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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.
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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?
Here is the list of names signing the petition:
1. Woody Allen
2. Woody Allen’s stepdaughter/wife
3. Fatty Arbuckle
If I make a movie you like, can I come over to drug and rape your daughter?
I can’t help but wonder what kind of response you would receive from some of the people who have already signed this absurd petition if this had happened to their 13 year old daughter. I look at some of those names and would expect a full on war to apprehend and sentence the rapist. I can’t imagine the case just going away because the man in fault was a talented filmmaker or because the victim wanted it to go away. The girl was a child and said no, more than once. This petition is ridiculous. The victim 100% testified she was raped and drugged. Just because its been years and the man won an Oscar, has some fancy friends – we should give him a pass? What are these people thinking? If one of their kids were molested, their wife, a family member…they might be signing something different… perhaps documents with the toughest, meanest lawyers in town or maybe hiring a mercenary… Makes my stomach turn.
Agrees with Anonymous.
If it were a Catholic priest who molested a child do you think they would be signing a petition to free Polanski?
I doubt it.
Hollywood is so hyprocrytical sometimes. I just don’t get them.
But it is good to hear that at least 1/2 the people in France are for him being extrodited and returned to the USA to go to jail if need be, and the govt of France is rethinking their support of him.
I think too many people who support Polanski did not read the transcript of what really happend. And now that the trial transcript has been released on the internet people are reading it, and they are getting a better idea of what really happen.. not of what Mr. Polanski or his PR people want you to believe.
We have the rule of law in the USA. He commited and admitted to a crime. He should be punished. And as he jumped bail, and has been gone for 30 yrs, he should be given the max. sentance of Jail time allowed.
Where is the one we sign to make sure he doesn’t get away?
I’m really confused by this strange logic people seem to be using. Well, he successfully avoided jail for 30 years, so we just let him go now. Is this like a game show? He evades for long enough so that means he wins?
Polanski’s main contention for why he ran was that the judge was dishonest. Uhhhh, okaaaay. The judge is dead now. So you can come back and get a fair trial right?
Good analysis from commenter Meg (”this case has a generational component to it”).
In the meantime, “Welcome back to L.A., Roman. Some things have changed while you were away…”
Vick didn’t “mistreat” dogs, he tortured them.
Funny, I never saw this kind of petition when Victor Salva was sent to jail for molesting 12 year old-boys. But then again, Salva isn’t nearly as talented as Polanski, so I guess that’s okay.
For the life of me, I don’t understand how anyone with half a brain would sign a class justice-fostering petition like this. Publicly expressing your support for a sexual predator… Good Lord. I’d expect this sort of lily-livered behavior from the likes of ‘holier-than-thou-arthouse-favorites’ like Schnabel, Argento, Wenders and Salles. But Scorsese? Aronosfky? I thought you’d know better.
Brilliant!!!
If this were a petition for clemency from the judge then ok, it would be an acceptable action to take if you genuinely believe his past sufferings, alleged judicial misisconduct, the victims own wishes etc etc mean he shouldn’t be punished more than the 45 days he has already served. But its not. In my opinion anybody who signs this is essentially stating that a rapist should not have to face justice and account for the crimes he committed because he is a great artiste. How can that be right?
And he is a rapist. He was 42, she was 13 & he knew it. He got her alone in a house, took semi-nude pictures of her, gave her drugs & alcohol & then had sex with her. The only contested fact is whenther she said no at the end of all that. How can that be anything other than repugnant & morally indefensible I do not know. Unless of course we believe that children who do not say no to their abusers are really complicit and so its not a crime?
I agree completely. But for argument’s sake, and to take the position of some of his advocates (misguided though they may be) let’s just say that he had no idea she was underage. If you brought an adult woman to a house alone for a photoshoot, loaded her up with booze and quaaludes, then ignored her as she repeatedly said no and asked to be taken home (despite how insensible you had tried to make her), in this country we’d still call that rape. The fact that she was 13 just makes it far, far worse.
