Tag Archives: Roman Polanski

1968 Films, 60's Horror, Horror, Psychological Horror, Satanic, Top 10 Horror Films, Top 100 Films, Top 20 Horror Films, Top 25 Films, Top 250 Films, Top 40 Horror Films, Top 50 Films

Rosemary’s Baby-1968

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Rosemary’s Baby-1968

Director Roman Polanski

Starring Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes

Top 250 Films #14

Top 40 Horror Films #4

Scott’s Review #9

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Reviewed June 17, 2014

Grade: A

Rosemary’s Baby (1968) is not only a great film, but it’s also a masterpiece. Easily one of my favorites in the horror genre, it’s also towards the top of the list of my all-time favorite films.

The beauty of this film lies in its power of suggestion and subtleties. It lacks the blood, gore, or standard horror frights one might expect.

It doesn’t need them.

The audience senses something is amiss through clues provided throughout the film.

The closed-off room in the young couple’s apartment, the sweet but a bit odd elderly neighbors, a strange suicide, a mysterious, horrid-smelling good luck charm. Rosemary’s due date (June 6, 1966- “666”).

The strange, dreamlike conception scene is intense and surreal.

Her husband- claiming Rosemary passed out from too much alcohol- begins to become a suspicious man following the incident, but we are confused by his involvement- what are the neighbors up to, we wonder? Are they sinister or simply innocent meddlers?

In a sinister scene, Rosemary gnaws on bloody raw meat, catches her reflection in the glass, and is horrified by her behavior.

Mia Farrow is excellent as the waifish, pregnant Rosemary, who loses weight rather than gains it.

The film also has a couple of real-life eerie occurrences: the building setting (The Dakota) is where John Lennon was shot and killed, and Director Roman Polanski’s wife, Sharon Tate, in a cameo, was murdered shortly after filming by Charles Manson.

Rosemary’s Baby shares a similar theme with other devilish/demon films, such as The Exorcist (1973) and The Omen (1976).

This is a film that must be seen by everyone and only shines brighter with each subsequent viewing.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Supporting Actress-Ruth Gordon (won), Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium

Golden Globe Nominations: 1 win-Best Actress-Drama-Mia Farrow, Best Supporting Actress-Ruth Gordon (won), Best Screenplay, Best Original Score

1974 Films, Best Picture-Drama Golden Globe Winners, Film noir, Top 100 Films, Top 250 Films, Top 50 Films

Chinatown-1974

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Chinatown-1974

Director Roman Polanski

Starring Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway

Top 250 Films #27

Scott’s Review #321

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Reviewed January 3, 2016

Grade: A

Chinatown (1974) is like a perfectly aged fine red wine- with each passing year or viewing, it becomes more and more spectacular.

A thinking man’s film, if you will, Chinatown is a complex puzzle, just waiting to unravel in a layered, complicated fashion. However, this is to its credit, as it is a fantastic, rich film noir, and as good as cinematic writing gets.

Set in the 1930s, the set pieces and art direction are flawless – as great a film in terms of look as it is in story.

Director Roman Polanski and star Jack Nicholson are primarily responsible for the film’s success.

The direction is a marvel, with astounding cinematography, flow, and pacing.

With a slow build, the film takes off at just the perfect point as the mystery deepens, building to a crescendo.

Nicholson plays Jake Gittes, a handsome Los Angeles private investigator hired by a woman claiming to be Evelyn Mulwray. Evelyn desires to have her husband followed, as she suspects him of having an affair with another woman.

Jake begins tailing the woman’s husband, only to uncover an intriguing mystery involving the Los Angeles water supply.

Soon, the real Evelyn Mulwray (Faye Dunaway) turns up, and the film segues into a masterful web of complications and twists.

You won’t see the ending coming.

Nicholson leads the film as only he can. With his charismatic, aww-shucks attitude, mixed with humor, he is eye candy for the camera as he takes the case and becomes more and more immersed in the action.

This film was a pivotal point for him as he began a slew of worthwhile and abundant performances in pictures.

Let us not forget Dunaway’s acting performance. Smoldering, sexy, classy, intelligent, and vulnerable, she perfectly plays almost every emotion.

Chinatown, Bonnie and Clyde (1967), and Mommie Dearest (1981) are her best works in a career that spanned decades of success.

Chinatown (1974) is an entity unto itself in film noir. It is incredibly well-written, nuanced, and flawless.

This film must be seen.

