Why You Should Care About the Roman Polanski Culture War
From GI Joe to F-bombs, we've reported from the front lines of more than few cultural skirmishes. But none to date boast the impact of the firestorm surrounding Roman Polanski -- the renowned Oscar-winning filmmaker, idling in a detention cell in Zurich, battling his arrest and potential extradition based on his flight from sentencing in a sex-crime case three decades ago. The creative community has rallied in his support. The media ask why an artist should be above the law (and what the law even means in a case riven with judicial misconduct). The public demands blood, and they may get it: Considering the lengthy appeals process facing the 76-year-old, there is the very real possibility of Polanski dying in jail before justice -- however you define it -- is served. Amid all the disconnections and breakdowns, could this be any more of a disaster?
First, the news: Polanski today appealed against his arrest to the Swiss Federal Penal Court, which said it would announce a judgment in the "next few weeks." That's another "few weeks" that Polanski is locked up, signifying an unconscionable disgrace to those film-industry leaders already distressed that Swiss police (at the request of the Los Angeles County district attorney's office) rained on his Zurich Film Festival parade. Moreover, they write in a petition,
His arrest follows an American arrest warrant dating from 1978 against the filmmaker, in a case of morals. [...] Roman Polanski is a French citizen, a renown and international artist now facing extradition. This extradition, if it takes place, will be heavy in consequences and will take away his freedom. Filmmakers, actors, producers and technicians -- everyone involved in international filmmaking -- want him to know that he has their support and friendship. [...] If only in the name of this friendship between our two countries, we demand the immediate release of Roman Polanski.
The petition's signatories comprise a who's who of contemporary cinema: Martin Scorsese, Wong Kar-wai, Pedro Almodovar, Jonathan Demme, Tilda Swinton, Julian Schnabel, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, and nearly 100 more luminaries (and counting). They're supplemented by Harvey Weinstein, who mines Polanski's tragic past in today's Independent: "How do you go from the Holocaust to the Manson family with any sort of dignity? In those circumstances, most people could not contribute to art and make the kind of beautiful movies he continues to make." Weinstein concludes with the Polanski defenders' standard coup de grâce, arguing that the director fled sentencing after his 1978 guilty plea for unlawful sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old because the judge, Laurence Rittenband, was expected to renege on the deal.
Marina Zenovich's documentary Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired indeed lays out Rittenband's publicity-hungry strategy, which Weinstein and others have invoked as reason to dismiss Polanski's sentencing and the warrant for his arrest. But as Michael Wolff argues, the film instead motivated prosecutors to revenge. "The documentary reminded everybody that the L.A. prosecutor must be turning a blind eye to Polanski, wandering freely in Europe," Wolff adds, "hence the arrest now is the prosecutor covering his ass."
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I don't understand why the fact that the victim has forgiven Polanski has any bearing on his crime of fleeing the country before serving his sentence. He pled guilty and then ran away. Wouldn't any other fugitive have to face that? I just don't see why he should get a pass.
Relax, relax. It doesn't make me happy. Sometimes pot does, but not semantics. I honestly think not allowing him in the country anymore was a good enough punishment. I don't make the laws. I don't decide what is okay to do or not. I know this story is gross, but I know there's a lot going on here. I mean, how much longer is he even going to be alive?? I dunno. I'm just trying to not think with my gut. It's hard, but this is a spectacle, and even "news" sites are talking about this, and I just wish this suddenly wasn't An Important Thing In The World Right Now.
Lock him up, I don't care anymore.
Fittingly, it's less renowned as well.
statements are taken in for consideration but not the bottom line. let's say, god forbid, you get raped and you forgive your attacker after he/she serves 45 days in jail for psychiatric evaluation (which roman did NOT do). they free him and he rapes another, what then?
He wouldn't have run the risk of dying in jail if he had done his time when he was supposed to. He brought this on himself.
I honestly think not allowing him in the country anymore was a good enough punishment.
did i miss the memo or was he was banished to darfur instead of living as a millionaire (his home country), able to travel europe and the world as he pleased?
i am relaxed but i can't say that i am not genuinely surprised at the reactions of some people. especially since michael jackson and o.j. simpson, two men who were found not-guilty by a jury of their peers, garner more hate. roman polanski basically told the american system to go fuck itself AFTER pleading guilty. does that mean nothing and if not, then why follow the law at all?
Personal advice to Mr. Polanski: Next time, just kill your ex-wife.
Forget Olive Garden, the man has been kept from Pinkberry, the harshest of all LA punishments.
I can't wait for the new film school brochures with a coupon good for one free child rape upon graduation. Noble professions deserve noble rewards.
oh and let's not forget that roman will be tried for escaping the u.s. as a fugitive not necessarily for the rape case.
also besides "forget it roman, it's switzerland..." and "this is what happens when you fuck a stranger in the ass" how many movie quotes can one draw from this?
Not sure victim impact statements apply when the victim was a minor at the time. If they did, there wouldn't be any statutory rape cases because the victim would always make the impact statement, "But we love each other!"
Polanski's case is NOT statutory rape, BTW.
it doesn't, and he wont get a pass, but maybe it should, and he should get a pass.
His decision to molest a 13 year old, then flee, was emotional, expecting him to serve his time is logical.
The accumulated filth of all their sex and murder will foam up about their waists and all the whores and politicians [and French Film Directors] will look up and shout "Save us!"... and I'll whisper "no." - Rorschach in "Watchmen"
Agreed.
Is now not the time to admit I really liked "Bitter Moon"? His prison AV Club should be packed.
Not to evoke Family Guy, but -
Lois: "Stewie, what are you doing??"
Stewie(beat): "Playing house."
Lois: "But he's tied up."
Stewie: "Roman Polanski's house."
If this is the case, then great artists should be well and truly prepared for equally liberal interpretations of justice.
snicker.
I'm for locking him up and throwing away the key, but a couple of points on this whole twisted mess:
1. I once worked in a (theatre exhibition company) office where the subject of Polanski came up. It was around the time of the Oscars and The Pianist. I posed the question of, "If you could work with Roman Polanski on a project, would you?" I was the only one in the room who said I wouldn't.
2. Sunnydaze: What Polanski did is rape AND statutory rape, besides fleeing, etc., etc. There were probably a ton of other charges that could have been thrown in.
3. Bess Marvin is correct in speculating that this may not have been the only time it happened. I have no proof, but the party/artistic circle that Polanski traveled in (Nicholson et al.) was notorious for this sort of thing. Bob Rafelson in particular makes my skin crawl. And Jack, I love you, but how you could be around this crap sickens me. Go read some Peter Biskind books if you don't believe me.
4. Old No. 7- man, was Sharon Tate hot.
Ooh, so can I be on the committee that decides who is "great" (and, for that matter, who can be called an "artist")? Cuz that's where it's gonna get reeeeaaallly nasty.
His wife was killed.
the dude: "polanski. that creep can tell a great story."
sobchak: "thirteen year old, dude."
No, statutory rape implies consensual>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statutory_rape
That was a OJ/Robert Blake reference. That makes the joke funnier now, huh?
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