Another popular defense for Polanski is that he was psychologically tested and wasn’t really a pedophile and never reoffended. Am I crazy, or do I remember him having a “relationship” (let’s face it, with her age you can’t really call it that) with Nastassja Kinski when she was only 15? That’s enough of a pattern to at least say there’s some counseling needed, right?
Every defense people bring up just doesn’t hold water. It’s rationalization to defend someone whose professional work they admire. They need to separate the man from the work and acknowledge that good artists can do bad things, and when they do they need to pay for them.
Thanks for the connection to the court documents. Everyone should read those before posting any opinion about Polanski. How can you justify supporting a pervert like him?
Not much to add to the comments above. Anyone signing this petition is a scumbag. Where was the ‘artistic community’ when Theo Van Gogh was murdered for making a movie critical of islam?
Whoopi Goldberg may take the cake for saying on the View that this wasn’t “rape rape”. Thanks for clearing that up, jackass.
Yes, he had a hard life, but lots of holocaust survivors didn’t rape 13-year olds. People who’ve had their wives murdered didn’t go on to rape 13-year olds. No excuses, he could and probably did have sex with anyone he wanted, which makes this rape even worse.
Ah, but how many Holocaust survivors have ALSO had their wives killed?
And by Charles Manson at that?
A gifted filmmaker? Perhaps. A predator and rapist? Definitely. Off to jail with him.
Obviously Polanski didn’t do everything he was required to do under the law since he FLED THE COUNTRY *before* being sentenced. He wouldn’t be a FUGITIVE if he’d done everything he was supposed to do.
If Polanski felt the judge was going to double-cross him, he should do what everyone else has to do when they feel mistreated by the system: fight it FROM THEIR JAIL CELL if necessary.
Being a talented artist doesn’t make you above the law, no matter how much you may have suffered in your lifetime.
Polanski needs to come back and face this. If he’d done that in the 70’s, then this would all be behind him today.
Send his perverted, nasty arse to the pokey!! Do the time child molester.
Ah yes feel sorry for the rapist. What kind of world do we live in? This man has lived in luxury for over 30 years, he needs to spend the rest of his life in prison.
Is anyone surprised Woody Allen would be supportive of having sex with minors?
Yes, let’s make this ALL ABOUT Roman Polanski…Come on, people. The victim has publicly stated that she wants to move on with her life, so can we respect THAT? So tired of reading about how RP is a perv, should do time, blah blah blah. Yeah, he should have. Yes, I agree he is absolutely despicable for what he did. But let’s take a second and think about the other parties involved and respect the victim’s wishes and NOT make it about RP, the police, the legal system, Mike Vick and whatever everyone else is talking about..OJ, whoever.
You mean the victim that received a substantial financial payment? The one who was 13 when this happened and therefore was incapable of consent? That victim. By the way, she is also not the victim in the new charges of fleeing prosection – that would be the People of the State of California and clearly we are not ok with it.
I don’t think in this case it is about what the victim wishes. Who knows what her frame of mind is, and how it was shaped by the crime, and the world she subsequently grew up in. Further, regardless of the victims wishes the perpetrator has to face the consequences of his admitted crime. If he pulled out a gun in a mall, shot a few people, and they said he should go free, does that mean the shooter should walk? Of course it doesn’t. He committed a heinous felony crime, and it is the state and people who sit on a jury who should decide his fate, and not the victim. The victims wishes should perhaps be taken into consideration at sentencing, but should not be the overarching deciding factor as his fate.
How has Polanski “received his punishment and served his time”? He fled the country, in order to escape punishment. Why is it OK for Polanski to flee, but the “creative” types aren’t making the same kind of arguments on behalf of the thousands of other felons who flee each year?
Boycott every film with which these reprobates are involved. It is not okay to rape anyone much less a 13 year old child and it is disgraceful to suggest otherwise as 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 and Harvey Weinstein are doing.
Disgusting human beings!
