Sunday, September 27, 2009
Film The Trap
Posted by Charles Mudede on Sun, Sep 27, 2009 at 6:57 AM
No one can say that Roman Polanski has not had a life:
(CNN) — Filmmaker Roman Polanski has been arrested on an arrest warrant stemming from a decades-old sex charge, Swiss police said Sunday.What a life indeed.The Academy Award-winning director pleaded guilty in 1977 to a single count of having unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, acknowledging he had sex with a 13-year-old girl, but fled the United States before he could be sentenced. U.S. authorities issued a warrant for his arrest in 1978.
He was taken into custody trying to enter Switzerland on Saturday, Zurich police said.
Polanski, 76, has lived in France for decades to avoid being arrested if he enters the U.S. He declined to collect his Academy Award for Best Director in person when he won it for "The Pianist" in 2003.
He was en route to the Zurich Film Festival, which is holding a tribute to him, when he was arrested by Swiss authorities, the festival said.
Polanski was nominated for best director Oscars for "Tess" and "Chinatown," and for best writing for "Rosemary's Baby," which he also directed.
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2
There are legitimate concerns about how the case was handeled decades ago, but if he were a stage hand I doubt people would cut him as much slack as he is getting. He should not get a free pass just because he is Roman Polanski.
7
Polanski was a concentration camp victim so obviously its the Nazis in the Obama Administration who are doing this. Also, they are "deniers" who are Democrats and their favorite color is blue.
13
The whole thing with the 13-year-old was kind of a sham, featuring heavy doses of prosecutorial cluelessness and misconduct...See this doc for more details: http://www.romanpolanskiwantedanddesired…
14
I don't understand why he went to Switzerland if he knew they'd extradite him. And he would have to know that. When your life is on the line, you make sure you know those kinds of things. This makes no sense.
15
Actually, it wasn't statutory rape it was just the plain, garden variety rape. However, the victim (now an adult) thinks its pointless to prosecute him after all this time and would just like to drop it.
17
"Ruler Of The Universe Supreme (ROT-US) @9 is John Bailo."
Thank you for acknowledging my diety.
Next time you see me, please kneel and kiss my ring.
Thank you for acknowledging my diety.
Next time you see me, please kneel and kiss my ring.
20
RIght, because slipping a 13-year old a quaalude and sodomizing her is consensual. There may have been issues with court misconduct, but no one disputes the fact that he raped her.
21
@13
good critique of the doc: http://www.salon.com/ent/feature/2009/02…
he's a rapist who escaped punishment.
good critique of the doc: http://www.salon.com/ent/feature/2009/02…
he's a rapist who escaped punishment.
23
I look forward to this being over (his sentence). He doesn't pose a threat to anyone anymore, and should have access to Hollywood. Yes, because he's Roman Polanski.
25
Slightly off topic but wow... According to that age of consent site, in the Vatican State, the age of consent is 12. Holy See, Batman! It doesn't say if the altar boys have to be married or not though.
27
@13
The transcript of the victim's testimony is here: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/pol…
That seems pretty black and white (and disgusting) if you believe her. Whether or not there was judicial misconduct seems like noise.
The transcript of the victim's testimony is here: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/pol…
That seems pretty black and white (and disgusting) if you believe her. Whether or not there was judicial misconduct seems like noise.
28
See how sick perverts in Hollywood have corrupted our culture? Guys like Roman Polanski run around, doing all sorts of decadent, debauched things, and making movies, and then the social fabric of our country is torn, and next thing you know, impressionable young minds like those of Glenn Beck wind up warped, and he's snorting the cocaine! And raping and murdering a girl! At least, that's what I heard. I heard some of that from him. I forget which part. But really, it's the fault of Hollywood! By gum, if you want to sexually abuse somebody, you'd better take the oath, join the Army (just like young Glenn Beck did) and go to an Iraqi prison before you do that kind of sick shit! Wake up, Amurrica!!!
29
He was the R.Kelly of his generation.
Perhaps he needs to get Kelly's lawyer and PR person
cause it didn't seem to hurt his career all that much.
Perhaps he needs to get Kelly's lawyer and PR person
cause it didn't seem to hurt his career all that much.
30
14: He didn't know he'd be extradited because he has a vacation home on Switzerland and had been summering there for years. If you had vacationed in a country for decades with immunity, wouldn't you maybe be surprised if they suddenly decided to arrest you?
As for people dredging up the victim's testimony, you may want to consider the fact that she herself has forgiven Polanski and has stated her desire not to be dragged through the public spotlight again. If it were up to her, the charges would have been dropped years ago. People aren't so pro-victim's rights when the victim decides they don't want to a part of the law-and-order mob.
As for people dredging up the victim's testimony, you may want to consider the fact that she herself has forgiven Polanski and has stated her desire not to be dragged through the public spotlight again. If it were up to her, the charges would have been dropped years ago. People aren't so pro-victim's rights when the victim decides they don't want to a part of the law-and-order mob.
31
The victim is irrelevant at this point. The laws we have on the books are not there to protect people specifically or to provide justice to victims but to govern the social interactions of the country and prevent non-authorized uses of coercive force. Read Max Weber.
The state often re-victimizes people who have experienced violent crime by forcing them to testify in open court because we believe in a right to confront our accuser - so to say that we should stop the prosecution of Polanski because the victim has forgiven him is really something only people in the middle east do (or at least the UAE, where it's permissible to give blood money to victims and their families instead of going to court).
