
Roman Polanski
Roman Polański (born 18 August 1933) is a Polish-French film director, producer, writer and actor. Born in Paris to Polish parents, Polański relocated with his family to Poland in 1937. After surviving the Holocaust, he continued his education in Poland and became a critically acclaimed director of both art house and commercial films. Polański's first feature-length film, Knife in the Water (1962), made in Poland, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. He has since received five more Oscar nominations, and in 2002 received the Academy Award for Best Director for his film, The Pianist. He has also been the recipient of two Baftas, four Césars, a Golden Globe and the Palme d'Or. He left Poland in 1961 to live in France for several years, then moved to the United Kingdom where he collaborated with Gérard Brach on three films, beginning with Repulsion (1965). In 1968 he moved to the United States, immediately cementing his burgeoning directing status with the 1968 groundbreaking Academy Award winning horror film Rosemary's Baby.
In 1969, Polański's pregnant wife, Sharon Tate, was murdered while staying at the Polański's Benedict Canyon home above Los Angeles by members of the Manson Family. Following Tate's death, Polański returned to Europe and spent much of his time in Paris and Gstaad, but did not make another film until he filmed Macbeth (1971) in England. The following year he went to Italy to make What? (1973) and subsequently spent the next five years living near Rome. However, he traveled to Hollywood to direct Chinatown (1974) for Paramount Pictures, with Robert Evans serving as producer. The film was nominated for eleven Academy Awards, and was a critical and box-office success; the script by Robert Towne won for Best Original Screenplay. Polański's next film, The Tenant (1976), was shot in France, and completed the "Apartment Trilogy", following Repulsion and Rosemary's Baby.
In 1977, after a photo shoot in Los Angeles, Polański was arrested for the sexual abuse of a 13 year old girl. He was charged with rape but pleaded guilty to unlawful sex with a minor. To avoid sentencing, Polański fled to his home in London, and then moved on to France the following day. He has had a U.S. arrest warrant outstanding since then, and an international arrest warrant since 2005.
Polański continued to make films such as The Pianist (2002), a World War II-set adaptation of Jewish-Polish musician Władysław Szpilman's autobiography of the same name, which echoed some of Polański's earlier life experiences. Like Szpilman, Polański escaped the ghetto and the concentration camps while family members were killed. The film won three Academy Awards including Best Director, the Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or, and seven French César Awards including Best Picture and Best Director. He then released the successful films Oliver Twist (2005), To Each His Own Cinema (2007), and The Ghost Writer (2010), completed while under house arrest.
In September 2009, Polański was arrested by Swiss police, at the request of U.S. authorities, when he traveled to receive a lifetime achievement award at the Zurich Film Festival. In October 2009, the U.S. requested his extradition; however, on July 12, 2010, the Swiss rejected that request and instead declared him a "free man" after releasing him from custody.
Known For | Directing |
---|---|
Most Rating | 18.419 |
Birthday | 1933-08-18 |
Place of Birth | Paris, France |
Also Known As | Roman Polański, 로만 폴란스키, Роман Поляньскі, Ρόμαν Πολάνσκι, Raymond Roman Thierry Liebling, Роман Полянский, Роман Поланский, |

1976

The Tenant
7.661/992
A quiet and inconspicuous man rents an apartment in France where he finds himself drawn into a rabbit hole of dangerous paranoia.
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The Tenant

1959

The Lamp
5.919/37
In waning winter light, a doll maker works in his shop, a kerosene lamp beside him, a jumble of dolls and doll parts, whole and broken, surrounding hi...
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The Lamp

2012

Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir
6.406/32
An interview with film director Roman Polanski conducted during his period of house arrest, discussing his life and work.
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Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir

1968

Mia and Roman
4/1
Mia and Roman is a 1968 23-minute documentary film which was shot during the making of Rosemary's Baby.
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Mia and Roman

2012

Roman Polanski: Odd Man Out
6/5
A follow-up to the 2008 documentary "Roman Polanski: Wanted And Desired", focusing on the filmmaker's successful battle to avoid extradition in to the...
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Roman Polanski: Odd Man Out

2014

Toil And Trouble: Making 'Macbeth'
5/1
A new documentary on the Criterion Collection edition of Roman Polanski's 1971 adaptation of Macbeth featuring interviews with the director, producer...
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Toil And Trouble: Making 'Macbeth'


