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EXCLUSIVE: I have obtained the email which is going out tonight imploring Hollywood and world moviemakers to add their names to a petition protesting Roman Polanski’s Swiss jailing and possible extradition to Los Angeles.
Dear Friend,
Thierry Fremaux told me the shocking news of Roman’s arrest in Zurich, which by now the whole world is attuned to. We are all incredibly distressed and disappointed by this turn of events, particularly as Roman was en route to receive an award, for his career in film, in a country where he often visited and even had a home.
In Marina Zenovich’s documentary “ROMAN POLANSKI: WANTED AND DESIRED”, it clearly showed that a plea bargain was made with the judge; the District Attorney and Polanski’s lawyers too acknowledged that a deal had been made. Roman however got a tip that the judge had recanted his decision and planned to double cross him, causing him to leave the US to which he has not since returned.
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.
I urge you to add your voice to this fight. Thierry and the French artistic community are beginning an extraordinary battle to bring justice to this situation, including reaching to the highest corridors and President Sarkozy. We as Americans, and as part of the global film community, must be prepared to stand together and lobby against the governing bodies of this case.
If you would like your name added to this petition, please email [private address].
I also support you forwarding this email to others in our community to enlist their help and support.
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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First he drugs and rapes a 13 year old. Then the 40 something Polanski starts sleeping with the 15 year old Nastassja Kinski. Any other profession, everyone would recognize him for the sick perv he is. But hey, he makes movies, he’s won some awards, so I guess he must be an OK guy. Right?
How is it that when so many people enter the film industry they completely lose their sense of right and wrong? Every person who signs that signs that petition or speaks up on his behalf should be forced to read the victim’s statement to the police before opening their mouths and making fools of themselves.
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/polanskicover1.html
Roman Polanski must serve his time for the crime he committed. The people who are supporting him must ask themselves, “if this little girl was my child, would I feel differently?” The answer would be a resounding yes. Signing the petition shows no moral compass.
REALLY glad to see Anita Busch back in print, even in the comments seciton of DHD. Hope to see more of Anita, we need her voice and viewpoint.
Thanks for posting this link. It makes this whole petition thing seem even sicker.
I totally agree with you. Polanski committed a terrible crime and regardless of time passed should be tried and convicted. Would he be treated with the same ‘regard’ if he were a plumber, joiner, lawyer or dog walker?
What must have happened to his mind after Sharon Tate’s gruesome death? His behavior though was wrong and I feel the punishment and sentence should be delivered to Mr. Polanski by his victim. People should remember that 13 year old boys and girls use drugs and are sexually active, wether legal or not.
Mr. Polanski should make a film for the penal system about the dangers and repercussions for this crime…and it is a crime even though it was consensual.
It was not, NOT consensual! He drugged, raped and sodomized a 13 year old girl. All the while she said NO and asked to be taken home. That is rape! If that is not rape then I don’t know what is. This is statutory and regular rape! He needs to be locked in prison not making movies.
First, the victim has requested that no action be taken against Polanski. Secondly, the only one who is going to be further harmed is the victim and her family. Thirdly, Polanski has already settled out of court on a monetary settlement for the victim, which she accepted.
Make no mistake, there will be NO JUSTICE in the US for Polanski. There will be a tree ring media circus that will cost taxpayers millions. Old wounds will be reopened for the victim and all the time and money she has invested in her recovery will have been wasted.
Polanski has had some horrific experiences with America. His wife Sharon was slaughtered along with many of their friends by American svengali Charles Manson. The judge in his trial for the rape conviction decided to disobey the wishes of the prosecution and the defence in an effort to make an example of him…all because he was famous.
Wealth and fame may have it’s perks, but it also has it’s downside. Judges and politicians sought to use him and his conviction to further their own political aspirations. It was a wonderful example of the US Judicial system at it’s corrupt best.
Besides, since the US wants Polanski so badly, I say they should be willingl to give up Henry Kissinger in return (who’s wanted in many countries on a World Court war crimes conviction). So, why doesn’t the EU band together and demand Kissinger for Polanski? LOL, let’s see how badly the Americans howl and gnash their teeth over that one.
Free Polanski, and coax the Americans into fixing their now corrupt judicial system.
POLANSKI, HIS DEFENDERS AND OTHER HOLLYWOOD VOICES
We are workers in the entertainment industry.
We’re troubled by the statements of several prominent industry figures, regarding the treatment of Roman Polanski by law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and Switzerland.
Polanski is an accomplished film director, but he is not above the law. He stands convicted, in part by his own testimony, of perpetrating a serious crime upon a thirteen year old girl.
