Repulsion

Roman Polanski has been visited by two extraordinary tragedies in his life. Born in 1933 to a Russian mother and a Polish-Jewish father in Paris, the Polanski family later moved to Krakow, Poland in 1936. They were residing there in 1939 when Hitler's Germany occupied Poland and forced the Jewish population into the Krakow ghetto. While there, his father and mother were sent to separate concentration camps. His father in Mauthausen-Gusen and his mother in Auschwitz. Only his father survived. The young Polanski eventually escaped the Krakow ghetto with the help of multiple Polish Roman Catholic families whose faith he adopted. Polanski later made great art from his ordeal with the Oscar winning holocaust film, The Pianist in 2002.

Then in 1969 his wife, actress Sharon Tate was brutally murdered by members of the Manson Family in Los Angeles while Polanski was at their London home. Tate was stabbed 16 times in her 8 1/2 months pregnant belly. Perhaps understandably, Polanski lost his faith and returned to the agnostic roots of his parents.

These two horrors are more than anyone should have to bear. But bear it Polanski did. And in the 60's and 70's he made several great films. 1965's Repulsion starring the great French beauty Catherine Deneuve, is one of the most harrowing portraits of a woman's descent into madness ever committed to celluloid. He followed that triumph with 1968's Oscar nominated psychological horror film Rosemary's Baby. Next came his controversial, bloody Shakespeare epic Macbeth in 1971. Then his 1974 film noir masterpiece Chinatown starring Jack Nicholson made his ascension complete. These films in particular established him as one of the pre-eminent filmmakers of that era. His only true rival in form and content was the late, great Stanley Kubrick. Despite all he had been through, he was at the top of his profession with honors both critical and commercial.

Then in 1977 he did the unthinkable. Under the pretense of a photo shoot for the French edition of Vogue (which he was guest editing), Polanski convinced the mother of a 13 year old girl to allow a private photo shoot with only him and the young lady present. It's hard to understand what would compel a parent to allow her barely teen aged daughter to be photographed privately by a 41 year old man she barely knew. Maybe she was starstruck, or thought she might gain an opportunity at fame through her daughter. Regardless, the decision proved tragic. During the second(!) shoot, Polanski fed the girl a steady diet of champagne and quaaludes. He then, performed oral sex, intercourse, and sodomy upon her. And not that it should matter, but she claimed to have said "no" repeatedly during each sexual act.

Of course, the subsequent court case turned into a media circus. A lascivious act performed by a famed Hollywood director on an under aged girl would have produced plenty of heat on it's own. However, to make matters worse, the vain, headline seeking Judge Rittenband may have been "coached" by LA Deputy District Attorney, David Wells. A terrific 2008 documentary, Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, covers the court case in excellent, clear-eyed detail. The documentarian's interviews with DA Wells definitely leads one to believe that misconduct was likely committed by both the judge and the prosecutor. After Polanski plead guilty, he and his attorney had been led to believe that the plea agreement would result in probation and 42 days of time served. Upon learning that the DA may have unduly influenced the judge, Polanski, fearing a possible prison sentence, fled to his London home then France where he still held citizenship. Since the French government has a non-extradition policy for it's citizens, Polanski has lived there freely ever since.

Until now. On September 26, 2009, Polanski traveled to Switzerland to receive a lifetime achievement award from the Zurich Film Festival. Polanski was arrested by Swiss police at the Zurich airport under the terms of the existing US arrest warrant (there is no statute of limitations for the crime). There are many questions surrounding the arrest. Polanski had been to Switzerland several times previous and even owned a home there. So why now? Did the Swiss government have some great moment of clarity and morality? Unlikely. There's probably some political grandstanding going on. After all, it has been over thirty years, leaving plenty of reasons to be suspicious.

So how in the hell should anyone feel about this? A guy did a terrible thing over thirty years ago and may be returned as a senior citizen to the United States to face a possible kangaroo court and a media onslaught. He has apparently done nothing nefarious since. And what of the victim? She wants no part of any court case involving Polanski. In fact, she has forgiven him and has actually stated that she feels sorry for him. Of course, the fact that they reached a $500,000 settlement in 1994 may have something to do with it. Still, she's a private person who has no interest in taking the stand against her assailant for something that happened over three decades ago. Shouldn't her wishes be considered?

It's not as if she's the only one who has no desire to see a geriatric Polanski sentenced to prison. It's probably not much of a surprise that many of Polanski's friends from the film making community are asking for leniency. Of which, Martin Scorsese and Jack Nicholson have been the most vocal. Hell, even France issued a statement supporting Polanski (they have since reversed their position).

So, what is their argument in favor of Polanski? Their defense largely rests on the fact that it happened a long time ago and he's a great artist. True enough. However, the protests of Scorsese and Nicholson remind me of John Mellencamp's "free James Brown" argument of the late 80s. Brown had been arrested and jailed for domestic abuse and for shooting at police officers from his truck while he was high as a kite. Mellencamp said they should let James go because when he was a kid "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" meant the world to him. Ok, I think I know what John means. I love the Godfather of Soul too, but it's sort of like the joke Chris Rock once made about O.J. Simpson. He said "...if O.J. had been a bus driver, he would have been Orenthal, the bus driving murderer."

So, in the end here is what I think: Roman Polanski is a great filmmaker who has endured incredible personal hardship. The original court case against him was likely "fixed" (as far as the sentencing was concerned), and probably would have resulted in a mistrial. This terrible thing he did happened a long time ago and he has kept his nose clean ever since. However, in 1977 he drugged and raped a 13 year old girl. And if he were a bus driver, he would be Roman the bus driving child rapist.

Sumo-Pop
October 3, 2009