Roman Polanski, or pardon me but your poll is in my neck.

Yeah, I'm the worst troll ever sometimes :-(

Just curious: Who are the vocal defenders of Polanski that say he shouldn't be sent to jail? I looked around but couldn't figure out which "Hollywood celebrities" have been willing to put their names to defending him publicly.

Personally, I think it's just to try him for the crime. Years in Europe != Time Served, and if he has extenuating circumstances (Nazis/Dead Wifes/Whatevers) that might mitigate the case, he can present that like any other defendant. If defenders are like, "I really love his films, and it's hard for me to reconcile that love with what I know about his crimes," that's one thing and I empathize with it, but if they're like, "He's old / He's too good a film maker / etc to be tried for his crimes..." that's totally bizarre.

Nevermind. Found a link.

Zachary Taylor, who was the pervert involved in Sleepers? Hope it wasn't Barry Levinson.

I understand the impulse to avoid these films. In my house, we don't watch Pee Wee or listen to the music of Elton John.

BHL still serves up a huge portion of emotional blackmail to make his 'special privileges' argument. DENIED.

As fantastic a filmmaker as I believe Polanski to be (and I'd argue that experiences in his early life enhance his practice in many ways) that in no way excuses him from a rape charge, even if the victim claims to have moved on. That's enabling behaviour reinforcing the idea that 'she'll get over it' and 'he'll get away with it' which IMO is fucking up rape conviction rates as it is. Also that whole rape-rape comment: was Whoopi Goldberg not a victim of same, and if so, WTF?

Maybe people are just really tired of having the "Can Art Be Valuable And Still Be Made By An Ethical Douchebag" conversation and were hoping to avoid seminar questions in the future like, "Why do we have to study Chinatown if Polanski was a rapist?" And, I gotta imagine, a lot of talented filmmakers probably see their own skill and talent as a sort of referendum on their own ethical/moral value (not unlike millionaires who believe they're wealthy because Jesus loves them), and so a talented filmmaker who is a total sleazebag might be problematic to that vision.

Tho that's all challops cause it's probably just bros defending bros, and God knows petition signer Woody Allen doesn't have a flawless record in the creepy sexual department.

Chinatown is all about totally unscrupulous people so being directed by Captain Rapey adds a layer; sometimes the only thing of value an ethical douchebag leaves is art.

I think it's weird how many people seem up in arms about that SICK BASTARD child rapist this week, but didn't have anything to say about it last week or the last two decades.

Ummmmm....the thread was revived cuz of the news?

Yeah, no one's saying we should destroy his films. Of course, if they do, I will come down hard on such douchery with a walloping ban suggestion.

Oh god: someone try to watch Sharon Tate's sister speak, zombie-like, to Matt Lauer. She insisted that the "encounter" was "consensual."

Lauer is such a coward that he can't even say, "Have you read the transcript?"

I ban Matt Lauer.

What's kinda fucked up is:

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #482 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV) for Rosemary's Baby.

The highest ranking for Chinatown is in the 1,000s, but there are 4 or 5 different versions of that you can buy.

maybe they're assuming rosemary's baby is an erotic study of said infant.

Yeah, no one's saying we should destroy his films. Of course, if they do, I will come down hard on such douchery with a walloping ban suggestion.

― boring movies are the most boring (Eric H.), Wednesday, September 30, 2009 12:16 PM (37 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

i realize that in france the sick practice of "auteurism" has led to directors having certain legal "rights" in relation to films on they have worked, but i'm fairly sure that the best films that bear the name "polanski" are safely owned and controlled by the good people at paramount, or viacom, or gulf & western, as it might be.

Perverts.

Oh god: someone try to watch Sharon Tate's sister speak, zombie-like, to Matt Lauer. She insisted that the "encounter" was "consensual."

― Roman Polanski now sleeps in prison. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, September 30, 2009 7:21 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

I saw this this morning, it was on at my gym. It was almost sad how bad a job she did in defense of Polanski. I think the whole point of statutory rape laws is that a 13 year old is not legally capable of giving "consent" to an adult to have a sexual encounter. People like Whoopi Goldberg and what's her name Tate do not seem to understand this. It IS rape because its impossible to give consent.

it was also rape because the girl said "no," over and over and over again

someone try to watch Sharon Tate's sister speak, zombie-like, to Matt Lauer. She insisted that the "encounter" was "consensual."

Funny how she's always going on about "victim's rights" any time one of Manson family goes up for parole, but when it comes to a child rapist it's totally a-ok if he never has to answer for his crime.

she said "no" but it wasn't "no-no"

No, no no! No "No! No", no no-no. No?

There's no limit.

What's kinda fucked up is:

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #482 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV) for Rosemary's Baby.

The highest ranking for Chinatown is in the 1,000s, but there are 4 or 5 different versions of that you can buy.

Why is that fucked up? It's a horror "classic" and we're heading straight into horror/Halloween season.

also it was directed pre-rape, if that helps.

Old New Statesman comp winner: greeting from a dinner party host most likely to make you leave immediately ...

"Roman Polanski's here, and he's simply dying to meet your daughter!"

I couldn't care less about his life, but if the victim doesn't care neither do I the end

But the crime (not the tort) is not against her, it is against the State. To evolve from blood feuds and a legal system that essentially looked at most non-treasonous or non-blasphemous crimes as misdeeds against indivduals, the Common Law instituted the King's Peace, known here as simply 'the Peace'. Polansky's victim's opinion may indeed be relevant to sentencing but let us note that he has already pled guilty to the crime - it's the sentencing and punishment that remain to be determined.

