ThePianist Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Five years ago, Roman Polanski won an Oscar for directing The Pianist. But he couldn't attend the Academy Awards ceremony, because had he entered the United States, he would have been arrested as soon as his plane touched down. Or so the excuse went. While the scenario might have indeed played out that way, the story of his hypothetical incarceration was at that time more a part of the legend of Polanski than it was a matter of truth. More hearsay and speculation than complete fact.

Now the difference between that legend and the lesser-known truth is exposed in the documentary Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired. And basically it's the gap between a generalized truth and the whole truth. So, yes, as we all heard and/or discussed at our Oscar parties five years ago, Polanski was in fact a fugitive, having fled the United States in 1978 after pleading guilty to having sex with a 13-year-old girl. But there is so much more to the story than just that.

Yesterday, I was looking forward to the next film from Oscar-winning filmmaker Roman Polanski. Today, I'm anxiously awaiting the biopic about him. According to The Hollywood Reporter, low-budget actor-director Damian Chapa (El Padrino) is preparing an unauthorized film about the guy who gave us Chinatown, The Pianist, Repulsion and Rosemary's Baby. Yes, we finally get to see dramatized the tragic and/or controversial events of Polanski's life, including his escape from the Kraków Ghetto during the Holocaust, his mother's death in a concentration camp, the murder of his wife, actress Sharon Tate, at the hands of Charles Manson's "family", and of course, his conviction for having sex with a 13-year-old girl, after which he fled the U.S. The biopic is expected to span the filmmaker's life, and will film in Poland, Belgium, and the U.S. However, it seems the simply titled Polanski, which begins lensing in January, may focus primarily on the statutory rape trial.

The title role has not yet been cast, but Chapa himself will be playing Gene Gutowski, who produced Polanski's early films, including Repulsion, Cul-de-sac and Dance of the Vampires, and co-produced The Pianist. Those of you who haven't seen Chapa's own movies, may be familiar with his acting from such films as Street Fighter, Money Talks or Bound by Honor. In addition to his directing and co-starring tasks, Chapa is also the writer and producer of the simply titled Polanski, meaning it probably won't be the greatest biopic we ever see. But hey, I'm curious at least. Aren't you?

I was pretty bummed when Roman Polanski ditched Pompeii, his planned epic about the city buried by a volcano in the 1st century CE. Fortunately, the Oscar-winning director of The Pianist has found another project to move ahead with. According to Variety, Polanski will next film an adaptation of Robert Harris' new novel, The Ghost. Presumably a much smaller film than Pompeii, which was also to be based on one of Harris' novels, The Ghost will center on a ghostwriter penning the memoirs of a former British prime minister. While working on the book, the guy uncovers secrets "that put his own life in jeopardy." Polanski said this is the political thriller he's been looking to direct for awhile, pointing out that the novel is full of suspense. Harris, however, makes it sound a little more quiet; he admitted the book mostly takes place in an oceanfront house during the middle of the winter, although he said this is "classic Polanski territory."

In many ways, this sounds like just another conspiracy movie, but I assume it won't be so simple coming from both Harris, who also wrote Fatherland and Enigma, and Polanski, who has made a career out of directing better-than-average thrillers. According to the synopsis in the book's Publishers Weekly review, The Ghost deals with more topical themes, such as al-Qaeda, and the former prime minister is described as being clearly modeled after Tony Blair. The review also mentions the book's cynical tone and gallows humor, which I hope translates well to the film version. The adaptation will be written by both Harris and Polanski and will be produced by The Pianist's Robert Benmussa and Alain Sarde. They expect to begin filming next fall.