic. It is the largest film studio in the country and one of the largest in Europe....
 in Prague
Prague

Prague is the Capital and World's largest cities of the Czech Republic. Its official name is Hlavn? mesto Praha, meaning Prague, the Capital City....
, Czech Republic
Czech Republic

The Czech Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country borders Poland to the northeast, Germany to the west, Austria to the south and Slovakia to the east....
. The actors included Barney Clark
Barney Clark (actor)

Barney Ivan S. Clark is an United Kingdom actor.His mother, Julie Bailue, is a writer. Clark began acting in school plays and appeared in the 2001 film The Lawless Heart....
 (Oliver Twist), Jamie Foreman (Bill Sykes), Harry Eden
Harry Eden

| name = Harry Eden| image = Replace this image male.svg| imagesize =| caption =| birthdate = | location = Essex, England| deathdate =| birthname = Harry Eden...
 (the Artful Dodger
The Artful Dodger

File:Dodger introduces Oliver to Fagin by Cruikshank .jpgFile:Dodger.jpegJack Dawkins, better known as the Artful Dodger, is a character in the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist....
), Ben Kingsley
Ben Kingsley

Sir Ben Kingsley, Order of the British Empire is an England actor. One of United Kingdom's most acclaimed and well-known performers, he is one of few men to have won all four major motion picture acting awards, receiving Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award awards throughout his career....
 (Fagin
Fagin

Fagin is a fictional character who appears in the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist, referred to in the preface of the novel as a "receiver of stolen goods", but referred to more frequently within the actual story as the "merry old gentleman" or simply the "Jew"....
), Leeanne Rix (Nancy), and Edward Hardwicke
Edward Hardwicke

Edward Hardwicke , sometimes credited as Edward Hardwick, is an English actor....
 (Mr. Brownlow). Besides the cast, the director gathered some collaborators from his previous movies: Ronald Harwood (screenplay), as noted, Allan Starski (production designer), Pawel Edelman (director of photography), and Anna Sheppard (costume designer).

Damian Chapa
Damian Chapa

Damian Robert Chapa is a Mexican-American actor....
 has completed an unauthorised biopic of Roman Polanski titled Polanski, which he co-wrote and directed in addition to playing the lead.

Current projects

Polanski made a cameo appearance in Rush Hour 3
Rush Hour 3

Rush Hour 3 is a 2007 in film martial arts film/Action film-Comedy film film, and the Rush Hour #Rush Hour 3 in the Rush Hour , starring Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan, that began with the 1998 in film Rush Hour and continued with the first sequel Rush Hour 2 in 2001 in film....
 as a French police official. He is currently directing an adaption of Robert Harris
Robert Harris (novelist)

Robert Dennis Harris is a bestseller England novelist. He is a former journalist and BBC television reporter. He specialises in historical thrillers noted for their literary accomplishment....
' The Ghost, a novel about a writer who stumbles upon a secret while ghosting the autobiography of a former British prime minister. It will star Ewan McGregor
Ewan McGregor

Ewan Gordon McGregor is a Scottish people actor, singer, and adventurer who has had success in mainstream, independent film and Art film films....
 as the writer and Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brosnan

Pierce Brendan Brosnan, Order of the British Empire is an Republic of Ireland actor, film producer and environmentalist, who holds both Ireland and United States citizenship....
 as the prime minister. Filming takes place in Germany.

Style

Most of Polanski's films are intelligent psychological suspense thrillers, notable for their deliberate pacing, carefully established mood and atmosphere, and often Gothic treatment of settings and characters. As a stylist, Polanski favors long takes, deep-focus photography, detailed mise-en-scène
Mise en scène

Mise-en-sc?ne is an expression used in the theatre and film worlds to describe the design aspects of a production. It has been called film criticism's "grand undefined term," but that is not because of a lack of definitions....
 and wide panoramic compositions; jump cut
Jump cut

A jump cut is a cut in film editing in which two sequential shots of the same subject are taken from camera positions that vary only slightly. This type of edit causes the subject of the shots to appear to "jump" position in a discontinuous way....
s and montage
Montage

Montage most often refers to collage including photomontage and sound collage.Montage is a technique in film editing that can refer to:...
 almost never appear in his work.

