Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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70 of 76 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The ultimate DVD-Polanksi set, 10 Nov 2003
This boxset shows how capable DVD is of offering a great film package to the cineaste- this set focuses on the early work of Roman Polanski, prior to his descent into mediocrity with films like Pirates, Frantic & The Ninth Gate (with the odd good film like Tess, Bitter Moon & Death and the Maiden) Included in this set are not only great documentaries on those early films (featurettes/trailers etc) but a series of surreal short films (Two Men & a Wardrobe, When Angels Fall, A Murderer etc) that rank next to the best of European cinema (Antonioni, Bunuel, Herzog,Vigo) & are worth the price of entry alone. Here we can see how vital the short film is, & how Polanksi began to deal with certain themes that would recur, notably in the periof from his debut Knife in the Water to The Tenant (1976). Knife in the Water (Noz w Wodzie, 1962) was Polanski's Oscar-nominated debut- detailing a young couple intersecting with a lone hitchhiker on a yacht. Predating Dead Calm (1989) by a few decades &, like Hitchcock, there is a sense of sex & violence lurking beneath the surface. A bold debut & the kind of thriller that is sadly not seen these days **** Repulsion (1965) saw Polanski come to the UK, personally I think this is his strongest film, just pipping Chinatown (1974) in the masterpiece stakes. Here Catherine Deneuve plays a lone Belgian manicurist in swinging London, slowly going insane & drifting into psychopathic behaviour- somewhere between Blow Up (1966) & JG Ballard's book The Atrocity Exhibition (1968) in tone. Elements are shared with Hitchcock (notably Psycho) and later films such as Night of the Living Dead, Shivers (which has a not unsimilar hands through walls scene), Hellraiser (taking back men to kill)& parts of David Lynch- notably Mulholland Drive. The dialogue & plot are minimal, the film relies on atmosphere and imagery- disturbing, potent, surreal...Repulsion is, to quote JG Ballard, "Kafka reshot in the style of Psycho". Polanski's masterpiece, a cerebral horror film that might be locked into a period but remains timeless ***** The final film in this set is Cul-De-Sac(1966), the last film he made in Europe prior to moving to Hollywood to make films like The Fearless Vampire Killers & Rosemary's Baby. Polanski has often cited this as his favourite film- there is more than a hint of Harold Pinter (The Dumb Waiter, The Birthday Party) here- a black comedy with gangsters and cross-dressing in! The performances are great, notably from Donald Pleasance & Catherine Deneuve's sister, the late Francoise Dorleac. The film feels European and strange in tone- which is only something that recurs in Polanski's later work to a small degree (eg. the Kitty-nosecutting scene in Chinatown; Adjani in The Tenant) It's odd & absurd and endearing & is, in truth, almost brilliant **** This DVD boxset is a great primer in Roman Polanski, each of the films are well worth watching, though perhaps it's the short-films that are the most interesting (these three films have been on VHS before, Cul&Repulsion both budget priced VHS-videos). A wonderful set & evidence of how great DVD's can be when put together with something more than just a few offcuts and lame interviews/commentaries, prior to a two-disc "definitive" set within the year, with more chuff etc.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Polanski Rehabilitated, 10 April 2007
Because Polanski made it as a popular Hollywood director it might be feared that his films would get the shoddy corporate reissue treatment, but this is a fantastic box-set worthy of any conscientious art-house dvd release. It's a beautifully put together package with booklet & lots of extras, documentaries & interviews etc plus a whole disc of early short films from the Poland days, some of which I hadn't seen & all of which are interesting. I'm sure everyone reading this has seen the 3 main movies in this box, they all stand up as classics, both Knife & Cul de Sac would figure in my all time favourites list and it is good to see them in new pristine prints that really capture that beautiful black & white cinematography.
Definitely worth picking up this box, especially at a nice cheap discount price.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Roman Polanski Collection, 1 Sep 2009
The superlative director, Roman Polanski, has a collection here to be treasured. I last saw his superb film, Repulsion, some twenty years ago and watching it again here reminded me of the immense pleasure I reaped from his direction and, the excellent, possibly, her best, performance from Catherine Deneuve, as the fragile 'Carol'. Gil Taylor's masterful cinematography had me pausing and playing throughout my viewing, with his and Polanski's attention to detail, second to none. The use of lenses, shadows and framing had me salivating! I have re-viewed this film twice since.
Voted as one of my most respected films ever, Repulsion, has it all in hard black & white. With Director and Catherine Deneuve commentaries in addition to other extras, this is one heck of a movie experience.
In contrast, I had not seen Knife in the Water or Cul-de Sac before and both proved mesmeric to watch. Excellent performances from all actors with the usual attention to detail from Polanski and his team.
For 'the first time ever', Roman Polanski's 8 shorts on dvd was a real bonus. Polanski's attention to detail, yet again, developing through his early works, is wonderful to watch and make note of. His sensitivity to social injustices flourishing in these short works. A marvellous insight into the young directors psyche.
This collection goes to the top of the pile!
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