The Stalking Moon
0/0
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The Stalking Moon

2006

Polanski par Polanski
0/0
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Polanski par Polanski

2002

The Revenge
5.4/27
A winter day at a Polish castle, half owned by a fatalistic notary and half by a volcanic old soldier's niece. The old soldier, Cupbearer, and the not...
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The Revenge

1979

Ciné regards: Tess: Roman Polanski
0/0
Television documentary about the making of Roman Polanski's 1979 film, Tess.
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Ciné regards: Tess: Roman Polanski

2021

Polanski, Horowitz. The Wizards From the Ghetto
0/0
Filmmaker Roman Polanski and photographer Ryszard Horowitz meet in Kraków, Poland, where, strolling the streets, they share memories of their childhoo...
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Polanski, Horowitz. The Wizards From the Ghetto

2003

A British Horror Film
5.2/4
A documentary on the making of Roman Polanski's 1965 film "Repulsion," featuring interviews with Polanski, producer Gene Gutowski, and cinematographer...
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A British Horror Film

1967

The Nomad
0/0
An interview with film director Roman Polanski, recorded for BBC TV in 1967.
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The Nomad

1964

Grand écran: Roman Polanski Directs in London
0/0
A television documentary filmed on the set of Roman Polanski's 1964 film "Repulsion" with rare footage of Polanski and actress Catherine Deneuve at wo...
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Grand écran: Roman Polanski Directs in London

1980

The South Bank Show: Roman Polanski
0/0
A documentary first presented on the South Bank Show in 1980 about the career of film director Roman Polanski.
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The South Bank Show: Roman Polanski

2010

Cracow by Polanski
0/0
Roman Polanski lived in Cracow/Krakow during 1936-1955 - almost 20 years of his life. These years formed him to become one of the most popular film di...
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Cracow by Polanski

2006

Twist by Polanski
3/1
Roman Polanski looks back at the making of "Oliver Twist."
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Twist by Polanski

2006

The Best of Twist: Sets, Costumes & Photography
3/1
Short behind-the-scenes documentary on Roman Polanski's "Oliver Twist."
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The Best of Twist: Sets, Costumes & Photography

1984

Clive James Meets Roman Polanski
0/0
Roman Polanski speaks frankly about his childhood in the Warsaw ghetto, his mothers death, his beginnings in filmmaking, his tragic marriage to Sharon...
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Clive James Meets Roman Polanski

1994

A Pure Formality
7.527/312
Onoff is a famous writer, now a recluse. The Inspector is suspicious when Onoff is brought into the station one night, disoriented and suffering a kin...
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A Pure Formality

1959

When Angels Fall
6.406/32
The twenty-one-minute-film is set in a men's public rest room and recounts the day to day existence of an elderly woman who serves as an attendant in...
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When Angels Fall

1961

The Fat and the Lean
6.206/34
A small and thin barefoot slave (played by Polanski) plays a flute and beats a drum to entertain his large master who rocks in a rocking chair in fron...
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The Fat and the Lean

2000

Rosemary's Baby: A Retrospective
5/3
Straight-forward production stories from the Hollywood players who made the movie happen.
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Rosemary's Baby: A Retrospective

1967

Dance of the Vampires
7/662
A noted professor and his dim-witted apprentice fall prey to their inquiring vampires, while on the trail of the ominous damsel in distress.
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Dance of the Vampires

2003

Two Gangsters and an Island
6/1
A short documentary about the making of the 1966 film 'Cul-de-sac'.
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Two Gangsters and an Island

2008

Bicycle
1/1
An unfinished student short by Roman Polanski. Due to a mix-up in the laboratory, only part of the film was processed and returned to Polanski; the st...
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Bicycle

1955

Godzina bez słońca
1/1
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Godzina bez słońca

1978

The Evolution of Snuff
3.3/3
Mockumentary about a pornographic film starlet who commits suicide during the filming of a documentary about the adult film business, leading to the d...
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The Evolution of Snuff

2000

The Ten Commandments of Creativity
0/0
Having struggled to crack his brief, Dennis Hopper decides the only honourable act is to throw himself off a roof. Before this final act, Sir Peter Us...
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The Ten Commandments of Creativity

1972

Weekend of a Champion
7.05/10
An entertaining vérité look at world champion driver Sir Jackie Stewart as Roman Polanski follows his attempt to win the Monaco Grand Prix in 1971.
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Weekend of a Champion