A recurring theme in his films is the relationship between victim and perpetrator, and the unstable and shifting dynamics of power relations between characters often resolve themselves in sudden outbursts of senseless violence. Many of Polanski's films (especially his early works) deal with characters struggling for mastery over an intractable situation and feature a circular plot structure — i.e., the action is framed by an ironic recurrence of events or reversal of fortunes at the end.

In this sense, Polanski's oeuvre — particularly, his most celebrated work from the 1950s through to the 1970s — seems to reflect a decidedly pessimistic and desolate absurdist worldview. However, Polanski's old tendency towards unremitting bleakness appears to have mellowed in recent years, with films like Death and the Maiden and The Pianist ultimately imparting a more hopeful view of human nature and admitting the possibility of redemptive action in the face of a hostile and incomprehensible universe.

Filmography

Year Film Oscar nominations Oscar wins
1955 Zaczarowany rower (aka Magical Bicycle)  
1957 Morderstwo
Morderstwo

Morderstwo is a short film written and directed by Roman Polanski in 1957. This was Roman Polanski's first completed student short at the National Film School in L?dz in L?dz, Poland....
 (aka A Murderer)
  
Usmiech zebiczny
Usmiech zebiczny

Usmiech zebiczny was a short film written and directed by Roman Polanski in 1957. A man walks down the exterior staircase of some building, He passes a small window....
 (aka A Toothful Smile)
  
Rozbijemy zabawe
Rozbijemy zabawe

Rozbijemy zabawe was a short film written and directed by Roman Polanski in 1957. According to Roman Polanski's autobiography, the film was a stunt which nearly got him thrown out of L?dz film school; Polanski had organized a groups of "Thugs" to go to a school dance and begin disrupting it....
 (aka Break Up the Dance)
  
1958 Dwaj ludzie z szafa
Two Men and a Wardrobe

The movie Two Men and a Wardrobe is considered an allegory.In a 20-minute black and white silent movie, Roman Polanski illustrates how a relationship between two friends causes them trouble in everyday life....
 (aka Two Men and a Wardrobe)
  
1959 Lampa
Lampa (film)

Lampa is one of Poland director Roman Polanski's early short films. The eight-minute piece, released in 1959, has an elderly doll-maker hard at work in his shop....
 (aka The Lamp)
  
Gdy spadaja anioly (aka When Angels Fall)  
1960 Le Gros et le maigre (aka The Fat and the Lean)  
1961 Ssaki
Ssaki

Ssaki was a short film written and directed by Roman Polanski in 1962. This was the last of Roman Polanski's short films before he began work on his first feature, Knife in the Water ....
 (aka Mammals)
  
1962 Nóz w wodzie
Knife in the Water (film)

Knife in the Water is a 1962 film directed by Roman Polanski. It features only three characters and deals with rivalry and sexual tension....
 (aka Knife in the Water)
1 
1964 Les plus belles escroqueries du monde
Les plus belles escroqueries du monde

Les plus belles escroqueries du monde is a 1964 in film film composed of four segments, each of which was created with a different set of writers, directors, and actors....
 (aka The Beautiful Swindlers) - segment: "La rivière de diamants"
  
1965 Repulsion
Repulsion

Repulsion is a 1965 in film film directed by Roman Polanski on a scenario by Gerard Brach and Roman Polanski. It was Polanski's first English language film, and was filmed in United Kingdom....
  
1966 Cul-de-Sac  
1967 The Fearless Vampire Killers
The Fearless Vampire Killers

The Fearless Vampire Killers is a 1967 film directed by Roman Polanski and written by G?rard Brach. It has been produced as a musical, named Dance of the Vampires....
 (aka Dance of the Vampires)
  
1968 Rosemary's Baby
Rosemary's Baby (film)

Rosemary's Baby is a United States Horror film/thriller film written and directed by Roman Polanski, based on the bestselling novel Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin....
2 1
1971 The Tragedy of Macbeth
Macbeth (1971 film)

Macbeth is a 1971 in film film directed by Roman Polanski, based on William Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Macbeth, about the Scots Lord who becomes King of Scotland through deceit, treachery, and murder....
  