The fact that he committed the crime 32 years ago does not diminish the gravity of the act. And, instead of facing up to the legal (and moral) consequences of his act, Polanski fled, making himself a fugitive from justice.
The fact that his victim would like to put her horrific experience behind her does not in any way mitigate Polanski’s guilt.
His courtroom admissions are not the only indication that Polanski, unlike his high-profile defenders, is aware that his crime cannot be lightly dismissed. We believe that by agreeing, in October 1993, to pay his victim $500,000, Polanski was tacitly acknowledging, sixteen years after his crime, that he had done serious and lasting damage to another human being.
Every person in the United States is entitled to due process under the law. If Polanski believes that his case was adjudicated improperly, he is entitled to appeal his conviction. It’s doubtful that he lacks the funds to hire a more than competent legal team.
He has legal recourse and the means to avail himself of it. But the idea that the legal consequences of his actions should be waived, in light of his contributions to the art of motion pictures, gives every appearance of an elitist evasion of the responsibility of a society to protect all of its members from harm, especially the most vulnerable.
Polanski’s high-profile advocates can exercise their influence to make sure that he is treated fairly. But they should not be using their celebrity to lobby for his escape from the just consequences of his behavior.
We call upon our prominent colleagues to let justice take its course. Their widely reported pronouncements to date call into question the moral judgment, not to mention the compassion, of the entertainment community.
Bernard K. Addison
Perry Adleman
Jeryll W. Adler
David Andriole
Graham Beckel
Robert Curtis Brown
Jennifer Caldwell
Frances Callier
Jordana Capra
David Clennon
Lisa Cohen
John Cygan
Joe d’Angerio
David Dedinsky
Anthony De Santis
Emily Dibinie
Cindy Dolenc
Jon Edelman
Leon David Franco
Thomas Furlano
Ashley Gable
Bonnie Garvin
Eve Gordon
Samantha Hartson
Sumi Haru
Patricia Hill
Basil Hoffman
Chane’t Johnson
Peaches Johnson
Janis Jones
Mobin Khan
Henry Kingi
James Lafferty
David Macaray
Sandi Mahanna
Leo Marks
Diane Modafferi
Paul Napier
Barbara Niven
Morgan Paull
Gladys Peters
Scott Pierce
Joel Polis
Lee Wayne Ryder
Michael Sanville
Joan Sekler
Angela Shelton
Anne Silber
Angel Tompkins
Todd Waring
I choose to remain on the side of justice. I will not sign the petition.
Reminder: Roman Polanski Raped a Child. (http://www.salon.com/mwt/broadsheet/feature/2009/09/28/polanski_arrest/index.html)
Agreed. The man has evaded justice for all these years. Why is he above the law? Why is everyone rushing to defend a predatory rapist? Dan in NYC is totally right and so is hwah. I noticed Woody Allen had come to his defense. How appropriate.
Like Busch, you’re right.
Ummm, he did NOT serve a sentence. He served 42-days for psychological evaluation. The deal would have been “time served” under the 42-day evaluation.
He fled the country. He jumped bail. Despite what Ms. Winger said, it is NOT a minor technicality. That is ILLEGAL.
No surprise he is fighting being brought back. When he is, hopefully he will get additional jail time for his crime of fleeing. Plus, if he stays in US (I hope they ban him) he should have to register as a sex offender.
I am amazed at the Hollywood numbskulls who are willing to look the other way for a crime that many love to claim is old history. Gee, wonder if they’d say the same thing about the young girl recently found after being kidnaped & raped? Or if happened to one of their kids?
Hey. I like Roman’s work, but I’ve also read a thirteen year old girl’s testimony. It’s damning.
He broke the law, and not one of those victimless crime laws. ANYONE else and NO ONE would want to give them any breaks. Then, he fled from justice like a coward. You know, sorry, he needs to face the music.
Anyone who signs that petition is a dipshit.
This claims, “While he is not above the law, Polanski received his punishment and served his time . . . ” He did? Him running away from a sentencing and living a free man in another country is serving time? I’m sorry, but this petition turns my stomach.
“The idea of Roman Polanski incarcerated is an anathema and a situation that we, who have the privilege of making movies, cannot tolerate. . . ”
You make movies. That’s it. Now shut up.
Dan and hwah, go get stuffed.
Like it or not, in the 1970s, it was totally legal to try and cut a plea bargain for this type of activity (that was the law back then, no matter how reprehensible it may seem nowadawys). If you could convince the District Attorney that you were not a danger to society, that you had some sort of giant mental brain-fart and that you were remorseful, leniency was a possibility.