We seem to be gaining a lot of ground in this thread.

Why is that fucked up? It's a horror "classic" and we're heading straight into horror/Halloween season.

Eh, okay, but the same thing happened with the Mamas and the Papas Greatest Hits last week. I guess you could make the argument about us heading straight into the "all the leaves are brown" season...

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b89/nemesiscw/MichaelJacksonPopcorn.gif

I would be able to agree more with your point if there was a huge increase in a bunch of his movies, but a horror movie spiking in Fall doesn't really jump out as a startling statistic. I'd be interested to see past years sales trends for Rosemary's Baby this time of year. But like I said, if you were showing me that 6 of his movies suddenly shot into the top 1000 or something, I'd be included to agree with you.

If there is a surge in sales, it can probably just be chalked up to morbid fascination. Like, let's see what kinda movies this pervy guy we never heard of before makes! Independent of current events, I think it's only a good thing if more people are exposed to his films. It's just too bad that this current mess had to be the promotional blitz.

The really depressing thing about all this is the cluelessness of all those who signed the petition. I can't decide if it's actual stupidity about the legal system or they're just worried about not getting invited to cool parties anymore.

Like, let's see what kinda movies this pervy guy we never heard of before makes!

you don't even have to be that specific, publicity = publicity. hell, i might watch repulsion, i've never seen it.

Well, yes, but some of these people really think that Art is Transcendent.

(xpost)

the description of film festivals as "extraterritorial" is one of the strangest things to come out of this.

they're considered international waters.

Yeah. What really got me was Debra Winger claiming that this had to do with "philistinism"--like I don't even know where to begin with that. Who are these people?

500+ posts about this? really?

Philistine.

While he is not above the law, Polanski received his punishment and served his time, and the deal is not being honored. The idea of Roman Polanski incarcerated is an anathema and a situation that we, who have the privilege of making movies, cannot tolerate. We must lobby against any move to bring him back to the US where he could face jail time. Unfortunately, some believe that a man, considered by many to have suffered enough, has in fact not and has another uphill fight ahead of him.

analthema

i get it that brett ratner is on the side of the polansks.

but kent jones? that is some fucked up shit.

considered by many to have suffered enough

For the avoidance of doubt, they're talking about a man who was locked up for 42 days for psychiatric evaluation after drugging and raping a thirteen-year-old.

going way back here, but tbh i don't think there's much of an argument to be made with "yes he is a rapist and yes he probably should serve time", it's not rocket science —

hoping to avoid seminar questions in the future like, "Why do we have to study Chinatown if Polanski was a rapist?"

This kind of thing always confuses me, maybe because I'm used to English students* — knowing anything about anything, even if they want to ask sophomoric questions about it, is good, and I think any educator worth their salt ought to be able to both deal with and acknowledge the value of that question. (A friend of mine doing Contemporary American Fiction for his MA went to a class on David Foster Wallace, and when they were talking about the story 'Suicide As A Sort Of Present', mentioned Wallace's suicide, which no one in the class was actually aware had happened, or was prepared to focus on the notion that it might be biographically relevant data)

* ... because I was one, not because I'm a professor or anything

by "english students" i meant as in country of study, but admittedly both ways works

David Thomson plays the dense card:

Of course, the charges were deadly serious and they are not much in dispute. Nor is it up to the girl to decide the matter. Yes, there are people who say "poor Roman Polanski". They remember the loss of his mother in Auschwitz; his own childhood, hunted by the police. They recall the night in 1969 when the Manson gang descended on a house on Cielo Drive in the Hollywood hills and slaughtered Polanski's wife, Sharon Tate, the child she was carrying, as well as several others. By a weird coincidence, Susan Atkins, one of the Manson gang and someone who admitted knifing everyone in sight that night, died in prison only last week. It was said that Atkins had turned to God and good work, but she was never paroled just as Manson won't be if he lives to be 300.

You can argue that it's a very silly case, only possible in LA and with a judge who couldn't make up his mind. But any other judge is going to have to gauge where public opinion stands. Do people know who Polanski is? Do they remember the case? Should they care? What is the message passed to the public if Polanski is fined for the bail infraction while the original case is settled?

Polanski is 76. He has a wife in Paris now (the actor Emmanuelle Seigner) and they have two children. This is a case that the parents of children should decide.

highly ambiguous last sentence. let's hope the judge isn't, like, gay or something.

kingkongvsgodzilla, way up there, I mentioned Sleepers as another film I wouldn't want to watch again and meant Sleeper. I don't have anything against Kevin Bacon.

My only point was some of my favorite art just isn't worth watching anymore, but I'm not above selling it cheap rather than burning it.

"The idea of Roman Polanski incarcerated is an anathema and a situation that we, who have the privilege of making movies, cannot tolerate."

Oh, ok. you win. I wanted the guy locked up for raping a 13 year old, but since you who have the privilege of making movies can't tolerate it, I guess it can't happen. Nice work.

All this talk of Polanski just reminds me that I still haven't seen The Tenant or Repulsion and that I should get around to watching them at some point.

So, you know, other people with similar reactions might be what causes sales of his movies to slightly increase.

Is the general consensus here that Monica Belucci, Tilda Swinton, Debra Winger, etc. are just cluelessly backing their comrade?

I wonder what their thought process on this is.