1973 What? (aka Diary of Forbidden Dreams)  
1974 Chinatown
Chinatown (film)

Chinatown is a Cinema of the United States neo-noir film, directed by Roman Polanski. The film features many elements of the film noir genre, particularly a multi-layered story that is part Mystery fiction and part psychology drama....
11 1
1976 Le Locataire (aka The Tenant
The Tenant

The Tenant is a 1976 psychological thriller/psychological horror film directed by Roman Polanski based upon the 1964 novel Le locataire chim?rique by Roland Topor....
)
  
1979 Tess
Tess

For other uses, see Tess Tess is a 1979 in film English language romance film directed by Roman Polanski, an adaptation of Thomas Hardy's 1891 novel Tess of the d'Urbervilles....
6 3
1986 Pirates 1 
1987 Frantic
Frantic (film)

Frantic is a noted 1988 in film thriller film directed by Roman Polanski and starring Harrison Ford....
  
1992 Bitter Moon
Bitter Moon

'Bitter Moon' is a 1992 film starring Hugh Grant , Kristin Scott Thomas , Emmanuelle Seigner and Peter Coyote . Directed by Roman Polanski. The film is also known as in France....
  
1994 Death and the Maiden
Death and the Maiden (film)

Death and the Maiden is a drama film directed by Roman Polanski, based on the Death and the Maiden by Ariel Dorfman, a Chilean exile who escaped the regime of Augusto Pinochet....
  
1999 The Ninth Gate
The Ninth Gate

The Ninth Gate is a 1999 feature film based on the novel The Club Dumas by Arturo P?rez-Reverte. Spanning several genres, The Ninth Gate is a mix of mystery, Thriller , and neo-noir, and additionally portrays facets of the rare book business....
  
2002 The Pianist 7 3
2005 Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist (2005 film)

Oliver Twist is a 2005 in film directed by Roman Polanski. It is based on the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. The screenplay was written by Ronald Harwood....
  
2007 To Each His Own Cinema
To Each His Own Cinema

To Each His Own Cinema is a 2007 Cinema of France anthology film commissioned for the 60th anniversary of the Cannes Film Festival. The film is a collection of 34 short films, each 3 minutes in length, by 36 acclaimed directors....
 (segment Cinéma erotique)
  
2009 The Ghost
The Ghost (2010 film)

The Ghost is an upcoming film adaption of the Robert Harris The Ghost . The film is directed by Roman Polanski and based on a screenplay written by Harris and Polanski....
  


Actor

  • Trzy opowiesci (aka Three Stories) as Genek 'The Little' (segment "Jacek") (1953
    1953 in film

    The year 1953 in film involved some significant events....
    )
  • Zaczarowany rower (aka Magical Bicycle) as Adas (1955
    1955 in film

    The year 1955 in film involved some significant events....
    )
  • Rower (aka Bicycle) as the Boy who wants to buy a bicycle (1955
    1955 in film

    The year 1955 in film involved some significant events....
    )
  • Pokolenie (aka A Generation) as Mundek (1955
    1955 in film

    The year 1955 in film involved some significant events....
    )
  • Nikodem Dyzma as the Boy at Hotel (1956
    1956 in film

    The year 1956 in film involved some significant events....
    )
  • Wraki (aka The Wrecks) (1957
    1957 in film

    The year 1957 in film involved some significant events....
    )
  • Koniec nocy (aka End of the Night) as the Little One (1957
    1957 in film

    The year 1957 in film involved some significant events....
    )
  • Dwaj ludzie z szafa
    Two Men and a Wardrobe

    The movie Two Men and a Wardrobe is considered an allegory.In a 20-minute black and white silent movie, Roman Polanski illustrates how a relationship between two friends causes them trouble in everyday life....
     (aka Two Men and a Wardrobe) as the Bad boy (1958
    1958 in film

