New Translated Article on Roman and Sharon: Polanski thought Sharon had a great life and career ahead of her and More

Here is a vintage article that I have just had translated.  It comes from an Italian magazine and it is an interview with Roman about his work and Sharon:


Novella 2000 August 21, 1969

Her husband remembers her well.


In an interview to our newspaper a few days before the crime in Los Angeles, the film director Roman Polanski said: "Sharon is an amazing actress. But now, I do not care about her career as an actress, but that of her role as a mother."


Roman Polanski was in Taormina on the 2nd of August. With the help of a interpreter we managed to get a brief interview. He had just won a prestigious award for Rosemary's Baby.  He starts the interview abruptly.


"Certainly you want to know if I like the awards. Yes, I like the prizes, because it always means something. What amuses me though is what people will do to get awards, but I do not do anything. However I say that I like the prizes and I have no desire to say that I do not like them just to please those who want to dispute them."


"Are you not tired of," we asked, "introducing the horror element in your films and the mysterious? There is mystery in Cul De Sac, Knife in the Water, in Rosemary's Baby, as if this were the only subject that you prefer to deal with."


Polanski replied, laughing: "My films are of horror?! But not at all! My movies are done for fun. These people who judge my films this way do not understand me.  I make a movie because I enjoy it: I bask in happy events and do not dwell on horror. Yes, I think the public generally misunderstands me."

"Mia Farrow said that Roman Polanski is her favorite director. She claims that he is the only major director who now exists. This is a big statement for a very young actress, who joined the film after much controversy, and some have said to question her credibility. What do you think?"


"I thank Mia Farrow and I agree with you that I have a great record so far with films. But do not forget Fellini and Bergman. As for Mia, I am of the opinion that she is a wonderful actress, the best that exists at this time.  But," he added, "Rosemary's Baby is just one film and I hope to make many."


"But your wife, Sharon Tate, has been found to be an excellent actress. There is a promise of a great career. Yes?"


"Sharon? Probably. What I would like her to concentrate on at this moment is not on her career as an actress, but that of her role as a mother. She is expecting a child very soon. She has went to America because we want our child to be born there.  After that, then we'll see."


"Sharon Tate is not jealous of your work with Mia Farrow?  Does this effect your personal life?"


"I do not want to compare their work! I have no intention of responding to an inquiry about my personal life," so says the director as he stood up, but his friend named Silver was detained so Polanski sat back and said: "I believe in Mia Farrow because she was the ideal interpreter for Rosemary's Baby. If it had not been Mia Farrow I would certainly have prefered to have Sharon. You can not see evil where there is none. On the other hand I am still convinced that my wife can play many more roles in my films.  Her name came out suddenly after the Dance of the Vampires and The Valley of the Dolls. Everyone says of her that she will be a great actress, but she is just waiting for the right moment. Her career is important to her but so is having a child, wouldn't you agree?"


Roman Polanski repeated this statement at a press conference that followed our interview.  Reporters in Taormina have gotten the impression of him being a man who can be obnoxious and arrogant.  This taken from a very personal speech he gave in which the opinions of others apparently had no place.  We noted in our own notebook:  "And a man not intimidated by the media who he seems willing to trample."  Our opinion had found this further confirmation:  "Sometimes I find it nice to tease people and keep them guessing," he told one reporter.

Under the photo the caption reads: They were happy in London. Sharon Tate in a recent picture with her husband, the Polish director Roman Polanski. Some days prior Sharon (who was eight months pregnant) had moved to Los Angeles: Polanski wanted his first child born in America.

There is another article in the same section about Sharon.  I will try to have it translated next.  It is a long one but it looks to have some good quotes.

Here is a nice tribute to Sharon with some lovely photographs:

http://toothpastexs.blogspot.com/2010/01/roman-lies-to-me-and-i-pretend-to.html

Photo Comparison of the Week, Marilyn Monroe and Sharon Tate and more

I found a great photo of Sharon were her hair and make up where done up like Marilyn Monroe:

Speaking of these two beautiful ladies, I found many comparisons that they have in common:

Both were great beauties inside and out.  It makes me think of Mia Farrow's quote about Sharon: "She was like a princess in a fairy tale; as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside."