1992

Back in the USSR
4/2
During Gorbachev's perestroika, a Chicago student, visits Moscow while the Soviet Union is changing from Communist to Wild West capitalist society. Pu...
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Back in the USSR

1989

En attendant Godot
1/1
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En attendant Godot

2012

Remembering 'Rosemary's Baby'
6/2
Retrospective documentary on the making of 'Rosemary's Baby' (1968).
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Remembering 'Rosemary's Baby'

2013

Weekend of a Champion
7.6/5
Filmmaker Roman Polanski spends a weekend with world champion driver Jackie Stewart as he attempts to win the 1971 Monaco Grand Prix, offering an extr...
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Weekend of a Champion

1962

Knife in the Water
7.3/386
On their way to an afternoon on the lake, husband and wife Andrzej and Krystyna nearly run over a young hitchhiker. Inviting the young man onto the bo...
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Knife in the Water

1972

Polanski Meets Macbeth
0/0
A 1971 documentary by Frank Simon featuring rare footage of the film’s cast and crew at work.
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Polanski Meets Macbeth

2009

Memories of a Young Pianist
5/1
Interview with the italian composer Claudio Gizzi about his lifetime and work as part or the extras of the Blu-Ray edition from What? (Che?) (1972) fr...
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Memories of a Young Pianist

1958

Con bravura
0/0
Originally, Munk intended Eroica to be a triptych with Con bravura being the first part, but he ultimately gave up on this film, deeming it weaker art...
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Con bravura

2011

Komeda: A Soundtrack for a Life
6/1
Krzysztof Komeda was a jazz pianist and film composer. With compositions like the lullaby for Rosemary's Baby (1968) by Roman Polanski, Komeda succeed...
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Komeda: A Soundtrack for a Life

2002

Polanski y los ojos del mal
6/1
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Polanski y los ojos del mal

1957

Koniec nocy
4/4
A group of young Łódź hoodlums spends their time shoplifting, partying and drinking heavily, until they are faced with serious consequences of their r...
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Koniec nocy

1997

Dracula: The True Story
7/1
The Irish novelist, Bram Stoker, gave the world Dracula in 1897. This documentary explores the historical figure behind the fictional figure of horror...
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Dracula: The True Story

2000

Last Pictures
0/0
Andrzej Munk was one of the leading directors in Polish cinema. Friends and collaborators share their memories about this stunning artist and his prem...
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Last Pictures

2007

Rush Hour 3
6.4/2903
After a botched assassination attempt, the mismatched duo finds themselves in Paris, struggling to retrieve a precious list of names, as the murderous...
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Rush Hour 3

1955

A Generation
6.787/47
Stach is a wayward teen living in squalor on the outskirts of Nazi-occupied Warsaw. Guided by an avuncular Communist organizer, he is introduced to th...
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A Generation

1958

Two Men and a Wardrobe
6.4/48
A short Polish black and white silent movie directed by Roman Polański. The film features two men who emerge from the sea carrying a large wardrobe, w...
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Two Men and a Wardrobe

1995

Sex, Lies and Jerzy Kosinski
2/1
The making of Jerzy Kosinski. The BBC documentary on the life and art of enigmatic novelist Jerzy Kosinski. Through interviews with his second wife Ki...
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Sex, Lies and Jerzy Kosinski

1996

Elle s'appelait Françoise
0/0
Françoise Dorléac et Catherine Deneuve were nearly twins. Only 18 months separated these sisters who liked to say “Both of us could make the ideal wom...
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Elle s'appelait Françoise

1999

The Last Days of Sharon Tate
0/0
The documentary profiled the final and last days of Sharon Tate Polanski, a beloved actress and model, who was killed in 1969 by a cult in Los Angeles...
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The Last Days of Sharon Tate

1974

Chinatown
7.917/3438
Private eye Jake Gittes lives off of the murky moral climate of sunbaked, pre-World War II Southern California. Hired by a beautiful socialite to inve...
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Chinatown

1960

Innocent Sorcerers
6.9/25
A young doctor is tired of being sought by women. One night he meets a young girl who all but forces herself into his room where they talk of morals a...
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Innocent Sorcerers

1960

Good Bye, Till Tomorrow
6.7/24
Jacek is a handsome, charming young Pole who belongs to a drama company. One day, in the streets of Gdansk, he meets Marguerite, a beautiful, charming...
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Good Bye, Till Tomorrow