Hey Disgusting Pigs – Enjoy your Hannah Montana movies. Oh wait. Miley pole-danced at an awards show just recently. Better yet, turn off the TV and just read your Bible. Oh wait. The Song of Solomon has some pretty strong sexual content. Are you reading this on your computer? Do you know all the graphic content you can get with a few clicks of your mouse??? You should outfit yourself with one of those Tommy deaf dumb & blind kits.
Thank you for posting the names of those signing the petition.
I will boycott, like I boycott woody allen movies.
David Heyman (of harry Potter films) as well as Alfonso Curzon was on the Free Polanski peition list as well. they are amonst my favorite people, but I will boycott unless they retract their support. Because it is wrong to support a pedophile.
What’s wrong with these people? Are they crazy nuts for supporting a pedophile? People forget Polanski hooked up with (14-15 ) yr. old Nataski Kinski after he fled to France.
Sharon Tate was just a girl when he initially hooked up with her as well.
Does anyone see a “pattern” developing here regarding Mr. Polanski?
Why has the name of the email writer been redacted? Obviously this person wants all the names to be made public. It’s not a secret petition, is it?
Perhaps everyone who signs the petition will support Roman by sending their teenage daughters and grand-daughters for conjugal visits. He is a great film-maker after all.
The rest of these moral reprobates are surprising, but Martin Scorsese? Shame.
“An artist creates his own moral universe.”
“Polanski received his punishment and served his time”
Is that a fucking joke? He’s a RAPIST. Shut up, Hollywood. I have never been so disgusted and so ashamed to be part of this community.
His own lawyers, with his arrogant attempt to circumvent the fact that he fled the jurisdiction by overturning his conviction in absentia, brought this on. It would have been moribund if he hadn’t paid lawyers to revive it all. And to add to that arrogance, he now enlists every flaky actor, director and producer he can muster calling in every “festival” and girl and boy party favor he has. This really disgustingly disconnected behavior. Martin Scorsese and the rest of them are as misguided as Ezra Pound. Artists should stay way from influencing real life and stick to imagination.
Completely agree with all of those in favour of the extradition (and yes, I am under 35!). If a 76-year-old priest, for instance, was arrested today for sexual abuse crimes committed 40 years ago, people would not say that sufficient time had passed for his crimes to be forgiven. He did something despicable and fled the consequences.
Priests ask to be held to a higher standard due to their position within with their religious organization. Filmmakers do not typically consider it their job to minister to their audience’s spiritual needs.
The Hollywooders response to this is as expected from a bunch of pedophile loving scum they are. Its almost unbelievable that you are so enamored of the moronic films this guy has made that you will allow him to get off scott free from raping a 13 year old girl. He admitted it you idiots. A Judge is allowed to accept or deny a plea bargain as he or she sees fit. Maybe the DA was bribed by Polanski for a deal. Hey I’ll put you in a movie or buy a script from you. Oh no that would bever happen would it. I was willing to forget the whole thing but now that the hollywooders have reared their hypocritical side again I am for dragging this guy back kicking and screaming into court and throwing the book at him. I find it amusing that hollywooders will make a movie about pedophile priests but don’t make one about their own pedophie director. I am waiting in hopes that someone will decide to film the Polanski rape story and show how he lured the girl into his web though the “casting couch” or “photo-shoot” ruse. Lets see it all on the big screen as he raped her as she cried out “NOOOOO”.
We are talking about a fugitive child rapist here.
fugitive child rapist.
say it again.
fugitive. child rapist.
let it sink in.
ruminate here-
I’ll wait….
fugitive child rapist.
tell me again your excuses for this vile behavior.
FUGITIVE CHILD RAPIST.
that’s ok hollywood. now I know where you stand. I know where I stand. thanks for making yourselves known that you support a FUGITIVE CHILD RAPIST.
That you think that directors are above the law, that it’s ok to rufee, rape and sodomize little thirteen year old children. That includes little boys besides little girls. Because children are children.
And you want me to pay to see your movies?,- because making movies excuses a fugitive child rapist.
thanks for this-you make it so much easier for me to justify bit torrents and prolific downloading.
