I thought this was an interesting comment on the whole Polanski ordeal by someone who's worked in Hollywood. And I quite agree with him, you just don't mess with a thirteen year old girl.
I believe Roman Polanski is a wonderfully gifted artist and film maker, but those things don't make a person above the law, which is not an argument I've seen made...directly.
To begin with, the reports from overseas appear to grumble about how Polanski was arrested on a warrant, still valid, issued in 1978. True, that little fact reads a bit oddly, but it's also good to keep in mind that Polanski's been actively avoiding capture during the interim. It's not like this was completely out of the blue. He was wholly aware if he set foot in the U.S., or a country with extradition treaties with the U.S., it was very possible he would be arrested and taken into custody. And that is exactly what happened.
More importantly though, I think it's important to remember that he admitted to having sex with a child. I don't know if there was any actual misconduct surrounding his plea deal as has been alleged, but it's certainly understandable why Polanski would rather flee than go to prison. Given what I've learned about how child molesters are treated in the pin (thank you Oz), I would be scared, too.
Furthermore, anyone shouting out in defense of Roman Polanski seems to be turning a blind eye to what actually happened, because from what I can tell, he did not just have sex with a child, it's likely he raped a child.
A quick look at wikipediea will lead you to a 2003 interview with the victim, Samantha Gailey. In it she recounts what happened that night at Jack Nicholson's home. In 1977, Roman Polanski, then 44 years old, was conducting a photo shoot with Ms. Gailey, then thirteen years old, a child. During the shoot, Polanski provided her with alcohol and quaaludes. Thereafter, he forcibly performed oral, vaginal, and anal sex on her. As Polanski did this to her, Ms. Gailey repeatably resisted and indicated her desire not to have these acts performed on her.
This is text book rape. It's also disgusting.
Now, whether the truth of the matter is what Ms. Gailey testified to, or if things were more mutual (shiver), the fact is Roman Polanski had sex with a child. For that, there is no excuse.
Mr. Polanski is now 76 years old, and Ms. Gailey (now Geimer) is, interestingly enough, about the same age Mr. Polanski was all those years ago. Ms. Geimer has communicated her desire to move on. She has moved to have the charges she brought against him dropped, but only because of the continued strain on her and her family. Whether the state will drop its charges is unknown, but I doubt they will (I support further prosecution after researching this story).
To me, it seems that people are transforming Polanski into the victim. I think that's a sad reaction to his arrest. That somehow, because of his gifts, he's above the law. The reports don't say that exactly, but the attitudes of his supporters' advocacy is screaming it.
In the end, it was Polanski's choice. He chose to have sex with a child. It was also his choice to live in exile rather than face consequences for his actions. After running from those consequences for over three decades, he's been caught. He has no one but himself to blame for any inconvenience he may be facing.
And, if I were in the Obama Administration, I wouldn't touch this with a ten foot pole.
EDIT: I was mistaken on the warrant. In 2005, the U.S. government issued an international arrest warrant for Roman Polanski. Less of a surprise than I thought.
I believe Roman Polanski is a wonderfully gifted artist and film maker, but those things don't make a person above the law, which is not an argument I've seen made...directly.
To begin with, the reports from overseas appear to grumble about how Polanski was arrested on a warrant, still valid, issued in 1978. True, that little fact reads a bit oddly, but it's also good to keep in mind that Polanski's been actively avoiding capture during the interim. It's not like this was completely out of the blue. He was wholly aware if he set foot in the U.S., or a country with extradition treaties with the U.S., it was very possible he would be arrested and taken into custody. And that is exactly what happened.
More importantly though, I think it's important to remember that he admitted to having sex with a child. I don't know if there was any actual misconduct surrounding his plea deal as has been alleged, but it's certainly understandable why Polanski would rather flee than go to prison. Given what I've learned about how child molesters are treated in the pin (thank you Oz), I would be scared, too.
Furthermore, anyone shouting out in defense of Roman Polanski seems to be turning a blind eye to what actually happened, because from what I can tell, he did not just have sex with a child, it's likely he raped a child.
A quick look at wikipediea will lead you to a 2003 interview with the victim, Samantha Gailey. In it she recounts what happened that night at Jack Nicholson's home. In 1977, Roman Polanski, then 44 years old, was conducting a photo shoot with Ms. Gailey, then thirteen years old, a child. During the shoot, Polanski provided her with alcohol and quaaludes. Thereafter, he forcibly performed oral, vaginal, and anal sex on her. As Polanski did this to her, Ms. Gailey repeatably resisted and indicated her desire not to have these acts performed on her.
This is text book rape. It's also disgusting.
Now, whether the truth of the matter is what Ms. Gailey testified to, or if things were more mutual (shiver), the fact is Roman Polanski had sex with a child. For that, there is no excuse.
Mr. Polanski is now 76 years old, and Ms. Gailey (now Geimer) is, interestingly enough, about the same age Mr. Polanski was all those years ago. Ms. Geimer has communicated her desire to move on. She has moved to have the charges she brought against him dropped, but only because of the continued strain on her and her family. Whether the state will drop its charges is unknown, but I doubt they will (I support further prosecution after researching this story).
To me, it seems that people are transforming Polanski into the victim. I think that's a sad reaction to his arrest. That somehow, because of his gifts, he's above the law. The reports don't say that exactly, but the attitudes of his supporters' advocacy is screaming it.
In the end, it was Polanski's choice. He chose to have sex with a child. It was also his choice to live in exile rather than face consequences for his actions. After running from those consequences for over three decades, he's been caught. He has no one but himself to blame for any inconvenience he may be facing.
And, if I were in the Obama Administration, I wouldn't touch this with a ten foot pole.
EDIT: I was mistaken on the warrant. In 2005, the U.S. government issued an international arrest warrant for Roman Polanski. Less of a surprise than I thought.
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