One of Polanski's purest films, the original of the rather silly but similar
Rosemary's Baby, this psychological horror is still way ahead of its time in its depiction of a withdrawn girl (Catherine Deneuve, almost Bressonian in her inwardness) gradually cracking up against a beautifully sinister backdrop of everyday sounds like piano practice, schoolchildren, telephone bells, and especially a ticking clock - one of the great film soundtracks.
Also beautifully lit by Gilbert Taylor, the film still has the power to shock, notably in dream sequences.
It was perhaps because of Polanski's casting against type of Deneuve - and her extraordinary performance - that Bunuel featured her so memorably in
Belle de Jour two years later.
Also features Ian Hendry, John Fraser, Yvonne Furneaux, Renee Huston and James Villiers.
Remarkable UK poster designed by Jan Lenica.
I first saw it in a cinema in Paris, rather coolly, on 26 October 1979, aged 16.
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