I think the people that signed this list should really think long and hard about what it means to support a FUGITVE CHILD RAPIST.
a little piece of humanity died inside every person with every signature… because by not punishing the actions of a fugitive child rapist- you are supporting this crime in our society.
Disgusting.
First, a general comment. Yes a judge is not bound to honor a plea bargain agreement, but the entire American criminal justice system relies on plea bargains. The judge was wrong.
Two, in March 77, six very serious counts were filed; by August, the DA had dropped all of them but one, sex with a minor. At the time DIE STERN published a fair amount of coverage on the girl, her background, etc., and it may have turned out that, during the 4 months in question, the DA came to realize that their case wasn’t nearly as strong as the initial complaint might have indicated. Just saying.
Three, Polanski wasn’t found guilty, he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge in exchange for a light sentence. There was no investigation, no attempt to find exculpatory evidence, no experts, no cross-examination, and no jury. No one actually knows what happened, except for the two participants. (This, by the way, was their second photo shoot; nude pictures were taken during the first; no complaints were filed.)
Four, Polanski wasn’t an American citizen but a French citizen; as such he was entitled to go back to his country, just as an American tourist in hot water in a foreign country might want to go back to the US rather than face a hostile foreign court. I might add that, rather than go through extradition, it would have been possible and easy to file a criminal complain in France and ask a French court to review the facts and impose a sentence according to French law, instead of asking them to send one of their own citizens to a foreign country, which was a DOA gesture. The fact that this was not done may possibly add to the theory that, despite the complaint, this was a weak case (see 2 above).
Five, although this has no bearing on the legalities of the case, I read that California is going to release 40,000 inmates over the next 2 years including sex offenders because of overcrowding and budget cuts. Under these circumstances, what would you be planning to do with a 75-year-old man?
If you commit a crime in a certain country, that country has jurisdiction to try the case. If an American citizen commits a crime abroad, then that case gets tried abroad. Simple.
If this case isn’t strong, and the judge in question is dead, then Polanski should have no problem returning to the US, withdrawing his guilty plea, and fighting the charge in court.
Of course, fleeing the country was illegal, so he’s probably looking at time for that, too.
Polanski created this entire situation by drugging and raping a child and then fleeing the country. He needs to be held accountable for his actions.
With all due respect you don’t know the law.
First and foremost, you cannot withdraw a plea.
Countries will extradite citizens from another country who have sought refuge there, but very rarely their own citizens. Polanski had the right to be tried in France, just as an American arrested in France would rather be tried in America. (In some cases the trial takes place in the other country but the sentence is according to the law of the country of citizenship and served there.)
You have no evidence to say that Polanski drugged and raped that girl; that wasn’t established in a court of law. He pleaded guilty to having unlawful sex with her; the other counts were dismissed. And no more than he can withdraw his plea, they cannot be refiled.
That is absolutely factually incorrect. A foreign citizen who commits a crime does not have a “right” to be tried in their home country. The laws may be different back home.
When you are on the state of California, you must follow California law. You don’t get to beat your wife if you’re from a country where sharia law is practiced. You don’t get to molest children if you’re from a country with a different age of consent. Etc.
On this single issue, this is a debate of fact. Your misguided opinion does not matter. Don’t argue or respond: there is no need. Look it up. Post an apology if you want.
The jurisdictional point Lupin makes is quite salient. How many Americans have committed all manner of heinous crimes abroad and then beat a hasty retreat to their mother country’s protective borders???
Now that the shoe is on the other foot….
Lupin’s second point is also strong. If the case against Polanski is so compelling, why didn’t LA county prosecutors take up the issue in the French courts? Surely even the French aren’t so sanguine about drugging a 13-year-old before having one’s way with her. They’ve only had, what, three decades to do something about this.
I also 100% agree with Lupin on the subject of judges honoring plea bargains. The courts are choked as it is. If no potential defendant could trust a plea bargain, the system would get busted from the caseload.
BTW I’ve taken a lot of shit for being perceived as defending Roman Polanski’s actions – I don’t – by arguing the real problem here is the judge who double-crossed Polanski for political reasons.
