A film written by expatriate director Roman Polanski that was shot in 1969 and never released-it was allegedly “lost” in Paramount’s London vaults for the last two decades-will be presented by Facets Multimedia Jan. 21-Feb. 3.
“A Day at the Beach,” which recently was rediscovered and reclaimed by its director, Simon Hesera-the only film he ever directed-also was co-produced by Polanski, a friend of Hesera’s in the ’60s, and photographed by Gil Taylor (“Repulsion”).
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Adapted from a short story by the Dutch writer Heere Heresma, the 82-minute film centers on an irresponsible father who takes his 6-year-old daughter on a trip to the seaside, despite the objections of the child’s mother. The script is built around a series of encounters the father and girl have along the way with various persons, from a man who rents beach chairs to a self-absorbed poet.
Written by Polanski after his enormous 1968 hit “Rosemary’s Baby,” “A Day at the Beach” was screened once in 1970, then Paramount reportedly misplaced the film. Devastated by the murder of his wife, Sharon Tate, the previous year, Polanski didn’t have the inclination to track its whereabouts.