We had LAWS here, it may not be popular or "fair" but justice is more about equality under the law (meaning directors don't get off scott free and 30 yrold Black men put in jail for life for the same exact crime).
The state often re-victimizes people who have experienced violent crime by forcing them to testify in open court because we believe in a right to confront our accuser - so to say that we should stop the prosecution of Polanski because the victim has forgiven him is really something only people in the middle east do (or at least the UAE, where it's permissible to give blood money to victims and their families instead of going to court).
We had LAWS here, it may not be popular or "fair" but justice is more about equality under the law (meaning directors don't get off scott free and 30 yrold Black men put in jail for life for the same exact crime).
32
I would have rather had my college paid for than have my ex-step-father go to prison for two measly years for molesting me from age four to age twelve. Kate 134 is correct, the law isn't thinking so much about the specific victim at hand.
33
It's not just about the victim, it's also about future potential victims (locking criminals up so they don't have the opportunity to re-offend) and acting as a deterrent to others by publicizing consequences of breaking the law. The civil tort system is supposed to provide compensation to victims if the criminal has the financial resources.
34
"justice is more about equality under the law (meaning directors don't get off scott free and 30 yr old Black men put in jail for life for the same exact crime)."
Are you referring to Michael Jackson and R Kelly as those 30 yr old black men in jail for the same crime? This ole "if he was black" has worn thin. If he were black he wold have more support both because of fleeing to France (which named a street after black cop killer Mumia) and his actions 30-something years ago. If anything all those black folks who cry about double standards should be sticking up for Polanski. After all if R Kelly got off the hook and there was a video showing him doing it, wouldn't it be racist if Polanski doesn't get a free pass to? I should add, it was routine for blacks who committed murder to flee to other countries in the 60's and 70's and they were considered heros and martyrs by lefties
Are you referring to Michael Jackson and R Kelly as those 30 yr old black men in jail for the same crime? This ole "if he was black" has worn thin. If he were black he wold have more support both because of fleeing to France (which named a street after black cop killer Mumia) and his actions 30-something years ago. If anything all those black folks who cry about double standards should be sticking up for Polanski. After all if R Kelly got off the hook and there was a video showing him doing it, wouldn't it be racist if Polanski doesn't get a free pass to? I should add, it was routine for blacks who committed murder to flee to other countries in the 60's and 70's and they were considered heros and martyrs by lefties
35
"justice is more about equality under the law (meaning directors don't get off scott free and 30 yr old Black men put in jail for life for the same exact crime)."
Are you referring to Michael Jackson and R Kelly as those 30 yr old black men in jail for the same crime? This ole "if he was black" has worn thin. If he were black he wold have more support both because of fleeing to France (which named a street after black cop killer Mumia) and his actions 30-something years ago. If anything all those black folks who cry about double standards should be sticking up for Polanski. After all if R Kelly got off the hook and there was a video showing him doing it, wouldn't it be racist if Polanski doesn't get a free pass to? I should add, it was routine for blacks who committed murder to flee to other countries in the 60's and 70's and they were considered heros and martyrs by lefties
Are you referring to Michael Jackson and R Kelly as those 30 yr old black men in jail for the same crime? This ole "if he was black" has worn thin. If he were black he wold have more support both because of fleeing to France (which named a street after black cop killer Mumia) and his actions 30-something years ago. If anything all those black folks who cry about double standards should be sticking up for Polanski. After all if R Kelly got off the hook and there was a video showing him doing it, wouldn't it be racist if Polanski doesn't get a free pass to? I should add, it was routine for blacks who committed murder to flee to other countries in the 60's and 70's and they were considered heros and martyrs by lefties
36
We've torn apart any mental concept of "society", (well, Thatcher and Reagan did their best), but when it comes to criminal prosecution, yeah, even conservatives believe there's such a thing as society to punish you in the name of.
Heard somebody point out on a BBC radio show today that Los Angeles is the jurisdiciton with 12,000 unprocessed rape kits... which makes this a weird kind of populism, to tear down a celebrity (who, uh, did it! guilty! guilty! guitly!) to show the regular folks that we're a system of laws, not men, but uh... regular folks, 12,000 of them, also need those rape kits processed. Ugh.
Extradition time..... can we trade them Gonzo?
Heard somebody point out on a BBC radio show today that Los Angeles is the jurisdiciton with 12,000 unprocessed rape kits... which makes this a weird kind of populism, to tear down a celebrity (who, uh, did it! guilty! guilty! guitly!) to show the regular folks that we're a system of laws, not men, but uh... regular folks, 12,000 of them, also need those rape kits processed. Ugh.
Extradition time..... can we trade them Gonzo?
37
33: I would say that Polanski has spent the last three decades demonstrating that he's not an ongoing threat to society.
38
Charles,
Indeed, Polanski has seen it all. But, I now believe after reading several accounts, he should not escape justice:
http://www.salon.com/mwt/broadsheet/feat…
He is a great artist but is greatly flawed. It is extremely difficult to have any empathy for him.
Indeed, Polanski has seen it all. But, I now believe after reading several accounts, he should not escape justice:
http://www.salon.com/mwt/broadsheet/feat…
He is a great artist but is greatly flawed. It is extremely difficult to have any empathy for him.
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