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Roman Polanski Interviews (review)

2007; Volume: 37; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1353/flm.2007.0012

1548-9922

Charlene Etkind,

Diverse Academic Research Studies

Reviewed by: Roman Polanski Interviews Charlene EtkindIrcresearch@go.com Roman Polanski Interviews. Paul Cronin , editor. University Press of Mississippi, 2005. 211 Pages; $50.00. Unique Perspectives Roman Polanski Interviews offers a tantalizing glimpse into the ambitions and drives of the enigmatic film director. The book is a collection of talks conducted by critics, magazine writers, and television hosts over a chronology that spans most of Polanski's prolific career. The interviews—which have appeared in magazines and on television—reprinted in this book showcase Polanski's unique perspectives on his life and his works. After a brief introduction the editor provides a time span of Polanski's life followed by an extensive filmography. These tools help the reader to understand the chronology of the interviews. As a whole the interviews offer perspectives on Polanski's life, his filmmaking, and his philosophy of his art. In a number of the interviews Polanski reflects upon events of his life and the readers are supplied with glimpses of a man whose international roots helped to shape his perspective on the art of filmmaking and influenced the films he produced. The early years of Polanski's life were spent in Poland and were shaped by the German occupation and the rise of communism in the country. Polanski was educated at the Lodz Film School. After his early filmmaking in Poland, Polanski traveled to France, England and the United States to make motion pictures. According to Polanski in a 1992 interview with Antoine De Baecques and Thierry Jousse for Cahiers du Cinema, "I like London and Paris too much to be able to detach myself totally from them…You can see it in the films I've made." … Interviews is a chronicle of Polanski's most important films. Conversations centered around the current films as they were released. Polanski gives his interviewers intimate accounts of the visions he had for the films and insights into the filmmaking process. In an interview with Michel Ciment, Michel Perez, and Roger Tailleur for Positif, Polanski details the creative process for Cul-de-sac: "Nobody told [Gerard] Brach and me which direction to go when we sat down to write the script. …We started to create scenes and characters that connected with the things that interested us at the time, both in life and in the cinema. It eventually developed into a screenplay and we went to work on the structure by adding and cutting." The interviews highlight the development of Polanski as a filmmaker as films are added to his body of works. The reader gets an idea of the way Polanski thinks about his accumulation of work. One of the more striking aspects of this book is the way the interviews highlight Polanski's philosophy of his art. Several times Polanski reflects on his days at the Lodz school and its influence on filmmaking. As time passes in the chronology of the interviews Polanski's insights reflect the accumulation of his filmmaking experiences around the world. Each film adds to his repertoire and enhances his artistic vision. The interviews in the book draw out Polanski's views on politics, cinema, philosophy, worldview and the direction of cinema today both in Europe and in America. …Interviews highlights all aspects of Polanski's career including his talent as an actor, screenwriter, and director. Each of the interviews adds a little insight into the personality of Roman Polanski until at the end of the book the reader completely understands the body of Polanski's work and the visions that guided him in the process. All in all, Roman Polanski Interviews is a delightfully lively book that highlights the life and work of Roman Polanski and answers the questions that are most important to understanding his work showing the inspiration behind them. Combined with the humanity that the question and answer format affords the text provides a holistic portrait of the noted director. Roman Polanski Interviews is part of the Conversations with Filmmakers Series, Peter Brunette, General Editor. Copyright © 2007 Historians Film Committee