The Fat and the Lean

From the archive

IMDb... 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. IMDb reviewer, debblyst, wrote... ... Influenced by Beckett, Kafka and Buster Keaton, this delightful absurdist short comedy already showcases Polanski's trademark black humor, acid sarcasm, great sense of rhythm (helped by Krzysztof Komeda's music) and very personal visual style. "Le Gros..." was obviously meant as a virulent attack on Stalinist regimes (including, of course, the Polish Communist Party) and their tactics of usurpation and exploitation for enduring in power. In this short made in France (his first work outside Poland), Polanski profits from his newfound freedom of expression to make sarcastic criticisms about the Stalinist modus operandi, and avows his fascination with Western capitalism (i.e. the sight of Paris). Coherently, after the international success of his first feature "Knife in Water" the following year, Polanski left Poland for good and conquered Europe and America, not returning to film in his native country until 40 years later with his Cannes+Oscar winner "The Pianist". ... ---------- See three other R. Polanski shorts... "Mammals" ["Ssaki"] [1962] http://www.archive.org/details/mammalsssaki1962 "Rozbijemy Zabawe" [1957] http://www.archive.org/details/rozbijemyZabawe1957 "Two Men and a Wardrobe" ["Dwaj Ludzie z Szafa"] [1958] http://www.archive.org/details/twoMenAndAWardrobedwajLudzieZSzafa1958