@ Nik -
I hate people like you who post nonsense and lies when there is already pleanty of evidence to prove you completely wrong. Oh, and since you seem to think adding numbers to your posts somehow makes them seem factual I’ll drop a few numbers on you.
1. There is Grand Jury testimony from both the victim and the perp – and no one has ever denied that he had sex with a 13 year old gilr which is indeed rape when it comes to a 13 year old.
2. Even Polanski admitted the girl originally said “no” but argued that she “was not unresponsive”
3. The reason the plea deal was adopted was because of the media circus around the trial and the fact that the Mother and Daughter in the case indicated that they were reluctant to go through with the trial – the DA followed those instructions and worked towards a plea deal. Sorry, but in this country we don’t really give a darn about the background of a 13 year old girl who is drugged and raped by 40 year old men. We find it disgusting even if the 13 year old girl is painted as a Lolita by the perp’s defense attorneys. Guess we’re just a little prudish about 40 year old men having sex with children.
Oh, and by the way – a slanted BS Sundance movie doesn’t make something true – especially one that convienetly ignores things like the TESTIMONY OF THE TWO PEOPLE WHO WERE THERE AT THE TIME!!!!!
The only really important thing you said in your entire post is that Roman Polanski pled guilty.
He pled guilty to having sex with a 13 year old girl, a child, while she was begging him to stop.
He’s a sick bastard and so is anyone who supports him.
Lets see – releasing 40k inmates on charges certainly less serious than child rape, and then making room for a child rapist. Makes sense to me. Pretty fair if it were your daughter I’ll bet.
Really? This is the cause that the list of “supporters” want to take up? Roman Polanski has been crying for years to come back to the United States. Well Roman Polanski, here’s your chance…MAN UP and get back here and take responsibility for your actions; choices you, and only you, made so many years ago. You created all of this with your actions that night. You have no one to blame but yourself. This does not exist without you. Bring your sense of entitlement back here and take your punishment and allow your “supporters” to get back to their entitled lives.
Roman Polanski is the true victim.
He has been framed by mother&daughter.
Now the corrupt American system wants to destroy him.
Luckily Europeans are smarter.
whoopi says it wasnt rape rape.
I spoke of this when all of the MJ opposers came out of the word works. Polanski is a rapist and child molester. Nikki, there is no need to post this petition. To give a child molester and rapist media space is almost as wrong as the crime itself. May he rot like the rest of them!
This is why people hate Hollywood and think Los Angeles should be burned to the ground. He drugged, raped and sodomized a thirteen-year-old girl. He was charged with multiple felonies but under the plea agreement he bargained them down to one misdemeanor. But rather than even take his punishment for that, he fled the country.
And yet the so-called “creative community” is comparing him to Jean Valjean? What a freaking joke.
It pure and simple. He broke the law twice. First for Rape and then second by jumping bail and leaving the country. Both of these offensives have Consequenses! Regardless of his accomplishment he committed a crime and needs to be held accountable.
Who do I have to drug and rape to get my Lifetime Achievement Award? I’ve drugged and raped no one and yet all I have is a Razzie nomnination. Please advise.
I just wonder how many would sign the petition if he were a priest instead of a filmmaker?
I am saddened by the Hollywood Folks signing this petition, especially the women. He drugged and raped a child. Do these petitioners not have wives, sisters and daughters? By signing this petition it’s showing our youth that rape is not a serious crime. I hardly think a life of luxury in France counts as punishment for Polanski’s crimes.
