A look at the career of Oscar-winning director Roman Polanski—one of the few directors who has moved from art-house classics to the Cineplex, with films like Rosemary's Baby, Chinatown, and The Pianist.

Roman Polanski is a towering figure in modern cinema. He has done it all: psychological thrillers (Killer in the Water, Cul-de-sac); horror (Repulsion, Rosemary's Baby); film noir (Chinatown); the literary classics (Tess); even comedy (The Fearless Vampire Killers). In this timely retrospective of Polanski's career, film historian and critic Denis Meikle draws together the strands of a complex, sometimes contradictory career. Meikle looks at how Polanski's troubled life has informed his filmmaking and analyzes his unique skills as a director, skills that have allowed him to tackle such diverse themes and genres with unerring success. Finally, the latest Polanski film, Oliver Twist, is examined and placed in the context of the director's 50 years at the heart of cinema.