A Thrilling Filmmaker
Toss the name Roman Polanski out to a group of film buffs and they’ll behave like kids choosing sides for dodge ball: A mix of anger, apologies and sorrow, but no uninterested parties.
No matter, there would be very few arguments about his prowess as a filmmaker as some of the greatest of all time are in his filmography,
The short list includes Rosemary’s Baby, with Polanski serving as both writer and director. Mia Farrow, a weak husband, and devil worship made the horror genre accessible to a mainstream audience.
Polanski directed Jack Nicolson in Chinatown as a noir detective with nose problems, and Faye Dunaway with daddy problems.
He served as writer and director for Tess, a visually stunning tragic romance, and again years later with The Ninth Gate. While the latter may not have been up to previous standards, the movie featured books, sex, demon worship and Johnny Depp. What more need I say?
However, my favorite Polanski film is from 1965, Repulsion. I saw the movie in a small, dark theater, pre-cell phones, with stadium seating and wall and aisle lighting that cast a bright hue.
The story of the mental breakdown of a girl left alone in an apartment while her sister went on vacation is not a horror film, but the creeping pervasive sense of dread was more horrible than any beastie could conjure. Had a pin dropped or someone coughed, screaming would have broken out all over the theater.
Great stuff, and a harbinger of things to come from a great filmmaker.