Every dimwit who signs this petition should be thrown in jail with Polanski they should all be charged with aiding and abetting and as accessories after the fact. None of them have any morals it was obvious before and it’s even more obvious now. Harvey Weinstein, Woody Allen, Debra Winger and all the rest of the limousine liberals. At least we will soon have a comprehensive list of every immoral asshole in showbiz. They should all be blacklisted I mean it nobody should do any business with anyone who signs this disgusting disgraceful petition. Where are your morals? You are defending a man who raped a 13 year old girl what if that girl had been your daughter? How can Harrison Ford support Roman? Ford should be ashamed he enjoyed working with Roman on “Frantic” and he posed for pictures with him same for Brett Ratner and every other showbiz asshole. I’ll bet my salary that Spielberg won’t sign this petition he might be the only person with ethics and morals.
woody allen signed this petition???? gee, i’m sure that comes as shocking news to mia farrow! i hope they put this pedophile rapist in the same state prison as manson….and yes, i do recognize the connection and still think it would be fitting.
For those who saw “Polanski: Wanted & Desired” – yes, there’s a strong case for the judge seeking the Hollywood limelight, no doubt.
However, to ignore the drugging and sodomizing of a minor, forgetting the personalities, awards and 70s generation is ignorant.
I think the filmmakers who have come out in favor of freeing Polanski should see beyond the film. They’re romanticizing the 70s “easy rider” mentality. Holdover example: Beatty hit on my daughter at a Madonna show, back during his Dick Tracy days.
Nowadays however, it’s how much blow and prostitutes you can bring to the set. Much less romantic than staying at Nicolson’s house AND DRUGGING YOUNG GIRLS FOR SEX.
Yes, Kubrick’s Lolita is a masterpiece as our many of Roman’s films, but that doesn’t make Polanski’s illegal promiscuity legal.
In the end, though, don’t all celebrities get off easy in our courts. Especially with a celebrity governor, which makes me wonder: WHAT DOES ARNIE THINK?
- A concerned filmmaker (and father)!
can they add a year of jail time for The Ninth Gate?
Can’t say that I’m at all surprised that Woody Allen signed this petition. Everybody else who did should take a good long look at what they have become. Roman Polanski drugged and raped a 13 year old girl. This wasn’t statutory rape that so many people like to wave their hand at as not really a crime. He drugged and then forced himself on a barely teenaged girl. He did so with absolute premeditation of the act.
The worst of it is that none of his Hollywood defenders are saying that the events didn’t happen. If there was some doubt about his guilt put forth by Polanski I’d say he deserved the benefit of the doubt. But he hasn’t denied anything. He simply thinks that the proper punishment for drugging and raping a 13 year old girl is not be allowed to come back to America.
It makes my head spin that celebrities (actually, that anyone at all) can look at what Polanski did and say, “Yeah, that’s fine. I should associate myself with that guy. I have no problem with that at all.”
Polanski is a pedophile. The average pedophile abuses more than 200 children before getting caught. This likely wasn’t just ONE incident, and it likely won’t be the last one.
The Hollywood community has a HUGE problem with pedophilia. Because of the unusual relationship between children and their employers, children in the industry are particularly at risk. Did you know that adults working with children in the industry do not even have to pass a background check, as they would for any other kid-centric job? It is not illegal for a registered sex offender to work with child actors. Believe me, the pedophiles are aware of the lack of regulation in Hollywood.
In the last few years there have been SEVERAL arrests and convictions of men working in the industry. Ex. Josh Werkman (the manager of the Sprouse twins who was convicted of molestation of a boy), James Barbour (Broadway actor who was convicted of raping a girl), Tommy Lowery (publicist who transported child actors across state lines for sex), Don Munro (Canadian studio teacher who abused boys while out on bail for prior child sex abuse convictions). Manager/publicist Bob Villard was convicted of porn and sex abuse of a boy actor, and he will be back in Hollywood very soon as he is released from jail. There are more…many more.
My point? Hollywood as a community does nothing to protect children. Predators are accepted as “just eccentric” or “just gay”. Even when children and their parents speak up about their abuse, they are accused of gold-digging, searching for fame, etc. Prosecutors tell parents that “they asked for it” because they allowed their children to work in the industry. The studios cover it up and make sure the child knows that their career will be damaged if they ever talk about it.