    The year 1958 in film involved some significant events....
    )
  • Zadzwoncie do mojej zony ? (aka Call My Wife) as a Dancer (1958
    1958 in film

    The year 1958 in film involved some significant events....
    )
  • Gdy spadaja anioly
    Gdy spadaja anioly

    When Angels Fall, or Gdy spadaja anioly, was a short film film written and directed by Roman Polanski in 1959 in film. The idea for the film was taken from a short story "Klozet Babcia" , written by Leszek Szymanski and published in the weekly "Kierunki" in Warsaw, Poland....
     (aka When Angels Fall Down) as an Old woman (1959
    1959 in film

    The year 1959 in film involved some significant events....
    )
  • Lotna
    Lotna

    Lotna is a Polish cinema war film released in 1959 in film and directed by Andrzej Wajda....
     as a Musician (1959
    1959 in film

    The year 1959 in film involved some significant events....
    )
  • Zezowate szczescie (aka Bad Luck
    Bad Luck (film)

    Bad Luck is a 1960 in film cinema of Poland comedy film directed by Andrzej Munk. It was entered into the 1960 Cannes Film Festival. ...
    ) as Jola's Tutor (1960
    1960 in film

    The year 1960 in film involved some significant events....
    )
  • Do widzenia, do jutra (aka Good Bye, Till Tomorrow) as Romek (1960
    1960 in film

    The year 1960 in film involved some significant events....
    )
  • Niewinni czarodzieje (aka Innocent Sorcerers) as Dudzio (1960
    1960 in film

    The year 1960 in film involved some significant events....
    )
  • Ostroznie, Yeti! (aka Beware of Yeti!) (1961
    1961 in film

    The year 1961 in film involved some significant events....
    )
  • Gros et le maigre, Le
    Gros et le maigre, Le

    Le Gros et le maigre is a short silent, comic film written and directed by Roman Polanski in 1961. Polanski plays a slave playing a flute and beating a drum to entertain his master who rocks in a rocking chair in front of his mansion in the countryside overlooking Paris....
     (aka The Fat and the Lean) as The Lean (1961
    1961 in film

    The year 1961 in film involved some significant events....
    )
  • Samson
    Samson

    Samson, Shimshon or Shamshoun ????? is the third to last of the Biblical judges of the ancient Children of Israel mentioned in the Tanakh , and the Talmud....
     (1961
    1961 in film

    The year 1961 in film involved some significant events....
    )
  • Nóz w wodzie
    Knife in the Water (film)

    Knife in the Water is a 1962 film directed by Roman Polanski. It features only three characters and deals with rivalry and sexual tension....
     (aka Knife in the Water) voice of Young Boy (1962
    1962 in film

    The year 1962 in film involved some significant events....
    )
  • Repulsion
    Repulsion

    Repulsion is a 1965 in film film directed by Roman Polanski on a scenario by Gerard Brach and Roman Polanski. It was Polanski's first English language film, and was filmed in United Kingdom....
     as Spoon Player (1965
    1965 in film

    The year 1965 in film involved some significant events....
    )
  • The Fearless Vampire Killers
    The Fearless Vampire Killers

    The Fearless Vampire Killers is a 1967 film directed by Roman Polanski and written by G?rard Brach. It has been produced as a musical, named Dance of the Vampires....
     as Alfred, Abronsius' Assistant (1967
    1967 in film

    The year 1967 in film involved some significant events. It is widely considered as one of the most ground-breaking years in film....
    )
  • The Magic Christian
    The Magic Christian (film)

    The Magic Christian is a 1969 film directed by Joseph McGrath and starring Peter Sellers, Ringo Starr, John Cleese, Raquel Welch, Christopher Lee, Richard Attenborough and Roman Polanski....
     as Solitary drinker (1969
    1969 in film

    The year 1969 in film involved some significant events....
    )
  • What? as Mosquito (1972
    1972 in film

    The year 1972 in film involved some significant events....
    )
  • Blood for Dracula
    Blood for Dracula

