Polanski A Biography [Paperback]

This dramatic account weaves together the rich and complex life of the celebrated and controversial film director, Holocaust survivor, and exile, based on a wealth of sources and new material. New revelations about Polanski's life include:

-- The connection between his mother's death in Auschwitz and wife Sharon Tate's murder by the Manson familyboth women were pregnant
-- His radical transition from childhood poverty in a Krakow ghetto to a glamorous Hollywood life among socialites
-- The psychological complexity and central thread of sexuality that runs throughout his films and his relationships with younger women
-- A culmination of tragedies in Polanski's life, from the Holocaust to the Manson murders to his sexual assault charges and subsequent exile from the U.S.

The unique humor of the rascal genius that keeps the world watching and awaiting his new projects
Acclaimed biographer Sandford draws on dozens of interviews with actors who have worked with Polanski, as well as previously sealed transcripts of his criminal hearings, testimony before the California grand jury following the accusations that led to his exile, and personal reflections on the murders of Sharon Tate and other friends of the couple. Polanski's films from 1962 to 2005 are contextualized within his life, including such highlights as Rosemary's Baby, Chinatown, and the Oscar-winning The Pianist. Sandford's fascinating biography illuminates the life and work of one of the most important careers in modern cinema.

Sandford deftly portrays a disturbed, disturbing man who happens to be a great filmmaker. New York Times Book Review

In this fine biography, Sandford gives [Polanski's] films the praise they deserve, and he is fair as well to Polanski the man. Jonathan Yardley, Washington Post Book World

Engrossing, lucid presentation of a uniquely complicated and productive life... In slyly playful prose... Sandford admirably extracts all ofl