Frantic (1988)

The plot: Heart surgeon Richard Walker and his loving wife Sondra travel to Paris where he is scheduled to speak at a medical convention. In their hotel room, they discover that his wife picked up the wrong suitcase at the airport, and report this to the airline. While Richard is in the shower, Sondra receives a phone call and leaves the room. When she doesn’t return, Richard grows anxious and wonders if she was abducted. With the French police offering little assistance, Richard begins an odyssey through Paris’s dangerous areas, searching for any trace of his wife’s whereabouts.

In 1985, acclaimed filmmaker Roman Polanski was exhausted. He’d spent ten years cultivating his comedic adventure, Pirates, followed by two years mired in Tunisia wrangling his most expensive production. With elaborate sets, erratic weather, and a sprawling cast in all manner of beards, wigs, costumes, and make-up, maintaining continuity was a neverending nightmare. He vowed that his next film would be much smaller and made close to his Parisian home.  But he didn’t want to male a romanticized love letter to Paris like Irma La Douce or An American in Paris but something showcasing the city’s seedier side – blight, drugs, crimes, and litter. A thriller would be ideal, a genre he longed to return to but hadn’t found the opportunity to.

Pirates proved to be a massive flop. Polanski knew his career needed rejuvenating, as you’re only as good as your last picture. His thriller idea was cheap, easy, and could restore his reputation quickly. Something like a Hollywood effort, or as close to it as possible since Polanski fled the United States nearly a decade prior to keep from serving additional jail time for statutory rape of a minor. Casting a young Hollywood star would help American audiences feel at home. The premise should also be universally relatable; the anguish felt when a loved one goes missing for a lengthy amount of time. Thoughts grow darker continuously wondering what might have happened. When should we get others involved? Or the police? How agitated do we become by the indifference of others?

Polanski’s initial premise involved an American newlywed couple honeymooning in Paris. After lovemaking, the husband showers but finds his wife is no longer in the hotel room when he comes out. As time passes, he grows worried, eventually involving the hotel staff, their security officer, then the police. His limited understanding of French raises frustrating language and cultural barriers to expressing his urgency after discovering clues that she may have been abducted. The police seem unconvinced, so he goes it alone, traversing Paris’s seamy underbelly, hoping he finds her.

Despite Pirates poor performance, Warner Bros. approached Polanski on collaboration possibilities. Polanski pitched his thriller idea, to which Warner agreed to fund $20 million. Polanski immediately coordinated with longtime screenwriting partner Gerard Brach on the story treatment. Their creative relationship involved Polanski coming up with ideas, and orally acting out the characters needed while Brach performed the hands-on process of writing their ideas into a written format. As Brach understood little English, the first treatment was mainly in French.

Polanski wanted to start with the protagonist experiencing jetlag, which further contributed to his disorientation over the course of the story, compounded by a lack of sleep or a moment of peace. This disorientation causes him to act contrary to his rational nature of control and authority. The audience shouldn’t know more than the protagonist to avoid him seeming unintelligent. Due to the character’s building neuroses, Polanski first wanted to cast Dustin Hoffman. However, he later felt all-American types – honest, upright, physically strong – worked best, like Harrison Ford, Jeff Bridges, or Kevin Costner.

Harrison Ford was the one who accepted the role through serendipitous circumstances. Ford’s wife, E.T. screenwriter Melissa Mathison, was working for Steven Spielberg on a screenplay about the Belgian comic strip character, Tintin. Spielberg owned the film rights and wanted Polanski to direct.  Around Christmas of 1987, Mathison was invited to Paris to meet with Polanski. Ford insisted on accompanying her because she was pregnant and worried about her safety due to recent terrorist scares in Europe.

Mathison and Ford stayed in Polanski’s Paris apartment. While out at dinner, Polanski asked Ford what he intended to be his next film. Ford wasn’t sure; he’d been reading through a seemingly endless stack of unpromising screenplays. Polanski mentioned that he was working on something he’d be perfect for and showed Ford the treatment. Ford couldn’t read French, so Polanski began translating it, then proceeded to stand on the table over the next ninety minutes acting out the various roles.  Ford was won over by Polanski’s exuberant reading. He also deeply related to this story of a man who would do anything to protect his wife. Ford said that if the script was exactly how Polanski described it and in English, he’d take the role.