Roman Polanski did everything the law ordered him to do. He was incarcerated in a psychiatric facility for 42 days and examined by doctors who submitted written findings. The DA decided to go with leniency and cut a deal. All of this was TOTALLY legal.
The judge decided to double-cross the DA and impose a strict sentence, probably to increase his chances of re-election. THAT was illegal.
Polanski fled when it became apparent that he was being railroaded.
AT WORST Roman Polanski is a fugitive from “justice” but despite your opinions, hopes and desires for justice (read revenge) he has already done every minute of time the law required for his crime.
Deal with it.
So presumably you were up in arms when a judge tore up a plea bargain between Bank of America and the SEC a few months back? Judges *can* do that, and it is not illegal.
Maybe the judge thought 6 weeks of looking at ink blots for drugging and raping a 13 year old girl was too lenient?
I think the rest of the world would agree.
anotherwgamember – he did not do “every minute of time the law required” because he fled the country before sentencing. He didn’t stick around to see what the law required.
What we’re talking about is a bunch of folks signing a petition to support a guy who, in his 40′s, liked having sex with 13-15 year old girls. Talk about the judge and DA all you want. Wrong is wrong, and the dopes supporting Polanski should know it. The perv doesn’t deserve any support.
Oh, that’s right. It wasn’t about him raping a child. It was that he was a victim, on the wrong side of sleazy, double-crossing judge.
Maybe if he hadn’t raped a child to begin with, he wouldn’t be in the position for a judge to betray him.
you’re pretty ignorant about what a plea bargain is. it’s not a binding document signed in blood.
the judge did nothing illegal. you have no clue what you are even saying.
Polanski would not be dealing with this had he not become a fugitive which is a crime in and of itself.
Actually we have no idea what the judge decided to do because the admitted child rapist choose to flee the country before he was sentenced. If his sentence was not what he agreed upon with the DA, he would have had grounds for an appeal. As already mentioned, it is up to the judge to decided the final sentence.
You are correct – he was originally charged with 7 or so felonies but admitted he was a child rapist. He should have taken whatever sweet deal they offered him and been done with it. I hope they bring back all the charges and send him to LA Country with Roscoe and Chuy.
Feral dogs protect their young from predators. What does this say about these people who are defending Polanski?
AT WORST he’s a fugitive?! Are you kidding me? At worst, he’s a scumbag pedophile who stalked, drugged, and anally raped a child. Let’s forgive him because he made Chinatown and the Pianist. He’s should rot in jail for his crime and his flauting of the law. he’s a douche. A criminal douche. Anyone who signs a petition to “free” him should be ashamed.
Why is it that some people feel the need to mention that he “anally raped” the girl rather than just saying “raped?” Does the fact that he put it up there as opposed to in there make it a worse crime?
You are playing fast and loose with facts: a psychiatric evaluation is NOT prison time. Additionally, as you point out he IS a fugitive from justice and he has yet to serve any penalty for that as well.
But hey, you LOVE Chinatown so we can let this slide, right?
What a dumb statement. Equating raping a child to a “brain fart.” He raped a little girl. What kind of dipshit defends that behavior? Idiot.
@ anotherwgamember -
It’s you who doesn’t know what you’re talking about. Plea bargains are still done all over the country and in LA – BUT – the adjudicating judge has ever right to turn it down – at which time the defendant can rescind their guilty plea if they don’t like the final sentence.
You know, it really frosts those of us who know the case and refuse to be swayed by one more biased, BS Sundance HBO flick.
The facts are this – there is Grand Jury testimony that has never been refuted by anyone, not Polanski and not the victim (well, Polanski in his testimony said that he continued despite the 13 year old’s protest because in as he stated “she was not unresponsive” – which is probably the most disgusting of all his rationalizations for the crime), he never went all the way through his trial, skipped the sentencing despite BECAUSE he had been made aware of the fact that he could quite possibly be sentanced to time in prison.
HE HAS NEVER SERVED HIS TIME – HE FLED BEFORE SENTENCING!!!!!
It’s typical of a WGA member to not know what they’re talking about. But in this case please keep your yap shut and let us all assume your an idiot, instead of posting nonsense so we all know for sure.
He was not double crossed by the Judge – he knew they Judge could reject the plea. And guess what – if the Judge refused the deadl…Polanski could WITHDRAW HIS GUILTY PLEA. That’s how the law works. The Judge could not simply impose a sentence without allowing him to redraw his plea. Bottom line – 42 days for psyc evaluation is not “time” for rape. Rape!
