Perhaps the biggest news in the film industry this week was the arrest of noted filmmaker and fugitive of the law Roman Polanski. Polanski is the director of great films such as ""Chinatown,"" ""Rosemary's Baby"" and most recently, ""The Pianist,"" for which he won an Academy Award for Best Director. He was also a fugitive, wanted in the United States for the rape of a 13-year-old in 1977, until his arrest Saturday in Switzerland.
His arrest in neutral Switzerland has brought a wave of protest, from French actors and dignitaries to great American directors such as Martin Scorsese and Woody Allen. There is already a high-profile petition, signed by Scorsese, Allen and many others, demanding Polanski's immediate release. While no one can argue the artistic merit of Polanski's work, you would have to be brain-dead or lack a moral compass to think he should be released and forgiven.
For those of you who don't know much about Polanski and his case, here's a little background. Polanski went through a lot of strife in his life, ranging from his imprisonment in Auschwitz (and the killing of his mother there by Nazis), to the grisly murder of his eight-and-a-half-month pregnant wife Shannon Tate by followers of Charles Manson. Polanski was so distraught over the murders that he gave away all of his possessions, saying they reminded him of Tate too much.
Eight years later, in 1977, Polanski was invited to guest-edit an issue of Vogue, and took modeling photos of 13-year-old Samantha Gailey. Polanski asked her to undress in front of him, and took a series of photos with her drinking champagne, in which Polanski had placed quaaludes (a popular sedative at the time) in her drink. He then proceeded to engage in unwilling cunnilingus, vaginal and anal intercourse, with Gailey protesting each time. This is not disputable evidence, as Polanski signed court documents admitting to as much. Polanski was hoping for probation, but when the prosecuting judge seemed to be moving toward jail time—which is certainly not unreasonable given the crime—Polanski fled the country and has moved throughout Europe in exile for over 30 years.
People often talk of celebrities receiving preferential treatment or lighter sentences because of their status, and Polanski was arguably in that boat. He was this close to only receiving probation for raping a 13-year-old girl, but when minimal jail time was discussed, he fled. Polanski apologists will point to the victim, now 44, motioning to have the case dismissed as evidence that Polanski should be let go. But wouldn't you want to try to leave behind a case that has defined you for over 30 years too? What Roman Polanski did was unforgivable. Not only did he perpetrate a heinous crime, but rather than face the consequences, he fled like a coward, living in the lap of luxury in Europe.
There is no denying Polanski's work has artistic merit, but that does not excuse him from facing punishment. Gary Glitter, who wrote the stadium anthem ""Rock and Roll Part 2,"" also known as ""The Hey Song,"" tried to flee his home in Vietnam after being arrested on charges of molesting girls aged 10 and 11. In the case of Glitter, however, justice was served, and he spent three years in a Vietnamese prison, and was deported thereafter. Even now, stadiums try to avoid playing Glitter's song, choosing to play a cover of it or eliminate it from their playlists altogether. Yet through Polanski's years of exile, his works have received endless airplay, and he even received an Oscar for his directing work. Why such a double standard exists is beyond me.
""Chinatown"" is one of my all-time favorite movies. Starring Jack Nicholson (whose house was the site of Polanski's rape) as private detective J.J. Geddes, the film deals with corruption in Los Angeles and features a horrible villain named Noah Cross who raped his daughter. In the final scene of the film, his daughter laying dead int he street, Cross grabs his granddaughter, his incestuous intentions clear. Critics at the time lauded the film's dark, gritty feeling, and classes have studied the sheer evil of Noah Cross for years. Maybe the moral issues in Polanski's case are unclear for people like Woody Allen (a man who should be familiar with inappropriate relationships with his own children), but they certainly aren't for me. The sooner Polanski can accept what he did and begin serving his punishment, the better.
Think Polanski deserves to be released? E-mail Kevin at kevslane@gmail.com.
