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Repulsion: Life and Times of Roman Polanski
1st edition NEL 1982 paperback, vg+ In stock shipped from our UK warehouse
262 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1980
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 24, 2007
My friend Alison sent this to me across the Atlantic, her receipt from the "Book Barn" intact on p. 92, so I knew there was an urgency behind the suggestion. At the first sentence I gave a good eyeroll and let out a "Oh lord...," preparing for a pulp-style biography dish-session written in annoyingly hyperbolic language. But I gave in by the end of the first chapter. Polish director Roman Polanski's life is just too damned tragic, compelling, shocking and icky to ignore.
I've only read a few biographies, and most of them have been about artists. There is something about learning about the formative years of an artist's life, then comparing it to the person he becomes as an adult and the work he produces that constantly fascinates me. No where has this interest been more provoked than in this book. Dodging Nazi officers and the irrational hatred of his father, Roman bounced from shelter to family to school in a cultually restricted communist Poland. Kiernan gives great context to these environments, the national and international events that influenced Roman's obsession with film, created his intense and egotistical character, and his inability to investment emotionally in women while constantly seeking temporary sensual pleasure. Kiernan alternates between presenting a full chronology of Polanski's life and taking us through the pain-staking events surrounding his (self-admitted) sexual intercourse with a 13 year old girl in L.A., an event that ultimately led to his banishment from the U.S. Roman Polanski is not going to be a guy you wish was your boyfriend, or even your director on a film set. But he is an amazing example of the masks and barriers one sets up for protection (and instincts one creates) in a world that never gives one a break from endless challenges and trials.
This reads quickly and at times sickeningly. If you have any interest in film, this will also give great background on the formation of a writer/director's drives, interests, compusions, and career trajectory.... until 1980, that is. No mention of "The Pianist," sorry Brody fans.
I've only read a few biographies, and most of them have been about artists. There is something about learning about the formative years of an artist's life, then comparing it to the person he becomes as an adult and the work he produces that constantly fascinates me. No where has this interest been more provoked than in this book. Dodging Nazi officers and the irrational hatred of his father, Roman bounced from shelter to family to school in a cultually restricted communist Poland. Kiernan gives great context to these environments, the national and international events that influenced Roman's obsession with film, created his intense and egotistical character, and his inability to investment emotionally in women while constantly seeking temporary sensual pleasure. Kiernan alternates between presenting a full chronology of Polanski's life and taking us through the pain-staking events surrounding his (self-admitted) sexual intercourse with a 13 year old girl in L.A., an event that ultimately led to his banishment from the U.S. Roman Polanski is not going to be a guy you wish was your boyfriend, or even your director on a film set. But he is an amazing example of the masks and barriers one sets up for protection (and instincts one creates) in a world that never gives one a break from endless challenges and trials.
This reads quickly and at times sickeningly. If you have any interest in film, this will also give great background on the formation of a writer/director's drives, interests, compusions, and career trajectory.... until 1980, that is. No mention of "The Pianist," sorry Brody fans.
August 5, 2016
I read it. I wanted to know more about Roman Polanski after I saw the Pianist.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews