Book Description
Roman Polanski (b. 1933) arrived on the international scene in 1962 with his first feature film, Knife in the Water, and his face would be on the cover of Time magazine by the end of that year. His vibrant, disturbing, and often violent films—including the psychological thriller Rosemary's Baby, the film noir classic Chinatown, and the somber Holocaust drama The Pianist—have entertained and sometimes infuriated audiences. He has also directed acclaimed adaptations of plays and novels, including Shakespeare's Macbeth, Ariel Dorfman's Death and the Maiden, and Thomas Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles. Stylistically unsettling and thematically varied, Polanski's films have established him as one of the most talented and controversial European filmmakers of his generation.
Polanski's life has been troubled. He survived the Krakow ghetto and the Holocaust, but his mother died at Auschwitz. His wife Sharon Tate was brutally murdered in 1968 by members of Charles Manson's gang. After years of success in the United States, he fled the country in 1978 when he was indicted for having sex with a minor. He hasn't returned to America since that time. In Roman Polanski: Interviews, the acclaimed director talks openly about how incidents in his life have and have not influenced his artistic vision. His childhood in Poland, his training at the Polish Film School in Lodz, his acting in stage productions, the aftermath of Tate's murder, and his work in France, England, and America are all discussed at length.
This collection of interviews spans nearly forty years, and comprises translations from French, German and Spanish newspapers and magazines, and transcripts of British and American television and radio appearances.
Customer Reviews:
The mind of Polanski.......2006-02-05
Polanski is perhaps my favortie director. I was excited upon the release of this book of selected interviews... it is always great to hear from the director himself.
Four stars for the following reasons (though for some these may be positive points):
- Some of the interviews are quite dated, going as far back as the mid-sixties. While interesting to hear of the directors evolution, it can also be disorienting since questions such as "The Fearless Vampire Killers seems to be your most important film to date..." while, later on, the same question is asked, just replaced with another film such as "Pianist" (which the book does cover)
- There is not a lot of focus on technical questions and aspects of the films. As a filmmaker myself, I am always interested in how things come together technically and how many of the scenes are executed. There was not much empasis on this, which leads me to another crticism...
- As it may be expected, many of the interviewers harp on the questions about his late wife Sharon Tate, and the statutory rape episode. It may be interesting to some, but for me it's all old... just let it go. I am really more interested in what he has to say about his films.
- Though I have a lot of issues with the book, as a whole it is very interesting. Especially if you are a fan of Polanski. Though his admirerers will know much of what is talked about in the book (such as the Manson murders), much is still to be learned. He often talks about how a film came to frutation... sometimes of a personal nature, but at times from a small detail that the film is then based around. Relationships with actors, issues with studios, influences... this book touches base with a little bit of everything.
Polanski fans should definitely pick this up. Others, maybe not...
but the entire 'Conversations with Filmmakers' series should be invaluable to all with an avid interest in film.
Book Description
Those who think of sharks as something only found in tropical waters will be surprised to learn that there are 18 species of sharks in the cool waters of the Pacific Northwest, from the 27-inch brown catshark to the 39-foot basking shark.
Sharks of the Pacific Northwest provides for the identification of these species, with spectacular photographs and accurate paintings and drawings, plus summaries of the sharks' classification, morphology, distribution, habitat, diet, reproduction and behaviour. It also includes a concise general account of shark evolution, anatomy and physiology, as well as discussion of attacks on humans and details of shark fisheries. It is primarily aimed at a broad, non-technical readership, but its up-to-date and detailed contents make it a useful tool for professional biologists and zoologists.
Customer Reviews:
A Must Have !!!.......2007-07-30
Great Book, full of rare pictures and most important full of great drawings by Dr. Alessandro De Maddalena....
...is perfect for shark fans
Book Description
A look at the career of Oscar-winning director Roman Polanski—one of the few directors who has moved from art-house classics to the Cineplex, with films like Rosemary's Baby, Chinatown, and The Pianist.
