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Sunday, September 11, 2005

Polanski

Last night I watched Roman Polanski's "Macbeth" (1971). I had checked it out from Netflix months ago and never watched it, sent it back, then checked it out again weeks ago, and only last night sat down to see it.

Zounds, what a fool's part was this, my ill-conceived delay! For the film is a work most artful and in all ways excellent! O, I do lament my late reluctance!

It is surely one of the best Shake-speare to film adaptations, and one of the best visions of the Middle Ages put on screen. And it features fight scenes brilliantly choreographed by The Master, William Hobbs. How ridiculous - embarrassing really - that I haven't seen the film until now, since I do love the Middle Ages, Shake-speare, and William Hobbs choreography all - not to mention that my most recent screenplay was set in the Middle Ages and I, supposedly, was researching it thoroughly.

Talking with a friend today about Roman Polanski and his films, I reflected on how relatively few of them I have seen - only the highlights really:

Repulsion (1965) - my favorite Polanski so far
Rosemary's Baby (1968)
Macbeth (1971)
Chinatown (1974)
The Pianist (2002)

What a fine director Roman Polanski is! How his sensibilities do coincide with my own! By the gods, I hereby commit publically to watching ALL THE POLANSKI FILMS AVAILABLE!

Now to my word...I have sworn't....

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4 Comments:

AKA: The Tragedy of Macbeth" (1971) UK *wink* Anywho... I can't believe you've never seen it till NOW! I saw it when I was 17 or 18 (don't remember which). It's the BEST Macbeth out there! I didn't actually know that Playboy once made real movies... it's definitely awesome.

Now... please tell me that you HAVE seen Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet (1996), yes? I adore that film.

- By Anonymous Anonymous, at Sun Sep 11, 04:53:00 AM GMT+1  

Oh, yes, I've seen Ken's "Hamlet". I think I dragged one Mr. John Cox to see it on opening weekend. Laurence Olivier's 1948 version beats it out as my favorite film adaptation of the play, but Ken's is a very, very close second.

- By Blogger Neal Romanek, at Mon Sep 12, 07:31:00 PM GMT+1  

The upcoming “Oliver Twist” kicks off a two-day Roman Polanski love fest, Egyptian Theater. $9, 6 p.m. http://www.americancinematheque.com/archive1999/2005/RomanPolanskiET.htm#OLIVER%20TWIST

- By Anonymous Anonymous, at Tue Sep 13, 11:00:00 PM GMT+1  

From now on, it's All Polanski, All The Time""! (until I run out of Polanski)

- By Blogger Neal Romanek, at Wed Sep 14, 05:51:00 PM GMT+1  

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