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News & ArtsThursday, October 1, 2009
??!! Guess Who's Defending Polanski?
Posted by Gillian Anderson on Thu, Oct 1, 2009 at 12:10 PM
Woody Allen!
Tons of directors and actors, including Allen, have signed a petition decrying Roman Polanski's arrest in Switzerland. It states in part:
His arrest follows an American arrest warrant dating from 1978 against the filmmaker, in a case of morals.Filmmakers in France, in Europe, in the United States and around the world are dismayed by this decision. It seems inadmissible to them that an international cultural event, paying homage to one of the greatest contemporary filmmakers, is used by the police to apprehend him. By their extraterritorial nature, film festivals the world over have always permitted works to be shown and for filmmakers to present them freely and safely, even when certain States opposed this.
The arrest of Roman Polanski in a neutral country, where he assumed he could travel without hindrance, undermines this tradition: it opens the way for actions of which no-one can know the effects.
Huh, I guess if it's only a case of morals...
3
The logic is irrefutable: it happened like, SO long ago.
Polanski should only walk if Manson gets to go too. His crime was first!
Polanski should only walk if Manson gets to go too. His crime was first!
4
Yes, Max, just a lil' more....
Coincidentally, I re-watched my old VHS of "Rosemary's Baby" last week before his arrest. Striking film with a young Mia Farrow in an ugly haircut. I wonder if he would have made a move on her (he probably did, but who cares) if not for the fact that Frank Sinatra would have knocked his lights out. And how creepy is it that Soon Yi became like the Faye Dunaway character in a Polanski film.
Coincidentally, I re-watched my old VHS of "Rosemary's Baby" last week before his arrest. Striking film with a young Mia Farrow in an ugly haircut. I wonder if he would have made a move on her (he probably did, but who cares) if not for the fact that Frank Sinatra would have knocked his lights out. And how creepy is it that Soon Yi became like the Faye Dunaway character in a Polanski film.
13
These filmmakers did not sign a petition attesting Polanski's innocence, merely protesting the fact that a film festival was used to apprehend him in a country in which he had traveled freely for decades.
It's a very valid concern on their part, which is why you see filmmakers as varied as Brett Ratner, Martin Scorsese, Wong Kar-Wai, and Harmony Korine all signing.
It's a very valid concern on their part, which is why you see filmmakers as varied as Brett Ratner, Martin Scorsese, Wong Kar-Wai, and Harmony Korine all signing.
14
I'm not seeing what the problem is...unless you know that you have outstanding Interpol warrants for heinous crimes dating back...decades. Do Hollywood types typically have that problem? Is that why they're so worried?
Didn't Pinochet get nabbed while he was travelling for fucking medical care? Did they protest that too?
Didn't Pinochet get nabbed while he was travelling for fucking medical care? Did they protest that too?
15
@13, so if a French-born dentist drugs, rapes, and sodomizes a 13 year old girl, PLEADS GUILTY, and then flees the US before sentencing, he shouldn't fear arrest and extradition when he attends dental conventions in Switzerland? That's fucked up.
17
Does talent really excuse raping a 13 year old? I mean, usually, raping a 13 year old gets you a mention in one of Dan's Every Child Deserves a Mother and a Father or Youth Pastor Watch entries, along with jail time. Can anyone who wins an Oscar rape children and get away with it, or just directors?
18
@15, so has this dentist inspired generations to reflect on their own morality through the creation of some of the best films ever made? Has he showed contrition both publicly, through a guilty plea and numerous interviews over the years and privately, through an undisclosed monetary payment to the victim? Did he think the girl was much older? Was he also high as a kite at the time? Maybe still wrestling with his demons after his pregnant wife was murdered? Even so, has there been zero evidence of him victimizing anyone else? Is he a danger to society? Did he already serve some 45 days in jail? Has his victim stated numerous times over the years that she's satisfied and he should be left in peace? Has he been watching his back and unable to return to his life in the US or UK for three decades?
If you say none of that makes it OK for someone to rape a 13 year old, I agree with you. However, it seems to me that this man has more than paid for his crime and if you think we should get the torches and pitchforks, well, I think that's pretty fucked up too.
If you say none of that makes it OK for someone to rape a 13 year old, I agree with you. However, it seems to me that this man has more than paid for his crime and if you think we should get the torches and pitchforks, well, I think that's pretty fucked up too.
20
Breakdown, you gotta be fucking kidding me. He already served 45 days for drugging, raping and sodomizing a 13 year old girl? Wow, justice is served. He should be absolved because he's a great artiste? He was over 40 years old when he raped a child. All of your excuses, he thought she was older, he was messed up on drugs and grief, are nothing more than the same tired, shopworn excused rapists have made for ever. You only missed out on saying she was a slut who dressed slutty and had it coming to her.
This isn't about whether the victim feels justice has been served. This is about whether rich, influential, famous, white men are going to be held to a different standard of justice. Are you seriously supporting that?
This isn't about whether the victim feels justice has been served. This is about whether rich, influential, famous, white men are going to be held to a different standard of justice. Are you seriously supporting that?
22
This issue is about humanity. What good will it do to bring him behind bars now hurting his family, ruining the rest of his productive life? Will it change anything in what happened then? Will it fix anything? Adding another tragedy to the one that happened and that was forgiven by the victim will do any good? Most stupid notion of justice is revenge. Sinister and stupid.