Roman Polanski is a towering figure in modern cinema. He has done it all: psychological thrillers (Killer in the Water, Cul-de-sac); horror (Repulsion, Rosemary's Baby); film noir (Chinatown); the literary classics (Tess); even comedy (The Fearless Vampire Killers). In this timely retrospective of Polanski's career, film historian and critic Denis Meikle draws together the strands of a complex, sometimes contradictory career. Meikle looks at how Polanski's troubled life has informed his filmmaking and analyzes his unique skills as a director, skills that have allowed him to tackle such diverse themes and genres with unerring success. Finally, the latest Polanski film, Oliver Twist, is examined and placed in the context of the director's 50 years at the heart of cinema.
Customer Reviews:
It's All Here.......2007-07-13
Covers his childhood memories of war-torn Poland, reminiscent of "Schindler's List". His struggles as a young director and the heartache of the tragic murder of his wife Sharon Tate and their unborn child. And he even discusses his envolvement with the underaged girl at Jack Nicholson's place, that caused his exhile from the U.S. to this very day. You be the judge. An all-around well written autobiography.
a sinner and a genius ..........2005-08-16
Roman Polanski, born on august 18, 1933, has written a fascinating autobiography. He is a sinner and a genius, a chaotic man and a passionate, he is a machismo and a vulnerable human being, he overcame the WWII, the Polish ghettos and the Holocaust as a resilient child and he lost his wife Sharon Tate and an unborn child in 1969 by the Manson Group massacre, and on the other hand he overcame (as an adult) a special pattern of machismo-self-destruction (with 13 year old girl accusing him of sexual contact). He had lived a lousy life in Nazi-surpressed Polish ghettos and he had lived with too much pride and arrogance in Hollywood, he was arrested in the United States and nevertheless now he releases movies in Paris (presently married with French actress Emmanuelle Seigner). He is a gifted filmmaker and indeed: a writer, better than any crime-author I know; his book, published in 1984, is not a larmoyant, self-pitiful autobiography alike 1001 others - it is an absorbing story about a personality-mixture-hybrid of a Robin Hood mixed with Mac Beth, an Idi Amin mixed with a Mother Theresa, it is the story of "Roman" P., who started his life 1933 in Paris as "Raymond" P.; the first sentence of his autobiography: "For as far back as I can remember, the line between fantasy and reality has been hopelessly blurred." That became his helping trick to survive some struggles and tragedies, downfalls and comebacks ...
One of the most impressive books ever read.......2004-12-31
I lost my copy of this book years ago and am so glad to have it back. Anyone who admires Polanski's work will love this book. Anyone who questions Polanski's love of life, Sharon, and the World he lives in should read this book. You will understand him in a whole new light. He's amazing. Read this before any other about him. Please!!!!!!
From the heart.......2004-11-16
I have always admired Roman Polanski. He strikes me as a person with a very powerful presence and state of mind and that impression certainly comes through in his films.
Although published 20 years ago, Roman bared his soul to the world, telling his story in a way that you felt you lived his life right there beside him.
People who believe that those who have had lousy lives should be excused from taking responsibility for their crimes should read Roman's book. After all he's been through, he had every excuse in the world to be a lowlife, drunken, drug addict, thief, murderer, scumbag. Instead, this man took all the bad things that have happened to him in his life and turned it into something positive.
And even though he has expressed his emotions through his movies, he is still a very mysterious man whose depths no one will ever know.
That's what makes Roman so damn intriguing.
Paradoxical Roman - by Polanski.......2001-03-16
The myriad and often contradictory superlatives that define Roman Polanski are evident in his 1984 autobiography. A man of immense dichotomy: by turns exquisitely sensitive and dazzlingly brilliant yet capable of staggering insensitivity and cruelty; a singularly gifted filmmaker who has sometimes betrayed that talent completely; a man blessed with the reciprocal love and devotion of three of the world's most beautiful women (most notably Sharon Tate) and yet easily capable of sexist and loutish behavior, etc. The parade of paradoxes attendant to Polanski's life make for fascinating reading, evoke extremes of admiration and disdain on the part of the reader, and ultimately remind us that the author, like life itself, is not easily defined nor pigeonholed by a pool of platitudes.
