Roman Polanski: A Life of Tragedy and Scandal
by Michael Robertson
Peter Hutchings, a Professor at the University of Northumbria, gives a useful biography, in his book the Historical Dictionary of Horror Cinema, of the tragic and shocking life of the Polish born and Academy Award winning director Roman Polanski (1933-). Polanski's life in brief is as follows:
Roman Polanski
- Holocaust Survivor
- Critical and commercial success with films in Poland, France, and America
- His second wife, Sharon Tate (while she was pregnant), was murdered by the Charles Manson gang
- Director of cinematic landmarks such as Rosemary's Baby (1968) Chinatown (1974), and The Pianist (2002)
- Pled guilty to the charge of statutory rape
- Academy Award Winning Director
Though Polanski suffered through the Holocaust as an abused, homeless, and starving child (his mother was murdered at Auschwitz, but his father survived the Holocaust, and they were reunited after the end of World War II), he somehow managed to successfully attend the National Film School in Lodz, Poland, and he had early success with such films as Two Men in a Wardrobe (1958) and When Angels Fall (1959). When he moved to France he continued to have success with the films Repulsion (1965) and Cul-de-sac (1966). Polanski is seen directing a film in France, in 1979:
 |
| Polish born director Roman Polanski (1933-) (Weaver). |
 |
(Left to right) Roman Polanski and his wife,
Sharon Tate (1943-1969), are photographed together in London, United Kingdom, circa 1960s (Wilkinson).
With the Holocaust and his wife's murder in his past, Polanski directed a film noir classic, Chinatown (1974), which won praise then and now, with 11 Academy Award nominations in 1974 and National Film Registry recognition in 1991. Three years later, in 1977, Polanski's success was once again marked by scandal, this time of his own making: he was indicted and then pled guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, and after six months of psychiatric evaluation at a California state prison he fled for Europe: he cannot return to America because of the pending charges against him. Given Polanski's tragic, scandalous, and bizarre life Hutchings writes:
"More than most directors, Polanski's biography has often been invoked to explain the peculiar character of his work" (Hutchings 247).
Polanski had less directorial success when he returned to Europe, but when he returned his childhood experiences of the Holocaust Polanski made his, to date, most critically and comercially successful film, The Pianist (2002). Though the criminal charges against him prevent him from ever returning to America, the film was so successful that the American Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences awarded him the Best Director Award. The actor Harrison Ford is shown presenting the award to Polanski:
|
(Left to right) actor Harrison Ford (1942-) presents director Roman Polanski with the
Academy Award for Best Director for his film, The Pianist (2002), in Deauville, France, 2003 ("Polanski Finally Gets Oscar").
As Hutchings alludes to, Polanski's films are informed by his unbelievable life: the tragedies of the Holocaust and the murder of his wife, the scandal of sexual abuse, and the continued cinematic success of his films despite the pain (from what he has survived) and the guilt (from what he has done).
Works Cited
Hutchings, Peter. "Roman Polanski." Historical Dictionary of Horror Cinema. Toronto: The Scarecrow Press, 2008.
Print.
"Polanski Finally Gets Oscar." BBC News. British Broadcasting Company, 8 Sept. 2003. Web. 25
Mar. 2013.
Weaver, Matthew. "Roman Polanski Faces Weeks in Prison Before Appeal."Guardiannews.com. The
Guardian, 29 Sept. 2009. Web. 25 Mar. 2013.
Wilkinson, Peter. "Profile: Tumultuous Polanski Always in Spotlight." CNN Entertainment. CNN, n.d.
Web 25, Mar. 2013.
No comments:
Post a Comment