Yes, it was legal for the DA to make his recommendation. But it was also perfectly legal for the judge to ignore that recommendation and sentence Polanski as he saw fit to do (as long as it was within the parameters of what the crime merited). This in no way constitutes a double cross. If Polanski was not satisfied with this, then it was within his right to rescind his guilty plea and face trial. Instead he chose to become a fugitive.
Got to jump on the bandwagon here, anotherwgamember. You are way off on the law. In 1978, the sentencing guidelines for the crime to which Mr. Polanski PLED GUILTY was 5 to 8 years. He did this and admitted to having sex with a 13 year old in open court to aovid the harsher 25 year possible sentence that involved sodomy, giving drugs to a minor, etc. That was a choice that he made because the DA and his attorney (well paid, very good attorneys) worked out a deal that they were recommeding time served. Legally, the judge makes the final decision and is not part of that process. I don’t see any miscarriage of justice if the judge had ordered jail time for what Mr. Polanski did but we will never because Mr. Polanski decided to commit another crime by fleeing the jurisdiction. This ludicrous idea that he was railroaded, that the judge was acting illegally or that he had served his time is a Hollywood fiction and is not borne out by any of the facts.
You missed a point of law, I am afraid. A plea bargain is a gentleman’s agreement between the DA and the defense. In essence, the defendant agrees to plea guilty in exhange for the DA asking thr judge to consider a lighter sentence. The judge is not legally bound to accept the terms of the plea.
Also, until the sentence is passed, a trial is not over. Until the trial is over, no punishment is issued. So Mr. Polanski, who skipped out 42 days into a 90 day psych eval ordered by the judge prior to sentencing, has never been sentenced nor punished for his crime. He should therefore return to the US and allow this trial to end.
I agree. This is appalling. What are these people thinking? He raped a 13 y.o. child. From the linked article above, “according to the victim’s grand jury testimony, Roman Polanski instructed her to get into a jacuzzi naked, refused to take her home when she begged to go, began kissing her even though she said no and asked him to stop; performed cunnilingus on her as she said no and asked him to stop; put his penis in her vagina as she said no and asked him to stop; asked if he could penetrate her anally, to which she replied, “No,” then went ahead and did it anyway, until he had an orgasm.”
Last time I checked, the court of public opinion counts for exactly jack s**t when it comes to legal matters.
Read the transcript of the plea deal. The judge promised him nothing and Polanski acknowledged that he understood this:
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0928091polanskiplea8.html
“Do you understand that at this time, the Court has not made any decision as to what sentence you will receive?
Polanski: No response.
“Do you understand that the Judge has not made any decision?
Polanski: Yes
“Further, do you realize that this Court will not make any decision regarding probation and sentence unitl after it has read and considered the report….
Polanski: Yes
I agree. This petition is preposterous. He is a rapist and a fugitive.
Where do I email to sign the petition?
try sending it to the sanitation department, Harris.
He raped a 13-year-old girl.
Hollywood’s ok with that? Guess I shouldn’t be surprised.
Whatever you do in your emails of support, do not mention that HE DRUGGED AND RAPED A CHILD. “Hasn’t he suffered enough?”
I’ve also seen news stories where they said “he had sex with a child” or “minor”. Let’s keep that language clean of anything that sounds awful. Makes me sick to my stomach.
Yes, let us save the child rapist from punishment because he makes movies.
Like so many hangovers from the 70′s: watergate, vietnam – this case has a generational component to it. It you are under 35 (which I’m sure many in the prosecutor’s office are) you did not experience the loosey-goosey 1970′s that so many of these Polanski apologists experienced.
People under 35 grew up in an era where they were told: NO MEANS NO, drugs are bad, sex can kill you. They also experience a world with zero tolerance: corporate drug tests, teens prosecuted for statutory rape when having sex with each other, very real consequences for what might have been considered “youthful transgressions” of the past.
The rules have changed for the generation that is taking over the reigns in America – these Hollywood dinosaurs may not realize it yet, but they have.
Thank you, Meg! It’s really true. I grew up in the 1970′s and they didn’t call it the ‘Me’ Generation for nothing. I really can’t believe that the so-called movers-and-shakers of this industry are pulling rank to support a man who raped a child. It boggles the mind. Woody Allen signing the petition, with no sense of irony? The wonk-eyed, Paleolithic Harvey Weinstein, a man who doesn’t even wash his hands after a pee, speaking for ‘us’? If Hollywood thought our economic troubles were half-over, this petition is going to bite them right in their middle-aged, denial-loving wallets. The lack of respect and concern shown to the victim of a sexual assault is disgusting. I’m glad I’m out of work right now and don’t have to hear this shiite at the watercooler all day.
