Roman Polański Critical Essay | Critical Essay by Tod Lindberg

Critical Essay by Tod Lindberg

SOURCE: Lindberg, Tod. “The Rise and Fall of Roman Polanski.” Commentary 83, no. 1 (January 1987): 61-5.

In the following essay, Lindberg examines several of the recurring themes in Polanski's oeuvre—including voyeurism, insanity, and sexual repression—and comments that Polanski's films are often reflections of contemporary trends in American culture.

… Europe was my true home—I loved the sheer antiquity and asymmetry that made it so different from modern, four-square America. …

—Roman, by Roman Polanski

In America at least, Roman Polanski has at last fallen on hard times. The writer-director's latest movie, Pirates, released here last summer, was met by a critical reception that was at best inattentive, at worst derisive and hostile. The results were no better at the box office: out in the country, the movie lasted only a couple of weeks in general release, and even in the great city markets of New York and Los Angeles,...
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