Warner Bros. was ecstatic to sign one of the world’s biggest stars. However, they weren’t enthusiastic when Polanski pitched the treatment. They cited excessive logic loopholes and he and Brach’s ability to write American English dialogue wouldn’t be believable without outside help. Processions of script doctors were hired to help shape it into a script that could cater to Ford’s strengths, but it wasn’t until Jeff Gross, an American author living in France, that someone clicked with Polanski enough to see it to completion. Polanski and Gross spent two months fleshing things out. Gross strengthened the American dialogue with customary idioms and injected how the French come across as arrogant to American tourists. Meanwhile, Brach’s limited English did provide authenticity for the French characters who struggled with communicating with the protagonist, while Ford also consulted over the phone regularly to provide character touches, such as whether he might set his watch to Paris time while on the plane or would wait until he got to the hotel.

One of the things Polanski sensed was that Ford was a very loose person generally until you get too close too soon, then he becomes very tight and protective of his privacy and things he holds dear.  Polanski changed the protagonist into a cardiologist because it captured Ford’s meticulous tendencies and need for order. Ford liked things a particular way and his character should unravel when confronted by forces beyond his control. The doctor relies on instincts he’s depended upon most of his life but would grow anxious and frustrated as he must trust unreliable things to ultimately patch his life together again.

For heightening the audience’s identification with the doctor’s despair, they altered the couple’s relationship as an established partnership. The wife was instrumental in her husband’s moral rectitude and professional success. Through aging up the characters, they developed a new reason for their visit to Paris – the husband’s speaking engagement at an international professional conference. In the original treatment, the wife is abducted because the wrong suitcase she possesses contains drugs meant for the Paris drug cartel. They decided drugs were cliche and opted for something Americans would find scarier when visiting Europe – international terrorism. Polanski recalled a 1985 incident that hit international news involving the smuggling of 800 krytrons to Israel. Instead of drugs, the MacGuffin would be a krytron – a device sought by Arab terrorists for triggering a nuclear weapon.

To prepare for the role, Ford met with several surgeons but found very little in terms of traits they all shared in common save for the way they applied authoritativeness they had in the operating room into their personal lives. He based his character more on a real-life French cardiologist named Alain Carpentier, one of the first to perform an artificial heart implant, in preparation for the film, even though he had no scenes that required him to practice medicine. Ford keenly noticed how Carpentier often expressed himself using his hands often and in an authoritative, elegant way.

Polanski also wrote in a role for his 21-year-old former-teen-model girlfriend (and future wife) Emmanuelle Seigne. Polanski based the character, Michelle, on rebellious party girls he’d met in Parisian nightclubs. Seigner was more innocent and sober than Michelle, and her personal choice for Michelle’s wardrobe didn’t look bold enough during screen tests. Polanski wanted a tough and street-savvy look, someone comfortable traversing the Parisian underground with an impetuous attitude that served her well as a black-market trafficker. Polanski gave his costume designer and make-up artist a picture taken by a friend of a female hoodlum in a subway wearing a leather jacket for Michelle’s prototype look.

Due to her poor English, Polanski sent her to London’s Berlitz School for several weeks for an intensively paced language learning course. She took mime lessons with Anne Sicco, Marcel Marceau’s wife, and vocal and dance lessons to help her shyness and confidence. Seigner lost ten lbs. and her cheekbones were accentuated with additional make-up to look sunken in like a junkie might. She found that her heavy make-up and leather attire created a ‘mask’ that helped her find an authentic personality for her character. She stayed in her ensemble off the set to retain that attitude. Seigner infused Michelle with childlike impulsiveness and a love of dangerous games. She felt Michelle was amoral rather than immoral, and her flirtation with Walker was borne from a desire to be noticed and admired by someone she’s grown to value.

Polanski originally wanted a sexy actress for Sondra but changed his mind after seeing Betty Buckley’s audition, who he respected from her performances in Tender Mercies and Canto. Buckley would represent the rounded, supportive, and maternal woman Walker would be married to and with whom the audience would have an instant identification. For smaller roles, they sought American actors who typically appeared in comedies like John Mahoney and David Huddleston because they could quickly provide the essence of their characters without relying on caricature.

Polanski called acclaimed screenwriter Robert Towne for assistance in making Ford and the other American characters’ dialogue seem crisper and the plot stronger. Towne and Polanski had a falling out after they worked together on Chinatown and disagreed on its ending, resulting in Towne vowing never to work with Polanski again. Frantic producer Thom Mount read Towne’s script to Tequila Sunrise and vowed to get it on the screen, and even let him direct, in exchange for helping Polanksi. Towne felt that time had healed that wound well enough and, in retrospect, their collaboration was a good one overall despite artistic differences. He flew to Paris to work on the script for three weeks, weeding out unnecessary side characters and elements that didn’t build on the core plot. 

Polanski liked to have his actors rehearse scenes up to a dozen times in rehearsal so he could study the movements and expressions. This helped him to determine the best location for the camera and shot compositions. Once he feels it’s ready, they go right to filming.  As Polanski is as committed to meticulousness as Ford, they would do as many takes as necessary until they are both comfortable with the results.

 

Interiors were mostly recreated on a set rather than in real locations because Polanski felt freer and at home, so it produced better results. No more having to block streets, deal with random people, and risk bad weather. They could do what they wished with the decor, modify it, and remove walls when necessary, so they can try camera angles and place lighting that wouldn’t be possible in a real place. In the end, Polanski felt, it ended up costing about the same but with less annoyance. Rebuilding the hotel lobby, where many scenes take place, to change the decor to the requisite grey of the rest of the film, is so much easier than disrupting a real hotel full of strangers walking in and out. Plus, they could move the reception desk as needed and add additional aesthetic touches, including a grand, well-lit ceiling.

Seigner was initially intimidated by Harrison Ford, thinking an actor of his caliber would dominate their scenes. However, found him generous in helping her draw out her performance, and she worked harder to impress Ford with what she could do. As the film progresses, Michelle’s tough exterior softens, drawing out her femininity, while her demeanor, movements, gestures, and style of walking change as she gains confidence in herself. Polanski encouraged Seigner to add something unscripted to each of Michelle’s scenes.  Seigner used body language for capturing ways to express communication beyond dialogue. She improvised gestures and added personality quirks that gave away Michelle’s inner thoughts, adding a comedic aspect to Michelle’s personality to counterbalance Walker’s somber despair.

Polanski loved what Ford did with the role, even though the character was far from the way he envisioned him when they were writing. He was more permissive of Ford to do what he felt than other actors because he felt that what Ford was doing was a better alternative to his own. Polanski told Ford that one day he’d be a fine director and he’d be honored to act in his film. Ford shrugged it off as way too hard, preferring to collaborate rather than dictate.

Ford enjoyed Polanski’s open-minded attitude to let him mold the character arc of Walker. It surprised Polanski when Ford changed the dialogue, but he allowed it so long as it was consistent or better than the written words. Later on, when screening the dailies, he did wonder if he should have at least had a take where he insisted they play it out as he originally conceived it so he could truly observe which was better during editing. For a scene where Walker intended to sniff cocaine, Ford argued that Walker wouldn’t intentionally use a recreational drug and that ingesting it must be an accident he regretted. He convinced Polanski to show Walker washing out his nose afterward.

Ford praised Polanski’s instincts, finding ways to introduce character touches other directors would overlook. Actors can contribute ideas, but Polanski’s ideas are so strong, the best they can do is fine-tune something already deeply considered. It took him a while to get used to a director who told him exactly how to put a cup down or pick up a pen. He called him one of the best directors he’s ever worked with. Ford appreciated how Polanski recognized his complexities and brought them out as an actor. 

Ford insisted on doing his own stunts, which put the crew on edge. Ford believed that seeing the real star in a perilous situation they know isn’t a stuntperson made the audience much more concerned. The sloping rooftop was not on top of a building but still was 30 feet high and the shoot for those scenes took place over six days. Ford said that putting himself in a perpetual state of anxiety and frustration took its toll because he took that home with him every night, something his wife was equally unhappy about. When it was finally over, he felt overwhelming relief to shed those feelings for good.

