#577: POLANSKI, Roman: Cul-De-Sac (1966)

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POLANSKI, Roman (United Kingdom)
Cul-De-Sac [1966]
Spine #577
Blu-ray


Roman Polanski orchestrates a mental ménage á trois in this slyly absurd tale of paranoia from the director's golden 1960s period. Donald Pleasence and Françoise Dorléac star as a withdrawn couple whose isolated house is invaded by a rude, burly American gangster on the run, played by Lionel Stander. The three engage in role-playing games of sexual and emotional humiliation. Cul-de-sac is an evocative, claustrophobic, and morbidly funny tale of the modern world in chaos.

112 minutes
Black & White
Monaural
1:66:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2011
Director/Writers


Screenplay by Roman Polanski and Gérard Brach.
Polanski was 33 when he directed Cul-de-sac.

Other Polanski films in the Collection:

#215: Knife In The Water (1962)
#483: Repulsion (1965)
#630: Rosemary's Baby (1968)
#726: Macbeth (1971)
#697: Tess (1979)

The Film

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

The Booklet

Twenty-page booklet featuring an essay by film critic David Thomson.

Commentary

None.
Two Gangsters and an Island

A 2003 documentary about the making of Cul-de-sac, featuring interviews with Polanski, producer Gene Gutowski, and cinematographer Gilbert Taylor.
Television interview

With Polanski from 1967.
Theatrical trailers

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

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