    Blood for Dracula is a 1974 film directed by Paul Morrissey and produced by Andy Warhol and Andrew Braunsberg. It stars Udo Kier, Joe Dallesandro, Maxime McKendry, Stefania Casini, and Arno Juerging....
     (Andy Warhol
    Andy Warhol

    Andrew Warhola , more commonly known as Andy Warhol, was an United Statesn Painting, Printmaking, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the Art movement known as pop art....
    ) as Man in Tavern (1976
    1976 in film

    The year 1976 in film involved some significant events....
    )
  • Chinatown
    Chinatown (film)

    Chinatown is a Cinema of the United States neo-noir film, directed by Roman Polanski. The film features many elements of the film noir genre, particularly a multi-layered story that is part Mystery fiction and part psychology drama....
     as Man with Knife (1974
    1974 in film

    The year 1974 in film involved some significant events....
    )
  • Locataire, Le (aka The Tenant
    The Tenant

    The Tenant is a 1976 psychological thriller/psychological horror film directed by Roman Polanski based upon the 1964 novel Le locataire chim?rique by Roland Topor....
    ) as Trelkovsky (1976
    1976 in film

    The year 1976 in film involved some significant events....
    )
  • Chassé-croisé (1982
    1982 in film

    for use in movie theaters.* Hugh Grant makes his film debut.*October 8th = Angelina Jolie makes her film debut as a child actress appearing with her father Jon Voight, in Lookin' to Get Out....
    )
  • En attendant Godot (TV) as Lucky (1989
    1989 in film

    Events* "Batman " is released on June 23rd, and went on to become the biggest blockbuster of the year; Grossing over $250 million at the box office....
    )
  • Back in the USSR
    Back in the USSR (film)

    Back in the USSR is a 1992 American thriller film directed by Deran Sarafian and starring Frank Whaley, Natalya Negoda and Roman Polanski. The film is set in Moscow during the last years of the Soviet Union, with Gorbachev's perestroika in full swing....
     as Kurilov (1992
    1992 in film

    The year 1992 in film involved many significant films. ...
    )
  • Pura formalità , Una (aka A Pure Formality) as Inspector (1994
    1994 in film

    The year 1994 in film involved some significant events....
    )
  • Grosse fatigue (aka Dead Tired) as Roman Polanski (1994
    1994 in film

    The year 1994 in film involved some significant events....
    )
  • Hommage à Alfred (aka Tribute to Alfred Lepetit) (2000
    2000 in film

    The year 2000 in film involved some significant events....
    )
  • Zemsta
    The Revenge (film)

    The Revenge is the English title for Zemsta, a film released in 2002 in film, directed by Andrzej Wajda.This film is based on a perennially popular stage farce by the Poland dramatist and poet Aleksander Fredro....
     (aka The Revenge) as Papkin (2002
    2002 in film

    The year '2002 in film' involved some significant events. The first significant releases of sequels took place between Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Men in Black II, Analyze That, Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams, Stuart Litt...
    )
  • Rush Hour 3
    Rush Hour 3

    Rush Hour 3 is a 2007 in film martial arts film/Action film-Comedy film film, and the Rush Hour #Rush Hour 3 in the Rush Hour , starring Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan, that began with the 1998 in film Rush Hour and continued with the first sequel Rush Hour 2 in 2001 in film....
     as Detective Revi (2007
    2007 in film

    The year '2007 in film' saw major releases such as Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ,The Simpsons Movie, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, Transformers , TMNT , Saw IV, and Live Free or Die Hard as well as releases of third installment films, such as: The Bourne Ultimatum , Pirates of the Caribbean:...
    )


Writer

  • A Day at the Beach (1970) after a novel by Simon Heere Heeresma
    Simon Heere Heeresma

    Simon Heere Heeresma is a Dutch author and poet.His first collection of poetry, published in 1954, was called Children's Room, but his breakthrough came in the 1960s and 1970s in the Provo generation....
     from 1962.


External links

  • Official site
  • (via UC Berkeley Media Resources Center)