New Translated Article on Roman and Sharon: Polanski thought Sharon had a great life and career ahead of her and More

Here is a vintage article that I have just had translated.  It comes from an Italian magazine and it is an interview with Roman about his work and Sharon:


Novella 2000 August 21, 1969

Her husband remembers her well.


In an interview to our newspaper a few days before the crime in Los Angeles, the film director Roman Polanski said: "Sharon is an amazing actress. But now, I do not care about her career as an actress, but that of her role as a mother."


Roman Polanski was in Taormina on the 2nd of August. With the help of a interpreter we managed to get a brief interview. He had just won a prestigious award for Rosemary's Baby.  He starts the interview abruptly.


"Certainly you want to know if I like the awards. Yes, I like the prizes, because it always means something. What amuses me though is what people will do to get awards, but I do not do anything. However I say that I like the prizes and I have no desire to say that I do not like them just to please those who want to dispute them."


"Are you not tired of," we asked, "introducing the horror element in your films and the mysterious? There is mystery in Cul De Sac, Knife in the Water, in Rosemary's Baby, as if this were the only subject that you prefer to deal with."


Polanski replied, laughing: "My films are of horror?! But not at all! My movies are done for fun. These people who judge my films this way do not understand me.  I make a movie because I enjoy it: I bask in happy events and do not dwell on horror. Yes, I think the public generally misunderstands me."

"Mia Farrow said that Roman Polanski is her favorite director. She claims that he is the only major director who now exists. This is a big statement for a very young actress, who joined the film after much controversy, and some have said to question her credibility. What do you think?"


"I thank Mia Farrow and I agree with you that I have a great record so far with films. But do not forget Fellini and Bergman. As for Mia, I am of the opinion that she is a wonderful actress, the best that exists at this time.  But," he added, "Rosemary's Baby is just one film and I hope to make many."


"But your wife, Sharon Tate, has been found to be an excellent actress. There is a promise of a great career. Yes?"


"Sharon? Probably. What I would like her to concentrate on at this moment is not on her career as an actress, but that of her role as a mother. She is expecting a child very soon. She has went to America because we want our child to be born there.  After that, then we'll see."


"Sharon Tate is not jealous of your work with Mia Farrow?  Does this effect your personal life?"


"I do not want to compare their work! I have no intention of responding to an inquiry about my personal life," so says the director as he stood up, but his friend named Silver was detained so Polanski sat back and said: "I believe in Mia Farrow because she was the ideal interpreter for Rosemary's Baby. If it had not been Mia Farrow I would certainly have prefered to have Sharon. You can not see evil where there is none. On the other hand I am still convinced that my wife can play many more roles in my films.  Her name came out suddenly after the Dance of the Vampires and The Valley of the Dolls. Everyone says of her that she will be a great actress, but she is just waiting for the right moment. Her career is important to her but so is having a child, wouldn't you agree?"


Roman Polanski repeated this statement at a press conference that followed our interview.  Reporters in Taormina have gotten the impression of him being a man who can be obnoxious and arrogant.  This taken from a very personal speech he gave in which the opinions of others apparently had no place.  We noted in our own notebook:  "And a man not intimidated by the media who he seems willing to trample."  Our opinion had found this further confirmation:  "Sometimes I find it nice to tease people and keep them guessing," he told one reporter.

Under the photo the caption reads: They were happy in London. Sharon Tate in a recent picture with her husband, the Polish director Roman Polanski. Some days prior Sharon (who was eight months pregnant) had moved to Los Angeles: Polanski wanted his first child born in America.

There is another article in the same section about Sharon.  I will try to have it translated next.  It is a long one but it looks to have some good quotes.

Here is a nice tribute to Sharon with some lovely photographs:

http://toothpastexs.blogspot.com/2010/01/roman-lies-to-me-and-i-pretend-to.html