Until people got to know them better, some thought both Marilyn and Sharon were naive and not very bright.  Both were more intelligent than what was actually known.

Both began as models and moved on to acting.  Likewise, both were also groomed for stardom by the old Hollywood system.

Both had known the Kennedy's: Marilyn knew John and Bobby while Sharon and Roman dined with Bobby Kennedy the night before he was assassinated.

Both adored animals small and great.

Both were also featured nude in Playboy magazine.

Both were well known as hollywood blonde bombshells and sex symbols.  Both of them wanted to go on to more serious work and to be looked at as "serious actresses."

Both were in films written by their husbands; Marilyn in "The Misfits" by Arthur Miller and Sharon "The Fearless Vampire Killers" by Roman Polanski.

Both died tragically in the month of August, both were discovered by their maids and both died in their own homes. 

Both were Studio Club girls, Marilyn stayed there first then Sharon was there 15 years later.

Both wanted children badly but, for different reasons, were not granted that opportunity.  They both had a nuturing nature towards animals and children alike.

Both were in films from 20th Century Fox Studios and Columbia Pictures.

Both had the great William Travilla design clothes for their films.

Both died at an age ending in 6, Marilyn was 36, Sharon was 26.  Both are said to be taken 'before their time.'

Both smoked but quit for different reasons.  Marilyn because it made her teeth yellow and Sharon because Roman didn't like it and shortly after they were married, she became pregnant.

Both had connections to Jean Harlow; Marilyn idolized her as a child and teen and Jay Sebring (Sharon's ex but still great friend) ended up owning the house that Jean had had when she was married to Paul Bern.  Furthermore, when Marilyn married Joe DiMaggio, the couple moved into a home at 508 N. Palm Drive in Beverly Hills next door to Jean Harlow's last home.

Both made motion pictures in London and loved it there.

Both had two siblings: MM had a half brother and sister while Sharon had two sisters.

Both were photographed by Bert Stern in similar poses and camera angles in photo shoots.  And both were photographed by many of the same legendary photographers such as Richard Avedon and Philippe Halsman.

Both preferred the comfort of being barefoot although of course, they did wear shoes.

Both married Jewish men in the their short lifetimes.

Both had Sydney Guillaroff do their hair for a movie.

Both had lived at the Chateau Marmont at one time or another.

Both studied under Lee Strasberg and lived in New York at different times.

Both loved the fashion designer Emilio Pucci and both were buried in that designer's clothes.

Both have become legendary and are more known now than ever.

Both were living in similiarly designed homes when they died. Single story two bedroom houses with a maid's room at the other end of the house. Both houses had pools accessed from the master bedroom.  In addition, the last houses Marilyn and Sharon lived in had been moved into in February month of the year.  Also, both lived in the homes they died in less then six months.

Both died on a Saturday.  Marilyn died on Saturday night, August 4th, 1962. Although she wasn't declared dead until early Sunday morning, August 5th. Coroner's report as well as the accounts of those present place her as having died around 8 pm in the evening. From the accounts available, Sharon died after midnight, probably between 12:30 am; 1 am early Saturday, August 8th, 1969.



Both were having work done on their homes when they died. Marilyn was having her bathroom re-done and updated. Sharon was working on having the maid's room converted into a nursery.



Both had bad relationships with Elizabeth Taylor.  Taylor was never friendly with Marilyn, although now 40 some years later relates an empathy for her in print. When Marilyn was living, Taylor was belittling to her. Once at a party when Marilyn tried to befriend Taylor, Taylor turned to her date and said in a loud voice, "Keep that **** away from me, will ya?" Taylor had Sharon's scenes in "The Sandpiper" cut either over jealousy of the young starlet's beauty or jealousy of her new husband Richard Burton's wandering eye and that he might try to pick up Sharon.



