Astra Cielo

Roman Polanski, born in Paris in 1933, is a Polish and French filmmaker and actor with a career marked by numerous prestigious awards, including an Academy Award and a Palme d'Or. His early life was deeply affected by World War II, as his family was forced into the Kraków Ghetto, and he survived the Holocaust by concealing his Jewish heritage and living in hiding. His wife, Sharon Tate, was tragically murdered by the Manson Family in 1969.

Polanski's directorial career began in Poland with the acclaimed "Knife in the Water" before he moved to the UK and then the US, where he directed iconic films like "Rosemary's Baby," "Chinatown," and "The Pianist." His work often explores dark themes and psychological tension. However, his life has also been overshadowed by a 1977 arrest in the US for unlawful sex with a minor, leading to his flight from the country before sentencing, where he remains a fugitive. Allegations of abuse by several women have also been made against him.

Born in Paris in 1933, Roman Polanski's family returned to Kraków, Poland, in 1937. The outbreak of World War II and the Nazi invasion led to the family being confined to the Kraków Ghetto. Following the separation and loss of his parents during the war, Polanski spent his formative years in hiding, surviving the Holocaust by adopting a false identity and outwardly presenting as Roman Catholic, despite his Jewish heritage. He witnessed significant horrors during this period, which some believe have influenced the atmospheric and often fearful tone of his films. After the war, he was reunited with his father and navigated a post-war Poland that he described as primitive by European standards.

Polanski developed a deep fascination with cinema from a young age, even watching German newsreels through barbed wire while in the ghetto. After the war, movies became an 'absolute obsession,' not just for entertainment but for their 'aura' and the 'mechanics of the process.' He was particularly influenced by Carol Reed's "Odd Man Out" (1947), which he felt inspired him to pursue filmmaking. Polanski attended the National Film School in Łódź, beginning his career as an actor in the 1950s before making his directorial debut with the short film "Rower" (1955).

Polanski's first feature, "Knife in the Water" (1962), earned an Academy Award nomination. He subsequently relocated to France, the UK, and then the United States, establishing himself with critically acclaimed films such as "Repulsion," "Cul-de-sac," "Rosemary's Baby," "Chinatown," and "The Pianist," the latter earning him an Academy Award for Best Director. His directorial output, totaling 23 feature films to date, often delves into psychological thrillers and horror. However, his career is also marked by significant legal troubles, including his 1977 arrest in the U.S. for unlawful sex with a minor, which led him to flee the country before sentencing, rendering him a fugitive from American justice. He has also faced further allegations of abuse.

“Even as a child, I always loved cinema and was thrilled when my parents would take me before the war.”

“I still consider it as one of the best movies I've ever seen and a film which made me want to pursue this career more than anything else ... I always dreamt of doing things of this sort or that style. To a certain extent I must say that I somehow perpetuate the ideas of that movie in what I do.”

“Movies were becoming an absolute obsession with me. I was enthralled by everything connected with the cinema—not just the movies themselves but the aura that surrounded them. I loved the luminous rectangle of the screen, the sight of the beam slicing through the darkness from the projection booth, the miraculous synchronization of sound and vision, even the dusty smell of the tip-up seats. More than anything else though, I was fascinated by the actual mechanics of the process.”

“They were really simple Catholic peasants. This Polish village was like the English village in Tess. Very primitive. No electricity. The kids with whom I lived didn't know about electricity ... they wouldn't believe me when I told them it was enough to turn on a switch!”

“you must live in a Communist country to really understand how bad it can be. Then you will appreciate capitalism.”