A small and thin barefoot slave (played by Polanski) plays a flute and beats a drum to entertain his large master who rocks in a rocking chair in front of his mansion. The slave jumps and ...
See full summary »
Check out movie and TV show recommendations from Amazon's Black Employee Network, an affinity group providing support for Black employees at Amazon while championing diversity throughout the company.
It's not too late to join in the conversation on the buzzworthy shows that IMDb users can't get enough of.
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Share this Rating
Title: The Fat and the Lean (1961)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
1 win.
See more awards »
Edit
Cast
| Uncredited cast: | |||
 |
André Katelbach | ... | The fat (uncredited) |
| Roman Polanski | ... | The lean (uncredited) | |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
See All (9) »
Storyline
A small and thin barefoot slave (played by Polanski) plays a flute and beats a drum to entertain his large master who rocks in a rocking chair in front of his mansion. The slave jumps and leaps like a madman, wipes his master's brow, feeds him, washes his feet, shades him from the sun with an umbrella and holds a urinal for him. Written by Anonymous
Plot Keywords:
written and directed by cast member | washing someone's feet | absurdism | slavery | france |Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents »
Edit
Did You Know?
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 Two Men and a Wardrobe (1958) and Rosemary's Baby (1968). (from the Criterion Collection DVD) See more »Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
Edit
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
FranceLanguage:
NoneRelease Date:
27 October 1967 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
A kövér és a sovány See more »Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
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.