According to the Internet Movie DataBase, Sharon and MM both were around 5' 5' in height.
 
Both had early bit parts in films where their scenes ended up on the cutting room floor.
 
CMG now handles both celebrity merchandise legally for Marilyn and Sharon.
 
Both are burried in California cemeteries.



Both played characters that died in their films; Marilyn Monroe in "Niagara" and Sharon in "Valley of the Dolls."

Both were well known for their great smiles.  MM for her open mouthed smile and Sharon for her often described "Mona Lisa" one.

Both were known to wear glasses.



At the time of their deaths both were big box office, MM was even in development for more roles in films like "What a Way to Go!" and "The Stripper." While Sharon was enjoying box office success with "Valley of the Dolls" and the Matt Helm film, "The Wrecking Crew." In addition, Sharon was in development for major films roles as well with "The Story of O","Tess" and an unknown western Polanski had an idea for.


Both have had songs written about them and performed by rock bands and pop singers.


Both were part of Fellini films in some way: MM was referenced in the dialogue of "La dolce vita" (1960), in the context of dieting. And Sharon and Roman were in "Ciao Frederico" visiting the well known director on the set of a 'making of' documentary.


Both have appeared on European postage stamps.


Both have been portrayed by other actress. MM has had many actresses play her while Sharon has so far had at least three actresses play her in biographical type material.


Upon their deaths, rumors were fueled that there was sloppy handling of evidence in both cases.

Both had to do many takes in the movies they appeared in. Marilyn fumbling her lines of dialogue caused many retakes while Polanski--ever the perfectionist--made Sharon do many retakes on her scenes in "The Fearless Vampire Killers."


Both had ties to director J. Lee Thompson. He was suppose to direct Monroe in "What a Way to Go!" (He was on MM's list of approved directors.) He did direct Sharon in "Eye of the Devil."


Thomas Noguchi performed both Marilyn's and Sharon's autopsies.


Both had connections to Orson Welles. In 1947, while briefly involved with Orson Welles, Marilyn joined Welles in his popular magic stage show, The Mercury Wonder Show, being sawed in half by Welles using the "Buzz Saw" illusion he had previously used on both Rita Hayworth and Marlene Dietrich. Meanwhile, one of the major reasons why Sharon wanted to make what would be her last film, "12 + 1" was the chance to work with the legendary actor/director Welles.


Another two bits of trivia: Martin Ransohoff wanted to make her the next Marilyn Monroe. Sharon even played Jennifer North a tragic blonde character not unlike Monroe herself.
 
Can anyone think of anything else?  Add a comment and let me know?  It's fun to do comparisons every now and then.

Another great and interesting review of Roman Polanski's "Rosemary's Baby" here:

http://rwufilm.blogspot.com/2009/12/rosemarys-baby_12.html

Sharon's friend, Donyale Luna & More

Yesterday we learned about the great African American model Donyale Luna and some of the discrimination she faced during the sixties.  Here is more about this unique and unforgettable lady:

Donyale Luna sporting colored contact lenses which she did on occasion for fashion magazines and such.

Long before Iman, Naomi, or Tyra ever set a stiletto on the catwalk, Donyale Luna was strutting her way across the globe. Born Peggy Anne Freeman, Luna grew up in Detroit, where her home life was far from idyllic (her father was murdered when she was 18). The following year, photographer David McCabe spotted the lithesome beauty on the street, and it wasn't long before she was pursuing modeling in New York City. Her arrival in 1964 had magazine editors and designers competing to book the singular-looking teen.

"Back in Detroit I wasn't considered beautiful or anything, but here I'm different," Luna explained of her success. "They were looking for a new kind of model, a girl who is beautiful like you've never seen before." With her spellbinding features, ultramarine contact lenses, and seemingly endless limbs (she was 6' 2"), she certainly fit the bill. And at the height of her career, she charged a hefty day rate of $60 because, as she succinctly put it, "Being what I am, I can get what I ask."

