Book description
Born in Paris to Polish-Jewish parents, Polanski dealt with the
terrors of his childhood - including internment in Auschwitz - by
creating an elaborate fantasy world in which he lived as a film star.
He would go on to become one of the very best and most infamous
directors in Hollywood's history - with a backlist that includes
Repulsion, Rosemary's Baby, Macbeth,
Chinatown, Tess, Frantic and, more recently, the
Oscar- and Golden Globe-winning The Pianist. Yet, it is within
his own personal life that the most dramatic story unfolds - he's been
at the centre of two of the most lurid crimes ever committed in
Hollywood.
In August 1969 his wife Sharon Tate, eight months pregnant, and
seven of the couple's friends were butchered by the Manson family;
Polanski himself, who was in London at the time, was the intended
target. Eight years later he was arrested by LA police on charges of
drugging and raping a 13-year old model and aspiring actress He fled
the country and has since lived in exile in Paris, where he complains
of continual harassment by the US authorities.
Polanski's latest film was the hit Oliver Twist and,
Variety insists, he promises to follow it with his long-awaited
version of the Tate killings. Both projects, dealing with child
exploitation and murder, can only fuel the controversy that surrounds
him. This biography is the first chance his fans and detractors will
have to read about him in real depth. It will reveal the brilliant
invention, self-destruction, talent, self-destruction, sex, drugs and
wild excesses, with names and stories told for the first time.
Fascinating, flawed, wildy creative, this is the full, uncut story of
one of the greatest directors of our time.
Christopher Sandford has reviewed and written about film and music
for over twenty years. A regular contributor to titles on both sides of
the Atlantic, himself profiled in
Rolling Stone
magazine, he's published acclaimed biographies of Mick Jagger, Eric
Clapton, David Bowie, Keith Richards, Paul McCartney and Steve McQueen.
His bestselling life of Kurt Cobain is currently in development as a
feature film. His biography of Imran Khan will appear in 2009. A dual
national, Christopher Sandford divides his time between Seattle, Surrey
and Lord's cricket ground. He's married, with one son.