As this tome lacks the direct input of anyone other than Polanski himself, much of the director's foibles and missteps are congealed in the inevitable patina of celebrity and privilege. But that's not the whole story - by far. Polanski's appalling childhood and the Manson murders of 1969 (Polanski's pregnant wife and unborn child were murdered by disciples of the would-be messiah) undoubtedly contributed to the self-destruction that is too frequently an underlying theme in his life.
The passages in which the author pays noble tribute to Tate provide a touching - and fitting - legacy to the lovely actress whose abundant goodness - her superior heart and her abiding selflessness - are manifest in Polanski's memories. It is, ultimately, this aspect of the book that remain in the reader's memory - long after the last page has been turned. In Polanski's relationship with his late wife - we are allowed to observe the director's vulnerability, tenderness and love - qualities that are all too frequently sublimated in his own overweening arrogance, pride and machismo.
"Roman by Polanski" is a satisfying and compelling read for those of us who, though incensed by some of the director's sophomoric actions, still find a commonality with the chaotic and passionate aspects of his personality. For this reason, the loss of his filmmaking genius in America is very unfortunate indeed.
Average customer rating:
|
Roman Polanski (Pocket Essentials)
Daniel Bird
Manufacturer: Pocket Essentials
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Direction & Production
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
History & Criticism
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Art
| Arts & Photography
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
General
| Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Direction & Production
| Movies
| Entertainment
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
General
| Movies
| Entertainment
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
History & Criticism
| Movies
| Entertainment
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
General
| Reference
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
All 4-for-3 Deals
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Roman Polanski: Interviews (Conversations With Filmmakers Series)
ASIN: 1903047897 |
Average customer rating:
|
Polanski
Barbara leaming
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0671249851 |
Average customer rating:
|
Roman Polanski (Contemporary Film Directors)
James Morrison
Manufacturer: University of Illinois Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Entertainers
| Arts & Literature
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Direction & Production
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
History & Criticism
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Roman Polanski: The Cinema of a Cultural Traveller
-
Roman Polanski
ASIN: 0252074467
Release Date: 2007-07-02 |
Book Description
A new take on an eclectic and controversial director
James Morrison's Roman Polanski offers one of the most comprehensive and critically engaged treatments ever written on Polanski's work. Tracing the filmmaker's remarkably diverse career from its beginnings to the present, the book provides commentary on all the major films in their historical, cultural, social, and artistic contexts. By locating Polanski's work within the genres of comedy and melodrama, Morrison argues that the director is not merely obsessed with the theme of repression, but that his true interest is in the concrete--what is out in the open--and in why it is so rarely seen.
A volume in the series Contemporary Film Directors, edited by James Naremore
Book Description
"I like shadows in movies. I don't like them in life." Roman Polanski Roman Polanski's ability to wring laughter from the most degrading heartbreaks will carry the same wealth of healthy shocks in a hundred years. He creates a macabre beauty to be wooed by and wondered at. But behind the laughter and the beauty is the ghostly truth that Polanski was orphaned by the Nazis and wandered Poland alone from ages 9 to 13. Consider the isolated intensity that bridges Knife in the Water, Cul de Sac, Rosemary's Baby, Chinatown, Death and the Maiden and his Oscar-winning masterpiece The Pianist. In each, the omniscient viewpoint feels "childlike" in the least innocent sense: we listen and watch, ever-wary; the truth of what's been hidden, or is being planned in secret, is always a matter of life and death; one's survival (even within the playful confines of a fantasy) depends on not missing so much as one detail.
This book has been made with full access to Roman Polanski's archives.
Customer Reviews:
a review........2006-12-03
I am a huge Polanski fan. That's the #1 reason I picked up this book.
The reason I give this three stars, maybe four... is because a lot of the information contained within the book (a good 50% + of written content) is simply a synopsis of each film. From his short films & Knife in the Water, all the way up to Oliver Twist. Frankly, I don't need the majority of the book to summarize movies that I already own. Even if you haven't seen some of the films, spoilers are revealed. Ones you probably could do better without.