23
You know all you folks who think Polanski has suffered enough and deserves a pass, where where you when Mike Tyson went down for rape. Oh right, he's black. Polanski's a rich white guy, so different rules apply to him.
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@20, that reminds me I forgot to mention that he grew up in communist Poland. Yep, a life of privilege and he didn't do a damned thing to earn any of it.
You do realize, that if he wasn't a public figure the judge wouldn't have screwed him over on the plea bargain and he would have been released with time served, there would have been no need to flee the country and you'd have to find something else to be outraged about?
You do realize, that if he wasn't a public figure the judge wouldn't have screwed him over on the plea bargain and he would have been released with time served, there would have been no need to flee the country and you'd have to find something else to be outraged about?
25
This needs to be settled once and for all. I don't think he should be thrown in jail for years and years, but he should be brought back to the states, face up to his crime, serve it and move on. He could have addressed this years ago and stopped living such a fucked up existence, but he choose not to. He needs to be responsible for the decisions he made.
27
To All The Rape Apologists To The Rich And Famous:
Would you feel the same way if it was your kid?
"That hey, it happened like a really, really long time ago, dude, and he's, like, never been caught raping any other minors up the ass and he's, like, totally an artist with a family now, so I'm totally cool with him serving only 45 days in prison for drugging & raping my kid 'cause she, like, totally looked older than 13 at the time!"
Would you feel the same way if it was your kid?
"That hey, it happened like a really, really long time ago, dude, and he's, like, never been caught raping any other minors up the ass and he's, like, totally an artist with a family now, so I'm totally cool with him serving only 45 days in prison for drugging & raping my kid 'cause she, like, totally looked older than 13 at the time!"
28
Fascist state od US democracy.
After more than 30 years dwelling on the issue of crime commited so long time ago, destroying family life of the victim and the perpetrator is not a justice. Justice is when people come to a normal life. This is just porno-justice made in LA. Now the DA office will distribute images of Polanski balls and of private parts of the 45 years old now woman. Do you remember how they treated Mike Jackson?. I do not like Polanski, but LA judicial system is much worse. It should be a private story, solved not for a benefit of lawyers, it should help a victim, a perpetrator, families and society.
After more than 30 years dwelling on the issue of crime commited so long time ago, destroying family life of the victim and the perpetrator is not a justice. Justice is when people come to a normal life. This is just porno-justice made in LA. Now the DA office will distribute images of Polanski balls and of private parts of the 45 years old now woman. Do you remember how they treated Mike Jackson?. I do not like Polanski, but LA judicial system is much worse. It should be a private story, solved not for a benefit of lawyers, it should help a victim, a perpetrator, families and society.
29
@ 18, I personally think the fact that he is a great artist means they should come down on him DOUBLY hard, if only to help disabuse people of the idea that criminals should be shown lenience just because they also made some great fuckin' art. Um, no, they don't deserve any more breaks than a homeless molester would have gotten.
30
@ 27, if my kid said this:
“And should he come back? I have to imagine he would rather not be a fugitive and be able to travel freely. Personally, I would like to see that happen. He never should have been put in the position that led him to flee. He should have received a sentence of time served 25 years ago, just as we all agreed. At that time, my lawyer, Lawrence Silver, wrote to the judge that the plea agreement should be accepted and that that guilty plea would be sufficient contrition to satisfy us. I have not changed my mind.”
How could I demand vengeance?
“And should he come back? I have to imagine he would rather not be a fugitive and be able to travel freely. Personally, I would like to see that happen. He never should have been put in the position that led him to flee. He should have received a sentence of time served 25 years ago, just as we all agreed. At that time, my lawyer, Lawrence Silver, wrote to the judge that the plea agreement should be accepted and that that guilty plea would be sufficient contrition to satisfy us. I have not changed my mind.”
How could I demand vengeance?
31
@ 30, keep in mind that judges are not obligated to honor plea bargains at sentencing.
Now, can someone point me the way to some discussion of why, in this instance, the judge is alleged to have been up to no good? I want to know if there's any basis for that aside from his apparent intention to send Polanski up the river.
Now, can someone point me the way to some discussion of why, in this instance, the judge is alleged to have been up to no good? I want to know if there's any basis for that aside from his apparent intention to send Polanski up the river.
32
@14
Yes, Pinochet and his lawyers and supporters protested, Hey! He's old and can't stand trial! And Margaret Thatcher helped out.
(I'm not sure if they protested that that was a long time ago, or that he was internationally recognized for his repressive dictator skills, or that the Chilean left looked really Communist to him and was begging for it.)
Yes, judges are not obligated to honor plea bargains at sentencing. And the convicted are obligated not to flee the jurisdiction!
Yes, Pinochet and his lawyers and supporters protested, Hey! He's old and can't stand trial! And Margaret Thatcher helped out.
(I'm not sure if they protested that that was a long time ago, or that he was internationally recognized for his repressive dictator skills, or that the Chilean left looked really Communist to him and was begging for it.)
Yes, judges are not obligated to honor plea bargains at sentencing. And the convicted are obligated not to flee the jurisdiction!
33
TONS= couple of crazy directors I've heard of and three other people I haven't. Yep, that 99% of Hollywood.
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