Komeda: A Soundtrack for a Life (2011)
Krzysztof Komeda was a jazz pianist and film composer. With compositions like the lullaby for Rosemary's Baby (1968) by Roman Polanski, Komeda succeeded in writing his own chapter in the history of soundtracks. This documentary follows the life story of the composer by the means of his melodic sounds. It is a reflection on his soundtracks, which changed the common film scores forever. It is a contemporary document about the attitude to life in a time of social, political and cultural change after war, about work and exodus of Polish artists in the 50s and 60s. A story about how film music is created and how it affects people. Directors who worked with Komeda and who are also friends talk about him: Roman Polanski, Jerzy Skolimowski, Henning Carlsen and Andrzej Wajda. His wife, Zofia Komeda, and his sister, Irena Orlowska, recollect him.
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Reviews
If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.
In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.
This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.
It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny
Among many excellent films at the 11th Polish Film Festival of Los Angeles in 2010 was a standout (and long overdue!) 52 minute documentary on the brilliant career of Krzystof Komeda, a truly legendary figure in the annals of mid-century Polish film and jazz. Komeda was a highly regarded jazz musician, pianist, and the composer of some 65 film soundtracks, working with all the best young directors of the time, Polanski, Skolimowski, and Wajda among others The title of the film is "Komeda -A Soundtrack For a Life". In Poland under communism, especially in the Stalinist years, American style jazz was not only a form of social protest but literally a crime, and Komeda with an immense musical talent was one of the leading musical criminals. He was a contemporary and close friend of Roman Polanski and did the music for all of Polanski's Polish films, shorts as well as the renowned first feature "Knife in the Water", which became Polanski's ticket to the West. When Polanski was beginning to make it in Hollywood he invited Komeda to do the music for "Rosemary's Baby", one of the big hits of the year 1968. At this point Komeda was on the verge of carving out his own Hollywood career but, during a drinking bout with dissident Polish writer Marek Hlasko he fell down and sustained a serious blow to the head. He immediately returned to Poland for treatment but died of a brain hemorrhage three days later at the age of 37. A terrible loss for Poland and the music world in general. In the film many colleagues such as Polanski and director Jerzy Skolimowski comment at length on their work and friendship with the genial young musician. Very well made but a doc that makes you sad to see such a talent cut off too early on the verge of international fame. Director, Claudia Buthenhoff-Duffy of Germany, produced by Wojciech Szczudlo of Warsaw. An important contribution to Poish and world film music history.