Valuable documentary follow-up inadequately served on DVD
Zenovich's superb documentary on Polanski, 'Wanted & Desired' (2008), having supposedly triggered the renewed interest leading to his arrest in Zurich, she now follows up with the story of his house arrest in Switzerland and the media storm it created.
The DVD available in Europe, at least the one I bought, only has Swedish subtitles. Some of the dialogue is in French or else German, and without English subtitles I could only guess. That being the case, the Swedish subs didn't come up on screen when I tried to use them. Talking heads were not identified by name on screen, so plenty of them remained unidentifiable to me, starting with a fatuous idiot (six minutes in) who insists that Polanski should return to the USA because, "What;s the worst that could happen?".
This is an interesting documentary, less so than the admirable, myth-busting Wanted & Desired, but worth seeing even with the dvd deficiencies. However, it overlaps with the wholly accessible alternative of Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir, in which Polanski is interviewed during the house arrest. You may do well to see that one first or in preference, although it focuses more on his lifestory.
The DVD available in Europe, at least the one I bought, only has Swedish subtitles. Some of the dialogue is in French or else German, and without English subtitles I could only guess. That being the case, the Swedish subs didn't come up on screen when I tried to use them. Talking heads were not identified by name on screen, so plenty of them remained unidentifiable to me, starting with a fatuous idiot (six minutes in) who insists that Polanski should return to the USA because, "What;s the worst that could happen?".
This is an interesting documentary, less so than the admirable, myth-busting Wanted & Desired, but worth seeing even with the dvd deficiencies. However, it overlaps with the wholly accessible alternative of Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir, in which Polanski is interviewed during the house arrest. You may do well to see that one first or in preference, although it focuses more on his lifestory.
- HuntinPeck80
- 31 jul 2023