Polanski: A Biography - Softcover

Sandford, Christopher

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0230611761 ISBN 13: 9780230611764

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin, 2009

Synopsis

This dramatic account weaves together the rich and complex life of the celebrated and controversial film director, Holocaust survivor, and exile, based on a wealth of sources and new material. New revelations about Polanski's life include:

-- The connection between his mother's death in Auschwitz and wife Sharon Tate's murder by the Manson family―both women were pregnant
-- His radical transition from childhood poverty in a Krakow ghetto to a glamorous Hollywood life among socialites
-- The psychological complexity and central thread of sexuality that runs throughout his films and his relationships with younger women
-- A culmination of tragedies in Polanski's life, from the Holocaust to the Manson murders to his sexual assault charges and subsequent exile from the U.S.

The unique humor of the "rascal genius" that keeps the world watching and awaiting his new projects
Acclaimed biographer Sandford draws on dozens of interviews with actors who have worked with Polanski, as well as previously sealed transcripts of his criminal hearings, testimony before the California grand jury following the accusations that led to his exile, and personal reflections on the murders of Sharon Tate and other friends of the couple. Polanski's films from 1962 to 2005 are contextualized within his life, including such highlights as Rosemary's Baby, Chinatown, and the Oscar-winning The Pianist. Sandford's fascinating biography illuminates the life and work of one of the most important careers in modern cinema.

About this title

About the Author:

Christopher Sandford has published acclaimed biographies of Kurt Cobain (now in development as a major feature film), Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Paul McCartney, Keith Richards, and Bruce Springsteen. He has worked as a film and music writer and reviewer for over twenty years, and Rolling Stone has called him "the pre-eminent author in his field today." He divides his time between England and Seattle.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

Early on the morning of 14 March 1943, the Krakow ghetto was finally liquidated. It was exactly a month since [Roman’s mother] Bula Polanski had disappeared; the destruction of families “one Jew at a time” was specifically encouraged in the German plan. [His father] Ryszard was able to smuggle Romek [Roman] out of the immediate area, [his friend] Stefan being left to his fate, before the SS came for him. From there the 9-year-old took to his heels, crossing Podgorze Bridge and riding the tram out of town to the [neighboring] Wilks, who happened to have been away. Unsure of what to do next, Romek doubled back to the bridge, where he found a column of men being marched off to the waiting trains. Among them was Ryszard.

        Romek came as close as he dared and gestured to his father. As the long line of prisoners went by, Ryszard was able to slip back through the ranks to a position furthest away from the guards. Like all the detainees, he had had his tie, belt, and shoelaces removed. It was standard procedure.

        For several seconds, the irregular-looking squad shuffled on in silence towards the wagons. Then Ryszard’s lips moved, though just barely, and he spoke in a voice so low that Romek had to strain to hear it from six feet away.

        “Zjezdzaj,” he said. “Get lost.”

...

                This was the backdrop at the time Romek Wilk, as he styled himself, went into permanent hiding in the spring of 1943. It was hard to say which was worse, the war situation or his own predicament. Either way, he was alone

About this edition

• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0230611761
• ISBN 13: 9780230611764
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 400