Roman Polański and Adrien Brody on the set of "The Pianist" 2001, photo: Syrena / Reporter / East News
Celebrating Polański's 80th Birthday, the Polish Institute in Berlin organises a retrospective of the director's films
"It's hard to believe that Roman Polański is turning 80", the retrospective organisers comment, "his creative output and his life somehow resemble an eternal fountain, his face shows strength and his films are full of energy. Whether it be his Two Men and a Wardrobe filmed at the Łódź Film School, his Berlinale Golden Bear awarded Cul-de-sac, the unforgettable Chinatown or the Oscar awarded Pianist, just as much as Polanski may not want to get old, we don't want his films to get old either".
From his debut Knife in the Water, the scandalous What? from 1972 featuring Marcello Mastroianni, horror and crime movies to literary adaptations of book classics, the wide-ranging retrospective will take place in the Babylon and Brotfabrik cinemas. The repertoire has been thoughtfully put together,
When watched today, Knife in the Water - Polański's debut with music by Krzysztof Komeda and a script written by Jerzy Skolimowski, one can better understand the function and mission of a director: to bundle up the energies that produce the unforgettable atmosphere of the film. Gabor Altorjay and Tom Dokoupil's Tørn! is a beautiful monument of cinematic possesion. The filmmakers brought back to life every scene of Polański's Knife in the Water shot after shot. They present both versions in a parallel screening at the Babylon cinema.
The Berlin retrospective additionally includes the 1965 Repulsion, the 1968 Rosemary's Baby, the 1967 The Fearless Vampire Killers, the 1979 Tess based on Thomas Hardy's novel , the 2010 conspiracy thriller The Ghost Writer, the cult 1976 film The Tenant and the 2011 Carnage. Morevoer, the retrospective includes concert of Krzysztof Komeda's music,
Just as famous as Polański's psychodrama Knife in the Water, is jazzman Krzysztof Komenda's soundtrack which will also be revived at the Babylon: it will be performed live by the Kölner Musiker Tom Dokoupil quartet [...].
For more information see the Babylon, Brotfabrik and Polish Institute in Berlin websites.
Editor: MJ, 14.08.2013, sources: article by BS and Polish Institue website.