Movie Review: Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired (2008)
Sympathy can be found for a man that hardly deserves it
Photo: THINKFilm
I have always had a relatively negative opinion of Roman Polanski the man. I now realize it all stemmed from my lack of complete knowledge based on his case in which he pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl and subsequently fled to France to avoid sentencing. I now realize that is not even half the story and with all the details now on the table I am finding it hard to judge Polanski anymore than he already has been.
Outside of the details I offer above, other details surrounding this case are relatively well known including the fact that both Polanski and Samantha Geimer, the 13-year-old involved, took at least half a tablet of Quaalude as well as had some champagne. Polanski was photographing the young girl for the French edition of Vogue and after the drinking and drugs Polanski and the girl had sex, and based on statements made it was not consensual. Reports would lead many to believe Polanski took part in the following trial only to flee once he realized sentencing could possibly put him behind bars for a very long time. The details as presented in Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired fill in some rather large gaps that put it all into an entirely different perspective.
The cast includes Roman Polanski, Michael Caine, Dick Cavett, Joan Collins, Faye Dunaway, Mia Farrow and Jack Nicholson. For more information on this film including pictures, trailers and a detailed synopsis choose from the following menu.
Review
"Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired" is a THINKFilm release, directed by Marina Zenovich. This film has not yet been rated by the MPAA.
You don't have to believe Polanski is a good man to realize he stood trial and was ultimately treated unfairly. You get the impression he was being pushed and pulled around by a publicity seeking judge. It wouldn't be such an effective argument had prosecuting attorney Roger Gunson not backed up every negative thing said about the judge and even goes as far as to say he doesn't blame Polanski for fleeing. Even Samantha Geimer is interviewed and says the judge didn't care about what happened to her or Polanski, only about his own image. I guess this is so shocking to me because I have been making an assumption that Polanski fled the country only to avoid sentencing (which he technically did), but once the whole story is put in front of you and you realize someone in power was actually out to get him you may begin thinking you too would have fled as well.
The doc is put together extremely well by director Marina Zenovich outside of a couple of moments where she tries to get a little too fancy when presenting documents for the viewer to preview, many times the words flash on the screen in a way not allowing the reader to catch up with what is written only to have it disappear before you actually get the whole story. However the doc never presents Polanski as someone you should be sympathetic toward based on the crimes he allegedly committed, instead the film presents the facts and lets the viewer be the judge.
I have always enjoyed Polanski's films (The Pianist, Chinatown), but I still remain creeped out by a man that would take advantage of a 13-year-old girl, especially when considering drugs and alcohol were involved. However, it is difficult to not have sympathy for a man that also lost his mother in a World War II concentration camp, whose wife was savagely murdered by the Manson gang and was then part of a highly publicized and obviously poorly conducted rape case. All of this doesn't make him innocent, but it certainly adds details to a story that has been overly simplified down to the dirty details over the past 30 years.
Links from Other Sites You May Like
Showing 2 Comments
~ PLEASE NOTE ~
If, in any way, your comment is an attack on the author of this post or a previous commenter, your comment will be deleted without question.
Add a New Comment |
Click to Read Our Commenting Rules & Guidelines
An adult male having nonconsensual sex with a 13 year old is hardly statutory. Any one else would be labeled a sex offender and maybe a pedophile. He pled guilty so presumably he DID IT. It should also not be ignored that he fled which requires its own punishment (yes, even in a flawed system). There is no sugar coating this with "taking advantage."
To be fair to other sex offenders, notifications should be sent out whereever he lives.
W. Beatty, J. Nicholson, and especially R. Evans, were all notorious for the precise behavior that Polanski got busted for. The difference is, they didn't get caught. Big difference. The 70s were a time of outrageous lawlessness sexually/drugwise, especially in Los Angeles. I am in no way condoning it-just stating an opinion, based on a lot of reading.