Justice is blind. It shouldn’t do special favors for the rich, the famous, or the talented. What Polanski did to that girl was perverted,sick,and despicable. Justice needs to be served at long last. Anyone who would sign that petition is either sadly uniformed or amoral pond scum.
“Justice is blind. It shouldn’t do special favors for the rich, the famous, or the talented.”
Or Catholic priests. But they’re still on the loose, with the Pope covering for them. (Check out their history in Ireland if you’re not appalled enough.)
yes to the first two comments above. yes to the guardian uk for starting to publish the list of supporters (Woody Allen, David Lynch, Martin Scorsese, Michael Mann, Wim Wenders, Pedro Almodóvar, Darren Aronofsky, Terry Gilliam, Julian Schnabel, the Dardenne brothers, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Wong Kar-Wai, Walter Salles, Jonathan Demme, Tilda Swinton, Monica Bellucci, Asia Argento, Harvey Weinstein). and yes to hoping they all get a chance to visit their dear friend in a california state prison where he will soon be serving his much deserved time. hopefully he will be out just in time for the next award season, too.
Not impressed with the famous filmmakers on the list. Most have personal lives that cross boundaries and hurt people. First do no harm.
Bunch of sick fucks.
If Michael Vick had to serve time for mistreating dogs, this A-hole should serve his time for drugging and sodomizing a child.
Absolutely correct.
Polanski should not have fled the country.
He raped a 13-year-old girl.
It could be anyone’s daughter.
That said, the District Attorney should have probably let this extradition request disappear. The victim and the perp came to some sort of “settlement.” As far as she is concerned it is time to let it rest.
She is more forgiving than I would be.
The sad thing is that people are much more willing to excuse indiscretions against animals than against humans. How many people would balk at giving cash to some charity for starving Africans, but would willingly give everything to help save a terrier?
When I looked at the list of supporters, I had to chuckle when I saw Weinstein. Man, does that guy love backing the dead horse in every race or what!
And the best child rapist award goes to…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-seitzman/and-the-best-child-rapist_b_302249.html?page=4&show_comment_id=31822632#comment_31822632
I couldn’t agree more! It kills me how our country gives people more jail time for smoking pot than it does for someone sexually assaulting a child! We should value children above animals, and plants.
Do these people really think that if the entire Academy of Motion Pictures signed the petition it would convinced the DA’s office to stop their prosecution? “Wanted & Desired” was probably the worst thing to happen to Polanski b/c it made him overconfident and riled up the prosecutors. I hope he gets whats coming to him, but these “supporters” are idiots if they think they are helping his cause.
This issue, more than anything, displays the absolute depravity Hollywood has become – and making excuses for a child predator is beyond disgusting. I hope now the American public will now see how completely unnecessary it is to consider the opinions of these celebrity idiots.
I can’t think of a more egregious example of Hollywood being out of step with public opinion than this (maybe Ishtar?). Seriously, the man is a fugitive from justice, and needs to be brought to heel for his heinous crime.
PS The recent documentary was NOT impartial; it was a highly skewed, pro-Polanski love letter, and anyone who takes its lies at face value is a dupe.
really Hollywood? This is your political cause? health care reform…. and freeing a man who drugged and anally raped a 13 year old?
Woody Allen, David Lynch, Martin Scorsese, Michael Mann, Wim Wenders, Pedro Almodóvar, Darren Aronofsky, Terry Gilliam, Julian Schnabel, the Dardenne brothers, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Wong Kar-Wai, Walter Salles, Jonathan Demme, Tilda Swinton, Monica Bellucci, Asia Argento, Harvey Weinstein, Debra Winger… WTF?
Sign the petition and just maybe you’ll get the chance to be part of Polanski’s next film if he walks. It’s an opportunity too good to pass up. Right!?
Please, folks. Polanski may have ass-raped a child, but he bruises easily.
I can not even find the words to describe how disgusted I am by those signing the petition. I assume they’re fighting questionable constitutional fringe areas like lifelong sex offender registration as well – oh, wait. It’s Hollywood. Headlines aren’t involved so I don’t give a rat’s ass.
Pathetic.
Simply as an academic question, I have to wonder what type of award Ms. Winger would want to bestow on Mr. Polanski if it were HER 13 year old daughter that had been drugged and raped?
This very existence of this petition fuels the image of Hollywood as out-of-touch narcissists worshiping a golden idol in their own image. Is morality and a respect for law some outdated, quaint notion from another time?