2007

Once Upon a Time... 'Tess'
0/0
Television documentary about the making of Roman Polanski's 1979 film "Tess."
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Once Upon a Time... 'Tess'

1982

Chassé-croisé
2/4
Passionate about music, Julien nevertheless works with a sculptor. One day, he meets young Hermine at a religious bookseller.
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Chassé-croisé

2004

Tess: From Novel to Screen
0/0
Documentary about Roman Polanski's film adaptation of the 1891 novel "Tess of the d'Urbervilles" by Thomas Hardy.
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Tess: From Novel to Screen

2013

Seduced and Abandoned
6.1/39
SEDUCED AND ABANDONED combines acting legend Alec Baldwin with director James Toback as they lead us on a troublesome and often hilarious journey of r...
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Seduced and Abandoned

1968

The New Cinema
0/0
Between the French La Nouvelle Vague and the Italian Neorealismo, Europe had been undergoing a continuous cinema transformation since the 1950s, while...
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The New Cinema

1967

Valley of the Dolls: A World Premiere Voyage
5/1
The maiden cruise of the ocean liner Italia travels from Italy to California for the premiere of the motion picture "Valley of the Dolls."
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Valley of the Dolls: A World Premiere Voyage

2014

Henri Langlois vu par...
0/0
Thirteen filmmakers talk about Henri Langlois and their relationship with him.
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Henri Langlois vu par...

2000

Tribute to Alfred Lepetit
1/1
Who is Alfred Lepetit? Unknown by the general public but glorified by all the movie industry, Alfred is about to receive a lifetime achievement award...
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Tribute to Alfred Lepetit

1974

Blood for Dracula
5.599/126
Deathly ill Count Dracula and his slimy underling, Anton, travel to Italy in search of a virgin's blood. They're welcomed at the crumbling estate of i...
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Blood for Dracula

2000

Light Keeps Me Company
8/6
Carl-Gustaf Nykvist's documentary about his father, Sven Nykvist. The film is based on Sven's memoirs with Sven himself as narrator. A journey to the...
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Light Keeps Me Company

2004

Tess: The Experience
10/1
A documentary that interviews the cast and crew of Roman Polanski's 1979 film "Tess."
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Tess: The Experience

1969

The Magic Christian
5.5/33
Sir Guy Grand, the richest man in the world, adopts a homeless man, Youngman. Together, they set out to prove that anyone--and anything--can be bought...
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The Magic Christian

1955

Magical Bicycle
1/1
The last stage of the Cycling Race Dookoła Polski: Kielce - Warsaw. The fate of the race is at stake: the Polish team still has a chance to win, it is...
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Magical Bicycle

2020

In The Tracks Of - Alexandre Desplat
2/1
Alexandre Desplat is one of the most famous film music composer of today. Innovative artist with a singular expression, he is the successor of french...
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In The Tracks Of - Alexandre Desplat

2004

Filming 'Tess'
0/0
Documentary about the making of Roman Polanski's 1979 film "Tess."
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Filming 'Tess'

2009

On the Trail of the New Wave
0/0
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On the Trail of the New Wave

1967

Tonite Let's All Make Love in London
2.8/2
Peter Whitehead’s disjointed Swinging London documentary, subtitled “A Pop Concerto,” comprises a number of different “movements,” each depicting a di...
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Tonite Let's All Make Love in London

1970

Ciao, Federico!
6.6/7
A behind-the-scenes documentary about the filming of the Federico Fellini film, "Satyricon."
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Ciao, Federico!

1995

Empire of the Censors
3.5/2
The history of film and video censorship in Great Britain.
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Empire of the Censors

1972

What?
5.6/112
A young American woman traveling through Italy finds herself in a strange Mediterranean villa where nothing seems quite right.
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What?