Buckley called Polanski a master manipulator of actors. For Michelle’s death scene, Polanski wasn’t satisfied with Buckley’s reaction after several takes, so he ordered the make-up artist to add gruesome wounds on Seigner. When Buckley performed the next take, she naturally reacted viscerally, so strong in her revulsion that she felt close to vomiting. While she was deeply upset, Polanski smiled, getting the reaction he’d wanted.

Polanski wanted a red dress for Sondra because it stood out and could be described easily by Walker. He also found a red dress while he was clothes shopping with Emmanuelle as a contrast between the women, and the monochromatic look used in the rest of the film. There is also a lot of Polanski in the film. It’s his version of Paris, the gym in the film is the one he goes to, the blue BMW in the film is his own, and the nightclub, the Blue Parrot, is faithfully recreated in a studio from the Bains-Douches, his favorite hot spot where he met many women like Michelle.

The costume designer went clothes shopping with Ford in Southern California to find the right outfit that would be as neutral as possible, not calling any attention to itself as extravagant or ugly. This was inspired by Roger Thornhill in North by Northwest who has a blue-gray suit that’s suitable for any occasion.

Ennio Morricone composed the music prior to the end of production without reading the script or seeing the footage. Polanski spoke to him in Italian about the movie and the music he felt would work and Morricone came up with a number of compositions based on a framework of electronic music that could be used as needed while editing the film.

Warner thought the film was too long and asked for it to be trimmed down to below two hours. They weren’t happy with the ending thinking it should be more spectacular.  Initially, Richard was being chased by the Israelis in the boat once used by the Arabs. It was only later, in traffic that Richard discovered the krytron in his pocket and threw it into a dumpster. Although Ford strongly urged Polanski not to change his first cut, Warner preferred that he find it more immediately and toss it into the Seine for the US release. Although Polanski disagreed with their requests, he consented to reshoot a few things because he also wanted success and felt having Warner Bros’ enthusiastically behind pushing his film was worth the compromises. Some scenes were excised that contained more misunderstandings and colorful characters diverting too much attention from the core story or being too picturesque, making Paris look too much like the romanticized one Polanski was trying to avoid. After the reshoots, he conceded that what Warner Bros’ wanted was better than his original.

The producers also hired Sam O’Steen, the veteran film editor who worked on Polanski’s Chinatown and Rosemary’s Baby. Filmed in Paris, France. Set for a February 1988 release. Polanski’s first studio effort (Warner Bros.) since Paramount’s The Tenant in 1976. Warner Bros. liked the rough cut enough to discuss doing another film with Polanski before Frantic was released. Polanski says that if he could re-do Frantic, he’d choose a different cinematographer and alternate film stock. He didn’t like the color scheme of greys, greens, and blues, and the blacks aren’t black enough for quality contrast.

Probably not the best commercial for Paris tourism, it’s still an effective Hitchcockian thriller and a triumphant return to the genre by Polanski. Harrison Ford gives an outstanding performance as the doctor and keeps the film together even when the film veers off into poorly misguided directions. The film itself is perfection for the first 45 minutes, a truly gripping mystery, but things begin to sag somewhat as Dr. Walker gets closer to finding out the truth with some contrived coincidences to push the plot along.

Frantic didn’t perform well for a Harrison Ford-led film at the US box office, earning a disappointing $17.6 million, though it did perform much better in other parts of the world, particularly France.

Although Ford was proud of making it, he felt that its lack of success in the United States came from its European sensibilities, and that the film’s pace wasn’t as frantic as the title would connote. He quipped, “Moderately Disturbed” might be more fitting.

It probably would be compared most to Hitch’s The Man Who Knew Too Much, with the humor of that classic replaced here for somber grit and tension. Seigner makes an impressive debut. With some tightening up of the action, and a snappier script, this would have been a classic thriller, but there is still much to like in this interesting and suspenseful endeavor.

• Ford accepted Polanski’s Oscar for The Pianist on his behalf.

Qwipster’s rating: B+

MPAA Rated: R, for violence, some language, brief drug, and sexual content
Running Time: 120 min.

Cast: Harrison Ford, Emmanuelle Seigner, Betty Buckley, John Mahoney, Gerard Klein
Director:  Roman Polanski
Screenplay: Roman Polanski, Gerard Brach