Roman Polanski

 Roman Polanski



Knife in the Water (1962)

Repulsion (1965)




RANKED:

2. Knife in the Water (1962)


The feature film debut of Roman Polanski, 1962's "Knife in the Water," also happens to be the only feature film Polanski made in his home country of Poland. Centering on a relatively simple plot with only three characters, "Knife in the Water" is a claustrophobic and discomforting watch of a couple who bring along a hitchhiker to go sailing with them. By substituting a traditional narrative dramatic form, the film instead opts for a tonal presence. The tonal atmosphere presents as something subtly aggressive and combative, as the two men in the film compete with each other in various ways. It is a psychological film that has the viewer observing internal character behavior and external consequences of these ideas. It is one of Polanski's most celebrated film and the only Polish film in his catalog.




1. Repulsion (1965)


After the rousing international success of his 1962 film "Knife in the Water," Roman Polanski emigrated from Poland to the United Kingdom to continue his film career. His first English-language film in his new home was 1965's "Repulsion," a film detailing a woman's descent into schizophrenic psychosis. With the invigoration of the film medium that came with the France's New Wave movement, films in the 1960s began to integrate the avant-garde filmmaking style that suits a new 'subjective' experience for the film viewer. With "Repulsion," Polanski places you directly into the subconscious mind of our protagonist with his intense and unsettling camera angles, fantastical images in the mise-en-scene, and an unsettling tone created by a terror and intensity created by Polanski's editing. Starring France's most iconic film stars of the 1960s in Catherine Deneuve, the film delivers a subjective nightmare and in doing so, observes the terror faced by a woman and the unwanted attraction by men and the violence that it brings.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rio Bravo (1959)

Image
  Howard Hawks' "Rio Bravo" To conclude the filmography of Howard Hawks, I watched his 1959 western film " Rio Bravo ." I've got to say that I was expecting a lot more out of this picture based on all the praise for the film. That is not to say that I didn't like it, it was a fine time at the cinema (I was not at the cinema, I was at home). I can't say that I should have expected more, as I'm not entirely that big of a fan of Howard Hawks. Even his best film (to me), " The Big Sleep " is arguably one of the weaker film noirs that I've seen. " Rio Bravo " is a film that apparently is a response to 1952's " High Noon ," which was an allegory about Hollywood's blacklisting and McCarthyism. Howard Hawks and John Wayne felt the film was anti-American and instead made " Rio Bravo " to broadcast an alternative perspective in which the hero of the story doesn't shy away from justice. I personally ha...
Read more

King Kong (1933)

Image
  Merian C. Cooper & Ernest B. Schoedsack's "King Kong" There are many post-Depression American 'box office' films that I have seen in my film studies journey. Most of these post-Depression box office films don't typically sit right with me. The films I have in mind are the gangster and monster films that swept the nation in the early 1930s. These films typically were meant to placate an anxious American audience. However, the depth to their thematic intricacies leave something to be desired. Even without this depth, the 'entertainment' aspect of these films were not very entertaining to me. However, there is one film that utterly surprised me, 1933's adventure epic " King Kong ."   The story is well-known. A group of filmmakers travel to a remote island to take advantage of strange and interesting natural wildlife unknown to the outside world. There they meet an indigenous people, all terrified of a large, monstrous primate living on...
Read more

The Big Sleep (1946)

Image
  Howard Hawks' "The Big Sleep" After watching Howard Hawks' 1946 film noir " The Big Sleep ," I have to say that it is not one of my favorite film noirs. That being said, it was definitely the best Howard Hawks film I've seen thus far. It did not have the typical dark ending that permeates the whole film with bleak darkness, which probably made it a lesser noir for me. In fact, it felt more like a 'studio noir,' if that makes sense. I'm not going to go into the entire plot of the film, especially because the entire plot is incredibly convoluted. In fact, this was a major strike against the film at the time of its release. Many reported that they could not keep up with what was happening. I've got to say that, for myself, this was the case as well. I found myself having to rewind to figure out what exactly I missed or who was who. However, upon reflection, the convoluted plot may only add to the feverish intoxication of the film.  Because...
Read more