Teeth Smile

Teeth Smile (1957)

*** (out of 4)

Another short from Polanski, this one dealing with a peeping tom. Once again the young director shows he would become quite capable of building some nice atmosphere.

Murder (1957)

*** (out of 4)

Roman Polanski's first short film quickly shows a murder taking place. For such a short film (running time wise), the director does a very good job at showing atmosphere and the murder is quite effective as well.

Break Up the Party (1957)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Somewhat amusing short from Polanski has a more interesting history than what's exactly on screen. Polanski threw a party at his school and invited a gang to break it up half way through. That's what we see here.

Two Men and a Wardrobe (1958)

*** (out of 4)

As the title suggests, two men carry a large wardrobe around the city getting in all sorts of trouble. Polanski shows good timing in the comic moments and his cameo as the gang leader reminded me of a certain scene in Chinatown.

Another of Polanski's very-very-shorts, which he made as a film student at Lodz. Like Murderer before it, Teethful Smile shows that right from the word go Polanski was fascinated by interiors.

Taking place in a stairwell and a bathroom, the walls in this picture seem to be pressing in on all sides. Beginning with a plain and simple act of voyeurism, Polanski also introduced two motifs that were to crop up throughout his career. First, showing the point-of-view of an insider looking out, secondly its theme of male attitudes towards women.

The rest of Polanski's shorts following this are incredibly diverse and unusual, and really have very little to do with his later work. I'm guessing that this and Murderer are perhaps slightly more personal in terms of their content because as far as the film school was concerned they were merely technical exercises. They certainly capture the typical Polanski look in spite of their briefness.

On a final note, I find the English translation of the title a little awkward-sounding. I've heard of toothy grins, but never teethful smiles

An early short, very obviously a student effort, "Teeth Smile" offers an excellent view of the genius that marks the rest of Polanski's film career, as well as demonstrating many of the visual characteristics that he has maintained throughout. The dramatic use of lighting, shadows and sharply contrasting, asymmetrical shapes that create a surrealistic feeling to a natural setting, the claustrophobic lives of urban apartment dwellers who's privacy is insecure and violated, the odd camera angles that distort the audience's perception and reflect the distortion of the character's mind, and the sexual tension and suspense in fear of discovery are all very apparent here.

The lead character becomes an inadvertent voyeur, and then a willing one, and the audience is seduced as a co-conspirator. We are drawn to the window and enter into his perversion--the teeth of the title smile, but what is revealed in the eyes is something altogether different.

When discovery is imminent, the audience is caught with the same panicked emotions of the voyeur, and yet what ultimately prevails is the humor which in so many of Polanski's films is under-appreciated. This movie struck me as quite funny, one of his more successful efforts in the field of comedy, and it is this surprising contrast as well as the explorative stylization that I find most endearing in this short.

Availible with the Critereon edition DVD of "Knife in the Water", I believe "Teeth Smile" deserves a much wider viewing by film lovers everywhere.