Le gros et le maigre (1961)

Director:

Roman Polanski

Writer:

Roman Polanski (scenario)

Genre:

Short | Comedy | Music

Plot:

A small and thin barefoot slave (played by Polanski) plays a flute and beats a drum to entertain his...

Plot Keywords:

Absurdism | France | Artistic Expression | Dance | Washing Someone's Feet

Awards:

1 win

Cast

André Katelbach	...	The fat (uncredited)
Roman Polanski	...	The lean (uncredited)

Also Known As:

The Fat and the Lean (International: English title)

Runtime:

France:15 min

Country:

France

Language:

None

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

A.P.E.C.

Trivia:

Roman Polanski directed this fifteen-minute black-and-white short just after completing film school. The film features the music of Krzysztof Komeda, who composed the scores for all but one of the director's films between Dwaj ludzie z szafa (1958) and Rosemary's Baby (1968). (from the Criterion Collection DVD)

Movie Connections:

Featured in Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired (2008)

Polanski Stars In Front Of The Camera This Time

This was an incredible short film by Roman Polanski, my favorite of the ones he made prior to his first feature film, "Knife In The Water." I don't mean that the film is incredibly good, just incredible to watch.....one of the oddest films I've ever seen and, I think, Polanski's best comedy, by far. He liked making comedies before he got into his dramatic feature films.

The filmmaker Roman Polanski, also is the co-star in this two-man movie. He's the lean, almost a slave to "the fat" (Andre Katelbach), an uncouth slob who plays his master. Poor Roman; he has to constantly entertain and wait on his boss/master.

I can't remember all the things the poor "lean man" has to do for him but some of them are: dance, beat a drum, wash his feet, hold a pot to pee in; cook meals, shave him, tend to a goat, etc. Actually, it gets a little sadistic regarding the goat as the cruel master chains his slave to the goat. The poor now has to entertain while the poor animal is attached to him! Several times the slave tries to escape, but always in vain.

It's cruel, and yet the slapstick and silent film-type comedy makes it work. If you like old Buster Keaton or Charlie Chaplin films, you'd probably get a kick of out this curiosity piece.