His name rings a bell of recognition even in the ears of those people, who are not at all interested in cinema. He belongs to the greatest directors both in Hollywood and in Europe. Enigmatic and scandalous are two adjectives, which are most frequently used to describe him, one of the most controversial directors, actors and scriptwriters - Roman Polanski.
His films are not regarded as authorial, since most of his works are collaborations with other scriptwriters and producers. However, certain trademarks, which make up a “Polanski film”, can be found throughout his movies: a circular plot structure, complex relationships between the victim and the perpetrator or the evil as his main subject. His movies shock, but even more shocking is his own life, which is often reflected in Polanski´s film-making.
With his movies Roman Polanski manages to reconcile what seems to be irreconcilable. Mazierska (2007) points out that his cinema is at crossroads between many competing discourses, such as art film and mass cinema, America and Europe, entertainment and art-house visual effects, convention and its inversion. And the philosophical issues Polanski draws on are so culturally transposable, that he, furthermore, manages to cross the cultural boarders and gain popularity all over the world.
In the following paper I will take up the challenge of uncovering the controversy of Polanski´s work using an example of the movie Dance of the Vampires that he shot in England in 1967. In the first step I am going to clarify the diversity of different ways, how the audience respond to the film, with the help of movie reviews displayed on amazon.com. Thereafter, using the literature about this particular movie, Polanski´s movies in general and the director himself, I am going to analyse the reasons for the emergence of these controversial reviews and compare the viewers´ attitudes with the opinions of the film critics and Polanski himself. In short, my research questions are as follows:
- What are the different ways, how the audience of Dance of the Vampires respond to the movie?
- What features that set the film apart and the intentions of the filmmaker generate this resonance?
- Can be Dance of the Vampires considered to be a cult film?
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
1.1 The topic of my interest
2. Methodology
2.1 Analysis of the movie reviews
3. Analysis
3.1 A parody on vampire genre versus a comedy set among vampires
3.2 A parasite on Hammer production versus a great horror movie in its own right
3.3 Comedy versus Drama
3.4 A fairy-tale versus a piece of real life
3.5 Polanksi´s odd film out versus Polanski´s best
3.6 A cult film
4. Conclusion
Objectives and Research Themes
This paper explores the controversies surrounding Roman Polanski's 1967 film Dance of the Vampires by analyzing audience responses, critical reception, and the director's own intentions to determine the film's complex generic identity and cult status.
- The reception and diversity of audience opinions regarding the film's genre.
- The influence of the film's production and release history on critical assessment.
- Polanski's use of comedy, tragedy, and fairy-tale elements as a stylistic trademark.
- The justification for classifying the movie as a cult film.
Excerpt from the Book
3.1 A parody on vampire genre versus a comedy set among vampires
The majority of critics and viewers regard Dance of the Vampires as a clear example of a parody genre, which is a “comic distorted yet generally affectionate imitation of a given genre, author or specific work” (Gehring, 1999, p.126). Others, however, consider the movie to be rather a “comedy set among vampires” (Butler, 1970, 128). The director himself insisted on treating his film as the latter (Delahaye & Narboni, 1969, p.30). In his view, the term parody, which can bear a “parasitic” character (Gehring, 1997, p. 127), undermines the original idea of his film and, moreover, neglects the grotesque as the crucial characteristic of the world that he intended to create in Dance of the Vampires (Butler, 1970, p.128).
In this chapter I am going to analyse, what can make this movie an example of a parody genre and what speaks against this assumption.
Cersowsky (2006) explains that the idea to make Dance of the Vampires originally occurred in Paris, where Gerard Brach, a future scriptwriter of the movie, and Roman Polanski observed, how a horror movie in one of the Parisian cinemas made its audience laugh instead of feeling terrified. According to Cersowsky (2006) this incident gave them an idea to film basically an affectionate parody of Hammer horror films, well known in the 1960-s from late-night TV in the United Kingdom.
Chapter Summary
1. Introduction: Outlines the director’s complex legacy and sets the research focus on the controversial reception of Dance of the Vampires.
2. Methodology: Details the quantitative and qualitative approach used to analyze 107 user reviews from amazon.com to categorize viewer perceptions.
3. Analysis: Investigates the film's genre-bending nature, contrasting parody with comedy, and examining themes of tragedy, fairy-tale aesthetics, and circular dramaturgy.
4. Conclusion: Summarizes that the film functions as a meta-genre hybrid, requiring intellectual engagement from the audience to fully appreciate its depth.
Keywords
Roman Polanski, Dance of the Vampires, horror genre, film parody, comedy, satire, audience reception, cult film, Hammer horror, fairy-tale, film criticism, visual imagery, circular plot, gothic, cinematic controversy
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary subject of this paper?
The paper examines the controversial reception and artistic complexity of Roman Polanski’s 1967 film Dance of the Vampires.
What are the central themes discussed in the analysis?
The themes include the tension between horror and comedy, the impact of the film's American re-edition, the use of fairy-tale and gothic aesthetics, and the director's recurring stylistic motifs.
What is the research goal?
The goal is to understand how the film generates such polarized responses and to determine if it can be classified as a legitimate cult classic despite its contradictory nature.
Which methodology is applied?
The author uses a combination of secondary literature analysis and a case study of 107 user reviews to explore the diversity of audience perspectives.
What does the main body cover?
It covers six chapters detailing the film's classification, production history, the coexistence of comedy and tragedy, visual style, its place in Polanski's repertoire, and its cult film status.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include Roman Polanski, genre hybridity, audience reception, parody, and cult cinema.
Why was the American re-edition of the film so controversial?
The re-edition, titled The Fearless Vampire Killers, stripped away crucial scenes, redubbed dialogue, and imposed a slapstick tone that clashed with Polanski's original artistic vision.
How does the author connect the film to Polanski’s own life?
The author argues that motifs like the "trap" or "circular plot structure" reflect the director's own traumatic experiences, including his childhood in the Cracow ghetto.
- Citar trabajo
- Ksenia Danilova (Autor), 2009, Oy-yoy! You got the wrong Polanski, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/133269
