Classic Roman

Rating: 9/10 (23 May 2003)

Greetings again from the darkness. Took advantage of the re-release of this Polanski classic with a family trip to the Magnolia Theatre. Tremendous script with Polanski at his finest with creepy camera angles and lighting. Really paid attention to the performances this time and came away with even greater admiration for the one and only Ruth Gordan and her on screen husband Sidney Blackmer. Even Mia Farrow's performance was better than I remembered. Cassavetes was a bit stiff, but Maurice Evans was terrific. Fun to see a young Charles Grodin. Yeah, there is a ton of interesting background info with the connections between Polanski/Farrow, Farrow/Sinatra, Polanski/Sharon Tate (who appears briefly in this one) and the subsequent horrific tale of the Charles Manson clan. In spite of that, this is a wonderful film.