ROMAN POLANSKI’S PIRATE DAYS
PHOTOS AND TEXT BY HARRY BENSON
| Nastassja Kinski, Seychelles, 1976 |
In the summer of 1976, I was asked to photograph the entire Christmas issue of French Vogue. Roman Polanski, Nastassja Kinski, and I met in the Seychelles Islands, one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Very few places are what you think they will be before you go to them; but New York is one, and the Seychelles is another. At the time it was completely unspoiled. There was very little communication with the mainland as the one telephone in the hotel bar hardly ever worked. It was so casual that there was no need to dress. We spent the entire time in our bathing suits and t-shirts. No tourists roamed the miles and miles of white sand. Local fishermen would bring around their catch for our dinner. Our cabanas had no windows or doors. It was another way of life.
The theme for the photographs was pirates and their buried treasure. Nastassja, in a golden costume, was cast as the captured princess, and a Parisian hairdresser doubled as Prince Charming for the 20 pages we were to photograph. Roman carried a pirate’s sword as we walked along the beach looking for the perfect location. He dropped his towel as editor Jocelyn Kargere and the others walked ahead.
It occurred to me to bury Roman in the sand like the pirates did with their prisoners in the books I had read as a boy. Roman thought it was a good idea until a big wave came up and surprised us. He began to panic. I knew I could get him out, but I jokingly pretended I couldn’t. When I suggested that I go into town for help, he yelled, “You fucking Scotsman, get me out of here!” I did, and we both had a laugh.
Almost ten years to the day after our Seychelles adventure, Polanski’s film Pirates opened the 1986 Cannes Film Festival. I think Roman had wanted to make a pirate film ever since we were in the Seychelles. When I went to photograph on the film’s set in 1985, this time on the Moroccan coast, it was almost déjà vu. Again, lavish costumes and swords. The young actress Charlotte Lewis was now the princess, Walter Matthau played the captain, and the dashing young sailor was Cris Campion. Gregory Peck’s son Tony played a Spanish officer, Damien Thomas was Don Alfonso, and David Kelly was the old pirate. A galleon anchored offshore served as the set. After a few days I had the photographs I needed and headed back to New York, once again leaving the fantasy until another time.
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| rabies babies, on Oct 5, 2009 wrote:
oh roman, you make great movies and perverted love to drugged 13-year-olds. at least woody has your back. i don’t think the guy that married his adopted daughter is going to win over many hearts though. | | Anonymous, on Oct 2, 2009 wrote:
that gold dress is absolutely stunning | | Anonymous, on Oct 2, 2009 wrote:
hey man,by coincidence, i saw oliver twist;please, please, cut the man some slack!!!coincidence becoz,i buy so many dvds, i just decided to watch this movie and i realized that he (R.P.) directed i was stunned by such fine work,by the way, how’dya call little girls who love to fuck older guys? come to west point in monrovia,liberia,west africa.you’ll know what i’m talking ’bout. | | Anonymous, on Sep 30, 2009 wrote:
he’s a good-looking broad. | |
| boggle_brains, on Sep 30, 2009 wrote:
everything with polanski is a fantasy | | Anonymous, on Sep 30, 2009 wrote:
Why are so many people coming out in his favor? He is an incredible filmmaker but if what he is accused of is true then he deserves to go to jail. By the way, he plead guilty to this before he fled! | | Anonymous, on Sep 29, 2009 wrote:
the swiss guard. | | Anonymous, on Sep 29, 2009 wrote:
This girl is insanely beautiful. I wonder who else RP boffed during his hey day. | | Anonymous, on Sep 29, 2009 wrote:
yeah, free polanski! all he did was give quaaludes to a 13-year-old girl, start fucking her, realize she wasn’t on the pill, then pull out and start fucking her in the ass all while she was resisting. free polanski! | | Anonymous, on Sep 29, 2009 wrote:
Please, Mister Roman Polanski should be completely exonerated. | | Anonymous, on Sep 28, 2009 wrote:
Oh wow, most impresive, I like it!
RT
www.total-privacy.net.tc | | Anonymous, on Sep 28, 2009 wrote:
yeah well aside from the gross dude in the underwear
| | Anonymous, on Sep 28, 2009 wrote:
that first image is absolutely magical... | | Anonymous, on Sep 28, 2009 wrote:
i bet shes hot in all those clothes | | Anonymous, on Sep 28, 2009 wrote:
wow! what good timing on your roman polanski stuff. I agree FREE POLANSKI! | | Anonymous, on Sep 28, 2009 wrote:
FREE POLANSKI!!! | | Anonymous, on Sep 27, 2009 wrote:
fucking celebrities having fun...
Fuck them! | |
| cosi, on Sep 27, 2009 wrote:
polanski’s just been arrested on a 31 year old charge of knobbing a 13 year old.
my suggested headline: Pirates’ Polanski’s a Paedo
I apologise lol
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| noiseZ13000, on Sep 21, 2009 wrote:
uh i guess u guys never saw FRANTIC... yea maybe u should watch it before talking shit! | | Anonymous, on Sep 16, 2009 wrote:
this was surprising and really cool. | |
| anonymouse, on Sep 15, 2009 wrote:
"its like even the beaches are prettier back then"
maybe because they were. ever heard of pollution and overpopulation? | | Anonymous, on Sep 14, 2009 wrote:
its like even the beaches are prettier back then | | Anonymous, on Sep 11, 2009 wrote:
roman polanski is such a babe.. | |
| | | Anonymous, on Sep 10, 2009 wrote:
What people forget about Polanski is
Polanski wasn’t a perfectionist, and pedophile or not, he was a perfectly professional person and punctual. | | Anonymous, on Sep 10, 2009 wrote:
haha, nice tan line... | | Anonymous, on Sep 10, 2009 wrote:
I don’t care if Roman polanski is a genius, hes also a pedophile and a creep/ | |
| kennyp, on Sep 10, 2009 wrote:
this place looks amazing. | |
| dangerboy, on Sep 10, 2009 wrote:
anything with a pirate theme is always awesome. this is no exception. | | Anonymous, on Sep 10, 2009 wrote:
this man has a very strange body | | | Next 30 comments > |
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