The final thirty minutes- in addition to the “great reveal” are also violent, shocking, and extraordinary. A blueprint of what great filmmaking truly is.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Picture, Best Director-Roman Polanski, Best Actor-Jack Nicholson, Best Actress-Faye Dunaway, Best Original Screenplay (won), Best Original Dramatic Score, Best Sound, Best Costume Design, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing

Golden Globe Nominations: 4 wins-Best Picture-Drama (won), Best Director-Roman Polanski (won), Best Actor-Drama-Jack Nicholson (won), Best Actress-Drama-Faye Dunaway, Best Supporting Actor-John Huston, Best Screenplay (won), Best Original Score

1965 Films, British, British Horror, Horror, Thriller

Repulsion-1965

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Repulsion-1965

Director Roman Polanski

Starring Catherine Deneuve

Scott’s Review #554

Reviewed December 21, 2016

Grade: A

Repulsion is an excellent British film, an early film by the great director Roman Polanski, made in 1965. The film was shot on a low budget, and the action mainly takes place inside a small London apartment.

Repulsion is part of Polanski’s “Apartment Trio,” along with Rosemary’s Baby (1968) and The Tenant (1976), which are all set in apartments.

The film tells the story of Carol (Catherine Deneuve), a beautiful young woman who slowly goes insane throughout a weekend while left alone by her vacationing sister.

Carol is a beauty parlor worker who is seemingly sweet and shy but gradually becomes violent, volatile, and unbalanced. She experiences hallucinations, and it is alluded to that she may have been sexually abused as a child.

She loathes men.

The film is shot in black and white, with eerie camera shots, background noises, and very little music. Its claustrophobic atmosphere makes it all the more disturbing.

These characteristics make the film a challenging experience to watch, but that is to its credit.

We see Carol unravel and are mystified by the aspects that make her this way. The bathtub scene and the scene with Carol’s landlord are highlights of their brutality.

Repulsion (1965) is challenging to watch but an excellent piece of cinema. It is an in-depth character study of an unhinged woman reaching her psychological breaking point.

2013 Films, Drama, Erotic, French, International, International Drama

Venus in Fur-2013

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Venus in Fur-2013

Director Roman Polanski

Starring Emmanuelle Seigner, Mathieu Amalric 

Scott’s Review #270

Reviewed August 23, 2015

Grade: C

Venus in Fur is a French-language film from 2013, directed by the enormously talented Roman Polanski, and based on the American play by David Ives.

Notably, Ives’s play is based on a novel by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch titled Venus in Furs.

Polanski’s film adaptation is a filmed play. It takes place entirely within the walls of a theater, except for the opening shot, as the camera pans through the doorway as if the audience were the eyes of an approaching theatergoer.

The subject matter is quite adult- sadomasochism and dominance- though there is little nudity, and it is not perverse in any way.

The story surrounds Thomas, a stressed-out writer-director of a new play set to open soon in Paris. Finishing touches must be handled as well as casting the lead actress!

His play is an adaptation of Venus in Furs, and a frustrated Thomas is on the phone complaining about an unsuccessful day attempting to cast the lead role of Wanda.

A disheveled actress named Vanda wanders into the theater and attempts to convince Thomas to let her read for the part, which she desperately wants.

Initially, Thomas is turned off by Vanda as she is dressed slutty and is on the middle-aged side and, in his mind, wrong for the part.

When she finally does convince him to let her read for the part, she becomes Wanda, and a strong, bizarre, sadomasochistic attraction develops between the pair as they run lines together.

Roman Polanski might rank in my Top 10 favorite directors of all time (Rosemary’s Baby-1968 is one of my favorite films), but this work disappointed me.

With a cast of only two characters, I found the story limiting, and it became tedious as it developed. It was hard to tell when Thomas and Vanda were in character and when they were expressing their true selves, and I didn’t find either particularly likable.

This may have been intentional, but it was confusing and dull nonetheless.

The sexual-fetish subject matter is prevalent, but not in a tasteless way. The initial roles reverse as Vanda goes from a whimpering, pleading actress needing some work to a dominatrix who obtains control over Thomas, who in essence becomes her slave.

Thomas begins as a powerful director with an ego and ends up catering to Vanda’s every whim. They develop a deep emotional connection that they both realize at the same time.

The main issue was that I didn’t feel much connection to either character. I detected no chemistry between them. The dominant soon becomes submissive, but who cares when you are invested in neither character?

On the plus side, I loved the basic theater set. This instantly reminded me fondly of my college days rehearsing and performing in a theater similar to the one in Venus in Fur, complete with rustic red audience seats and moody ambiance.

Venus in Fur (2013) has an interesting premise as people immerse themselves in the roles they play, but it is a disappointing film, especially coming from one of the greats.

For whatever reason, the film didn’t work for me. Interesting premise, but ultimately failed for me.