Another image from the "Rosemary's Baby" premiere in France with Peter Sellars, Mia Farrow, boyfriend Iain Quarrier and Sharon Tate.

As much a child of the sixties as the face of it, Luna spent her off-hours partying at Andy Warhol's Factory and canoodling with the likes of Rolling Stones rocker Brian Jones and sometime paramour Klaus Kinski. Her nightlife pursuits took their toll on both her career and her health, and on May 17, 1979, she was pronounced dead from a drug overdose at a clinic in Rome. But not before her beauty was immortalized in Fellini's Satyricon, The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus, and several of Warhol's films, as well as in the pages of Paris Match, Harper's Bazaar, and Vogue.-- By Evelyn Crowley

For more biography on her life please check out these two sites that include more photographs as well:
 
http://www.afrobella.com/2007/04/27/lost-ones-donyale-luna/
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donyale_Luna
 
http://aliyasking.com/2009/02/26/a-story-id-like-to-writesomeday-donyale-luna/
 
Luna, as we have stated before, suffered from racial prejudice.  Here is another short article mentioning her when she encountered this when she was with friends:
 
Photoplay February 1969
 
4 : 00 am Breakfast Incident by Steve Brandt
 
If you've read anything about our 4 : 00 am breakfast caper, let me give you the facts before they're distorted
any more (which seems highly improbable judging by some of the reports I've read !) MIA FARROW, myself, DONYALE LUNA (a beautiful six foot Negro model who soon makes her film debut in OTTO PREMINGER'S "Skidoo"), Luna's beau, producer IAIN QUARRIER and DONALD CAMMELL (he just directed the new MICK JAGGER film "Performance") decided to top off our evening of disco-dancing with a late breakfast. Having been there before, Iain suggested The Cavendish, a hotel which had an all-night restaurant. We arrived and entered, everyone was seated at the table, and then Donyale (who'd been primping in the ladies' room) made her entrance. At this point, one of the staff approached our table and advised us we couldn't be served. "Why not ?" we queried. We were then told it was because none of the men were wearing ties. It was at this point one of us noted, of the four occupied tables in the restaurant, at least two tables were comprised of men not wearing ties. We pointed this fact out to a grumpy middle-aged manageress who then said, "No reason, I just want you out of here!"

It was obvious to all of us because a Negro woman was seated with us, we were being asked to leave. Even a very self-conscious Miss Luna blurted, "Why, is it because I am colored?" The manageress then walked away. Within 10 minutes, four policeman came running in and advised us we had to leave. Right or wrong, they added, it was the hotel's perogative to refuse service to whomever they wished. "But we just wanted to know why?" Mia chimed in. The police themselves admitted, no reason was given. "Well, then, we'll sit here until we get an explanation." I figured I might as well get in on the issue.

A few seconds flew by and two waiters grabbed Iain and started pulling him out of his seat. Iain fought back and then the police joined in. Before we knew it, six men were on top of Quarrier, with Mia and Donyale screaming "Leave him alone," as they tried to help him out. Both slender ladies were pushed clear across the room ! Next we learned Iain was being arrested for "obstructing justice." Mia announced, "If you're taking him, we're coming too !" and we all traipsed down to the police station. After waiting an hour (in a cold room) Quarrier was released.

Both Mia and I stayed on in London, just to give testimony at his hearing. Though we protested, Iain was found guilty. Although he was only fined $20 (after all the headlines there), the principle of the incident still bothered all of us. As we left the court, people ran up and said "We believed you...we're on your side...take it to a higher court." We decided not to take it to a higher court, instead, La Luna reported the incident to the
Racial Discrimination Board. And that, as they say, is that. I rest my case."

No wonder Luna didn't want to discuss her true heritage...

Another blog shows off classy nude Sharon Tate Christmas photos:

http://dancas.livejournal.com/9420.html

http://tarkus-magicmac.blogspot.com/2009/12/b-side-sharon-tate.html

Yes I know they are actually from The Fearless Vampire Killers but they do look Christmassy this time of the year.