The other half of the writing, is quite nice. It talks about what Polanski did immediately after the film and the steps he took into starting his next. All the 'in between' stuff. His way of thinking, his struggles, of course his tragedy, and other issues of the like. The book is written chronologically, so the author finds nice segues from film to film. It is also separated rather well, so reading it in sections is not a problem at all.
Overall, this is not a bad buy. It is a relatively inexpensive item with nice photographs and stills from the movie. There are some interesting facts contained within... however, if you are looking for a really informative book you might look elsewhere. This book is painfully easy to read and I personally knew most of the facts written in it already. It probably makes for a nice gift item to the younger crowd who has an interest in a particular director. It also makes for a good collectors item, so if you're a fan... by all means purchase this book. However, I favor the Roman Polanksi Interviews over this book.
In my estimation this is THE book on Roman Polanski.......2006-07-16
F.X. Feeney's ROMAN POLANSKI showcases the most perceptive and insightful career overview of this complex and contradictory director that's ever been published. Based in comprehensive research and exclusive access, Feeney - one of our finest critics - gives us an exhaustive, but never exhausting, look at the remarkable life and career of one of cinema's greatest artists. Maybe the best entry yet in Taschen's lovely directors series, ROMAN POLANSKI by F.X. Feeney is essential reading for both the discerning cineaste and the enthusiastic movie buff, neither too scholarly nor too pop, beautifully balancing a thoroughly thoughtful and scholarly critical view with an unabashed love of Polanski's work. Can't wait to see Feeney's take on Michael Mann!
A comprehensive and unbiased look at Roman Polanski's career and life.......2006-04-15
Leave it up to the rest of the world to be able to look at Roman's career and life objectively and not dwell on one unfortunate and unnecessary thing that he did nearly 30 years ago.
F.X. Feeney and editor Paul Duncan obviously spent a lot of time combing through numerous archives to come up with the many beautiful movie stills that grace these 192 pages. It may not seem like a lot for your money but appearances are indeed deceiving.
While the information and quotes are rehashed from Roman's 1984 autobiography "Roman," and other sources, it was presented in such a way as to make it fresh and interesting.
But the most refreshing facet of this book is that the author and editor refrained from writing about Roman condescendingly or passing judgment on him. They just presented the facts and ran beyond beautiful movie stills alongside the info. If only more biographies could be as objective ...
This covers Roman's life from birth to the making of last year's "Oliver Twist" so this is updated and comprehensive.
Highly recommended. - Donna Di Giacomo
behind the curtain ..........2005-12-18
Roman Polanski, born on August 18th, 1933, - he is a sinner and simultaneously unquestionably a genius. He is alarmingly chaotic and passionate, he acts as a macho and is wounded so extremely and deeply at the same time, that in his films it is often only an atmosphere of fear. He survived Poland occupied by the Nazis in the second World War like by a miracle: While both his mother and his father were taken away in concentration camps, he made himself to hide again and again. Psychologists call this power "resistance", which makes it possible for certain people to lift themselves up from the ash and to beat the dust off the clothes. Polanski lost his Mrs Sharon Tate (and an unborn baby) at the Helter-Skelter massacre of the Manson commune. Then losing his balance he stumbled into the net of a 13-year girl. The treatment by the American justice induced Polanski to leave the USA and to get local in Paris. Now there he (aged 70) lives together with his substantially younger wife Emmanuelle Seigner (leading role in his film "Bitter Moon"). Polanski was optimistic and anxious, arrogant and reckless, ironic and traumatized. The experiences of his early youth helped him for his newest cinema plant, that one about the sad childhood situation in the England of the Charles Dickens. Once Polanski noticed: "For as far back as I can remember, the line between fantasy and reality has been hopelessly blurred." Polanski indeed describes himself indirectly by the film topics which he chooses: Therefore we have to regard a hybrid character mixture of a Robin Hood with a Mac Beth, an outrageous Idi Amin mixed with a mother Theresa-type. The book of F. X. Feeney about Polanski shows us a world behind the curtains of the too briefly advisable keep-smiling interviews, it reveals something of the tricks which may help one, to overcome defeats and tragedies, depriving encirclements and downfalls by climbing tricks: This book is almost more interesting than some of the available films of Polanski ...
