Bitter Moon (1992)

 

Repulsion (1965)

 

On the set: Catherine Deneuve

Tess (1979)

 

A strong-willed young peasant girl attracts the affection of two men.

From memory: Delicately soft-toned adaptation of Thomas Hardy's novel is especially a visual joy with its beautiful landscape photography, set and costume design and does successfully convey the tragedy of the romance; clearly intended as showcase for the young Nastassja Kinski.

Halliwell*: "Solid, unexiting version of the classic Wessex novel; a hard sell for 1980 audience."

Maltin***1/2: "Handsome, evocative adaptation...Long but engrossing." 

Tess (1979)

Bitter Moon (1992)

Rosemary's Baby (1968)

Rosemary's Baby (1968)

Repulsion (1965)

Rosemary's Baby (1968)

On the set: Roman Polanski and Mia Farrow

D'après une histoire vraie (2017)

A writer goes through a tough period after the release of her latest book, as she gets involved with an obsessive admirer.

Well-staged intense psychological drama with a (predictable) twist can't avoid the impression one has already been here before, but the Seigner's and Green's performances are well worth the watch.

Oliver Twist (2005)

An orphan meets a pickpocket on the streets of London and joins a household of boys who are trained to steal for their master.

Old-fashioned, but vivid, and at times dark adaptation of the classics Dickens novel; period detail is excellent.

Maltin***: "Stark, literal adaptation...Polanski offers a sobering portrait of the muck and grime that engulf the poor in any era. Well done, but still no match for David Lean's 1948 masterpiece."

Roman Polanski

Dance of the Vampires (1967)

A noted professor and his dim-witted apprentice fall prey to inquiring vampires, while on the trail of the ominous damsel in distress.

Bitter Moon (1992)

On a cruise heading for India, a young couple meet another, highly unconventional couple, an American unpublished writer in a wheelchair and his much younger Parisian wife, who insist on telling their unsettling life story.

Overlong and quite dated tale of a sadomasochistic amour fou that tries to go all the way, but risks some silly scenes as well.

Halliwell (no star): "Incoherent melodrama of the corruption of innocence; but we've aal been here too many times before for this treatment to carry any appeal."

Maltin**1/2: "Deliciously trashy tale...Often overwrought, with laughable dialogue and not-to-be-believed sex scenes. Aguilty pleasure to be sure."

Rosemary's Baby (1968)

On the set: Mia Farrow and Roman Polanski

Rosemary's Baby (1968)

On the set: Mia Farrow
(ph: Robert Willoughby)

Cul-de-sac (1966)

On the set: Roman Polanski and Francoise Dorleac

Roman Polanski