If you hadn't noticed, I was staying out of the whole Polanski mess. Yes, he's one of my very favorite film directors... but it just isn't a particular minefield that I felt like wandering into myself. Thankfully my pal Sean did and summed up where I stand in the process, so I'm yanking this from him:"Rosemary's Baby is one of the all-time great horror movies, Chinatown is overrated, what he went through during the Holocaust and with the Manson murders is awful beyond imagining, and people who drug, rape, and sodomize 13-year-olds as they scream "no" should go to fucking prison."
The only bit that I don't agree with is the Chinatown being overrated part. That's bonkers. Otherwise, yes. And I've seen Wanted & Desired (it's a great doc; one of my faves from last year) and know that perspective on the case, but the facts - the horrible facts - remain. Whatever bullshit went down with the Los Angeles court system, whatever nonsense the judge was pulling, Polanski has not paid for his crime and he is not above the law. And I doubt that Debra Winger & Co. would sign a petition for a child rapist who didn't have an Oscar sitting on the shelf of his cabin in the hills of Switzerland. (God, that cabin. I get so completely distracted from all the specifics of this case when I start staring at that cabin. I'm tempted to make a "Who do you have to rape to get a cabin like that?" joke, but... ah damn.)
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This whole situation has made me wonder... was John Wayne Gacy's true crime not also being an Academy Award Winner? Same for all those Catholic priests?
"Sure Gacy murdered a bunch of young men. But did you see his movie The President's Mistress?! Fucking brilliant!"
Wes Anderson really disappointed me. I am sure he cares...but still.
I can't even look at the list of people who are defending him, thomwade, it's too much. David Lynch, Scorsese, Tilda Swinton! Agh! So many people I love singing an indefensible thing. I have to block it out or I might never watch a movie ever again.
Yes, he has had many awful things happen to him in his life. Yes, he is a awesome director. But he's also a rapist who pled guilty and ran. The previous misfortunes he had in his life were out of his control. But for this misfortune, he has no one to blame but himself. He should take responsibilty for his actions. I don't want to read that list and I can't believe any women would sign it.
I can't believe there is even a debate at all. It ASTOUNDS me.
For anyone who DOES want to see the list of people who signed:
http://www.sacd.fr/Tous-les-signataires-de-la-petition-pour-Roman-Polanski-All-signing-parties.1341.0.html
Darren Aronofsky!
This is just incredibly depressing.
Well, not that I'm supporting his actions, but he plead guilty to unlawful sex with a minor, not rape. There's a huge difference between rape and statutory rape. When I was 16, I had sex with a 40-year-old guy, and I pursued it. Should he go to prison? I don't think so. Given this case is different and Polanski certainly took advantage of her, but I have serious doubts as to how forcible the "rape" was.
Furthermore, Polanski totally got screwed over by our judicial system, so I do understand why he fled. He served the time he thought he needed to serve, even though it was minimal. Overall, I cut the guy some slack.
The victim's testimony reads ALOT more like rape than 'just' statutory rape. To me, it sounds like the judicial system has screwed her over.
And of course if the victim says it happened that way, then it must have happened that way. Because we all know that 13-year-old girls never, ever tell lies.
He drugged her. That is rape. Period. This is not open to debate. This is not about differing moral codes. This is about drugging and raping a thirteen year old.
I find it horrifying that you would write this off as "of course the victim would say that..."
Your consensual sex at sixteen (which, depending on where you live? Is not even statuatory rape) has zero bearing on Polanski drugging and raping a thirteen year old. Yes, some teens try and initiate sex with adults. Gee, that makes it okay.
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