Special encounters through the lens with legendary genius Roman Polanski.
Who: Roman Polanski
Location: Sonesta Renaissance Hotel Amsterdam
When: Late 1980s
Publication: HP/de Tijd magazine
Journalist: Rob van Scheers
The power of photography definitely lies in ‘the moment’, but certainly also in what happens afterwards.
Of course I was ready to photograph film director Roman Polanski. Together with journalist Rob van Scheers, we had now become a close-knit team and we were hunting down the big ones.
Interviews and photos with Bernardo Bertolucci, Miles Davis, Fats Domino, Paul Verhoeven, John Hiatt, etc, etc,
From what I can remember, Polanski was very approachable and relaxed, the location in the hotel itself was not very special and I had chosen not to use background rolls and flash to control things like a photo studio.
On location, with a Nikon and a roll of Tri-X film loaded.
First coffee and let Scheers do his interview, while I took some pictures during the interview.
A quick glance through the lobby and adjacent garden of the Sonesta revealed an unusual statue of a young girl made of bronze. A female figure, no head, small breasts, long legs and a tender figure.
Without knowing the situation surrounding Roman Polanski in detail, I apparently knew that Polanski was a lover of women and that a problematic situation had arisen.
Without moving a muscle and without any comment, the then 55 year old Roman Polanski responded willingly to stand in front of the statue and I clicked a number of shots.
Ultimately, one of those photos was published without further comment.
Back then I worked purely with film and made prints in the darkroom.
Now I scan the films and process the scans in Adobe Lightroom.
This gives so many more options with certain settings. Now I get much more character from those negatives of the past. A very addictive process because what was then is now suddenly a new and refreshing image.
So I didn’t really see, or forgot the intense look and his passion in conversation in the photos at the time. Then I quickly moved on to another assignment, while of course I have now in 2024 also started thinking and looking differently into the art of photography.
Roman Polanski is now 90 years old. He has not been able to work in America for years, but has still delivered a series of great films in recent decades.
Of course, first there were his classics; Rosemary’s Baby, Repulsion, Chinatown. And then came; Frantic, Bitter Moon, The Ninth Gate, The Pianist and at least 50 more films.
Today he lives in Paris with his wife the actress Emmanuelle Seiger and is still haunted for his assumed rape and sexual assault actions from 40-50 years ago in the current “me too” phase we live in.
Roman Polanski is expected to stand trial in Los Angeles in 2025 at the age of 91 for the 1973 rape of a young girl.
I don’t rehash the past. It’s my baggage. That’s all. I accept things as they are.
Roman Polanski