Roman Polanski Doesn't See Netflix As "A Basic Threat For Cinema"

This year at the Cannes Film Festival, while many high profile pictures unfurled, the conversation that remained at the forefront was all about Netflix. The streaming service, who brought Bong Joon-Ho‘s “Okja” and Noah Baumbach‘s “The Meyerowitz Stories” to the festival, became the target of French distributors, angered that Netflix skirts stringent release rules by not opening their films in theaters. There was a lot of talk about whether or not the company is hurting or helping cinema, but Roman Polanski, who brought his critically drubbed “Based On A True Story” to Cannes, isn’t worried about the medium.

At the press conference for his film, Polanski weighed in on the controversy, essentially noting that new technology always tends to send panic among those used to tradition.

“In regards to to the tendency of TV series and big firms encroaching on the festival, it’s beyond my possibility of analysis,” he said. “I think the future will tell you what’s happening. I don’t think it’s a basic threat for cinema. People will go to the movies, not because of better sound, projection or seats, they go to the cinema because they can participate with the audience around them.”

READ MORE: Roman Polanksi’s Preposterous ‘Based On A True Story’ Written By Olivier Assayas, Starring Eva Green [Cannes Review]

 “I remember when the gadget the Walkman became popular,” he continued. “They said that was the end of concerts, but since then there have been crowds as large as 100,000. People like experiencing things and spectacles together. That’s the main reason why they go to the cinema. It’s a different experience to watch ‘Borat alone or in a packed cinema with a laughing audience.”
I never thought I’d hear Polanski reference “Borat,” but he does make a good point. The business of moviegoing is certainly changing, and the kinds of movies audiences want to see on the big screen versus what they’ll gladly watch at home is also shifting. It’s a time of transition, and there’s no telling how things will shake out in five to ten years. If you agree or disagree with Polanski, let us know in the comments section.