2019

Polanski, le travail à l'oeuvre
6/1
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Polanski, le travail à l'oeuvre

2023

The Family
8/1
Two intertwined families who have made half a century of cinema. La Grande Bouffe, We won’t grow old together, Tchao Pantin, Apocalypse Now, Bienvenue...
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The Family

1965

Repulsion
7.441/884
Beautiful young manicurist Carole suffers from androphobia (the pathological fear of interaction with men). When her sister and roommate, Helen, leave...
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Repulsion

1998

Playboy: The Story of X
7/6
The Story Of X takes you to the earliest days of adult films when men peddled stag reels and projectors out of the trunks of their cars, then through...
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Playboy: The Story of X

1961

Ostrożnie yeti
3/3
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Ostrożnie yeti

1994

Dead Tired
6.059/76
Stressed and overworked, famous French movie star Michel Blanc is beginning to wear down, physically and mentally, from the pressure and demands of fa...
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Dead Tired

2002

The Kid Stays in the Picture
6.636/81
Documentary about legendary Paramount producer Robert Evans, based on his famous 1994 autobiography.
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The Kid Stays in the Picture

2012

A Special Day
6/2
At the 60th anniversary of Cannes Film Festival, 34 famous directors are followed by camera.
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A Special Day

1969

Will the Real Mr. Sellers...
1/1
A BBC documentary portrait of Peter Sellers, filmed over a period of nine months in 1969 where director Tony Palmer interviews Sellers and friends and...
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Will the Real Mr. Sellers...

2015

Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans
7.135/48
Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans interweaves stunning newly discovered footage and voice recordings with original interviews. It is the true story of...
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Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans

2010

Catherine Deneuve, belle et bien là
7.3/3
Catherine Deneuve couldn’t care less about being a celebrity, but fame made her an icon long ago and she occupies a special place in our imagination....
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Catherine Deneuve, belle et bien là

2014

Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's “Island of Dr. Moreau”
6.816/98
The story of the insane scandals related to the remake of “Island of Dr. Moreau” —originally a novel by H. G. Wells—, which was brought to the big scr...
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Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's “Island of Dr. Moreau”

2019

Manson: Music From an Unsound Mind
6.6/14
The untold story of Charles Manson's obsession to become a rock star, his rise in the LA music scene, the celebrities who championed his music, his tr...
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Manson: Music From an Unsound Mind

1957

Wraki
3.9/4
Diver Antoni Barnat is falsely accused of causing an accident underwater that almost led to his fellow diver's death. Interestingly enough, they are b...
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Wraki

1953

Three Stories
1/1
The short stories showing the troubles of youth serving in the "Służba Polsce" organisation.
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Three Stories

1961

Samson
4.4/8
The hero is a Jewish youth. He, like his family, has always been silent and undemonstrative in the face of prejudice. Now he stands up for his right t...
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Samson

1955

Trzy starty
0/0
Three separate short stories about young athletes who lose their chances of success. Young swimmer - because of unhappy love. Boxer because of a fight...
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Trzy starty

1957

Kanal
7.698/111
During the last few days of the Warsaw Uprising following World War II, a modest group of Resistance members remains. The band must take refuge in the...
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Kanal

1959

Lotna
4.9/8
Set in the beginning of Wold War II, when the Polish cavalry still fought with lances against German troops. LOTNA is about a white thoroughbred horse...
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Lotna

2008

Quiet Chaos
6.44/176
Pietro is a successful businessman with a wife and a daughter. One day he helps his brother save two women from drowning at the beach. When he returns...
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Quiet Chaos

2012

Close Up
0/0
More than 150 silent short films about singers, actors and directors captured during Press Conferences in Cannes, Venice and Berlin, between 1993 and...
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Close Up

2008

Il falso bugiardo
0/0
Based upon Vincenzoni's biography, "Pane e cinema", the documentary traces the story of the screen play writer who invented many stories that became b...
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Il falso bugiardo

1988

Frantic
6.693/906
The wife of an American doctor suddenly vanishes in Paris and, to find her, he navigates a puzzling web of language, locale, laissez-faire cops, tripl...
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Frantic

1958

What Will My Wife Say to This?
1/1
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What Will My Wife Say to This?

2008

Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
6.4/61
Examines the public scandal and private tragedy which led to legendary director Roman Polanski's sudden flight from the United States.
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Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired

1960

Bad Luck
6.6/23
To convince the prison warden against releasing him, a middle-aged Polish man recounts his life, one he considers to have been characterized by except...
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Bad Luck

1956

Nikodem Dyzma
4.7/5
Nikodem Dyzma is a poor dancer who comes to Warsaw to find a job. The problem is that nobody wants to hire him. One day he finds an invitation to the...
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Nikodem Dyzma

2019

An Officer and a Spy
7.084/1393
In 1894, French Captain Alfred Dreyfus is wrongfully convicted of treason and sentenced to life imprisonment at the Devil's Island penal colony.
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