Average customer rating:
|
Five Filmmakers: Tarkovsky Forman Polanski Szabo Makavejev
Manufacturer: Indiana Univ Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
History & Criticism
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0253208254 |
Average customer rating:
|
Adrian Le Roy (Sixteenth-Century Chanson)
Jane Bernstein
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Composition
| Theory, Composition & Performance
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
French
| Foreign Language Nonfiction
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Entertainment
| French
| Foreign Language Books
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Nonfiction
| French
| Foreign Language Books
| Specialty Stores
| Books
All French Books
| French
| Foreign Language Books
| Specialty Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0824031148 |
Book Description
Chansons de P. de Ronsard, Ph. Desportes, et autres (Paris, 1580) Premier livre de chansons a deux parties (Paris, 1578) Chansons by Antonio Gardane
Average customer rating:
|
Les instructions pour le luth : (1574) (Corpus des luthistes francais)
Adrian Le Roy
Manufacturer: Editions de Centre national de la recherche scientifique
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
Instruction & Study
| Theory, Composition & Performance
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
French
| Foreign Language Nonfiction
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Entertainment
| French
| Foreign Language Books
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Nonfiction
| French
| Foreign Language Books
| Specialty Stores
| Books
All French Books
| French
| Foreign Language Books
| Specialty Stores
| Books
ASIN: 2222020131 |
Average customer rating:
|
Psaumes (1567). (book reviews): An article from: Notes
Jeanice Brooks
Manufacturer: Music Library Association, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
| Humor
| Movies
| Music
| Performing Arts
| Pop Culture
| Puzzles & Games
| Radio
| Sheet Music & Scores
| Television
Online Books
| Books & Reading
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Science & Technology
| Subjects
| e-Docs
| Formats
| Books
Entertainment
| HTML
| Formats
| e-Docs
| Formats
| Books
ASIN: B000987PDI
Release Date: 2005-07-28 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Notes, published by Music Library Association, Inc. on June 1, 1998. The length of the article is 1935 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Psaumes (1567). (book reviews)
Author: Jeanice Brooks
Publication:
Notes (Refereed)
Date: June 1, 1998
Publisher: Music Library Association, Inc.
Volume: v54
Issue: n4
Page: p984(3)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Average customer rating:
|
Oeuvres d'Adrian Le Roy
Manufacturer: CNRS Editions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 2222021308 |
Average customer rating:
|
Traicte de musique (Musicological studies)
Adrian Le Roy
Manufacturer: Institute Of Mediaeval Music
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
Instruction & Study
| Theory, Composition & Performance
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0931902991 |
Books:
- Round Up the Usual Suspects: The Making of Casablanca : Bogart, Bergman, and World War II
- Samuel Beckett: The Last Modernist
- Scene Design and Stage Lighting (with InfoTrac )
- Shooting Water: A Memoir of Second Chances, Family, and Filmmaking
- Silent Places: Landscapes of Jewish Life and Loss in Eastern Europe
- So You Want to Be a Producer
- Stanley Kubrick, Director: A Visual Analysis
- Star Gazing: Hollywood Cinema and Female Spectatorship
- Star Trek and History: Race-Ing Toward a White Future
- Stewart Granger
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days
- Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life in Wartime SarajevoRevised Edition
- The Biggest Game of All : The Inside Strategies, Tactics, and Temperaments That Make Great Dealmaker
- Restaurant Financial Basics
- The Lean Manufacturing Pocket Handbook
- With Lee in Virginia
- The Power of Point-of-Purchase Advertising: Marketing At Retail
- The Rise of the Creative Class: And How It's Transforming Work, Leisure, Community and Everyday Life
- The Economist's Handbook: A Research and Writing Guide
- Crimes against Nature: Squatters, Poachers, Thieves, and the Hidden History of American Conservation
Stanley Kubrick: Interviews (Conversations With Filmmakers Series)
Roman by Polanski
Sidney Lumet: Interviews (Conversations With Filmmakers Series)
Francis Ford Coppola: Interviews (Conversations With Filmmakers Series)