The Polanski situation is disgusting. but anyone who signs the petition is even more disgusting. I hope every one of those people is haunted by the faces of innocent children who were abused in the name of “art”. I hope the next charity event those star names attend for green living, international AIDS or whatever…I hope they think about the children in their own working community and how they abandoned them by signing that petition.
Art is not an excuse for child abuse. Gifted people do criminal things. Polanski needs to go to jail and serve his sentence. He needs to be on the list of registered sex offenders. Then Hollywood needs to blacklist him.
To all those who wonder why a bunch of Hell Hay residents would want to let a child rapist go free, I would you not waste your time. “Forget it Jake. It’s Tinsel Town.” Time to dig a moat around the whole bunch and pull up the draw bridge.
Enlightening, isn’t it, that Hollywood can be up in arms regarding the arrest of an admitted rapist and fugitive – because he made profitable movies – and that same bleeding-heart contingent can sit back and DO NOTHING when the lives of INNOCENT 80, 90 & 100-year-olds are being decimated by the indefensible betrayal that the MPTF is perpetrating on the community.
The proposed closure of the Motion Picture & Television Hospital and Nursing Home is a different kind of “rape”. Defenseless elderly are being f**ked against their will by the MPTF.
Visit “savingthelivesofourown.org” website and SIGN A PETITION that supports the frail and elderly industry veterans who spent their lives behind-the-scenes. Their only “award” was the “We Take Care of Our Own” promise that there would be a place for them to be cared for with dignity.
“Polanski received his punishment and served his time…”
Really? He served 45 days while undergoing psychiatric evaluation. That is hardly punishment for the rape of a child. Neither is going about one’s life — getting married, having children, winning awards, pursuing his livelihood — while dealing with certain limitations on his international travel.
If this guy was a Catholic priest and his victims were boys — we’d see Polanski for what he is. A criminal who has been protected by the institution he works within.
This is no different from all the high-powered Washington insiders saying that we shouldn’t investigate Bush administration war crimes… or the high-powered bankers saying that we shouldn’t impose stricter regulations as a result of the financial meltdown. Powerful people always want to ensure that their peers are spared punishment.
Their argument is inevitably, “You don’t understand it if you’re not one of us.” Well, I’m glad I don’t understand why anyone thinks that a man proven guilty of raping a child should go free.
And Hollywood wonders why people think they are out of touch…
He RAPED A CHILD. No one should be signing this petition.
“This is a man who I love a lot and know a little bit,” Mr. Besson said in a radio interview with RTL Soir. “Our daughters are good friends. But there is one justice, and that should be the same for everyone. I will let justice happen.” He added, , “I don’t have any opinion on this, but I have a daughter, 13 years old. And if she was violated, nothing would be the same, even 30 years later.”
From the NYT article http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/30/movies/30polanski.html?hp
Please note, that many in Hollywood do NOT support admitted pedophiles and rapists.
Talk about a bunch of clueless people. He admitted to the charges. She was only 13 years old at the time. It was illegal then it’s illegal now. He ran from the law for decades. It’s about time he paid for doing his crime he confessed to. Shame on his supporters I’ll be sure never to spend another dime on their products. I welcome this list of those who think what he did was OK. Let the boycott begin.
I used to work in the film industry and now I’m a prosecutor. I’m also over 35, love movies, love most of Polanski’s work, and have no problem with actors/directors/producers/writers getting involved in politics. But this is insane.
The facts in this case are clear. Polanski lured a child to his friend’s house by ruse, drugged her, raped her, sodomized her, plead guilty, and then fled. As with all plea deals between defendant and prosecutor, the judge was not bound to honor it, and Polanski was explicitly made aware of that fact before he plead guilty. Furthermore, having plead guilty, it doesn’t matter how many years he’s been on the run; the plea stands. Polanski, brilliant artist though he is, raped a child. He’s enjoyed his freedom for thirty years. It’s time he did his time.
I say it’s okay! Where do I sign?
If Hollywood wants to legalize rape, they should just be open about it. And not pretend it’s about supporting Polanski.
Women of Hollywood….and Whoopie Goldberg TOO!!
You are outraged that Erin Andrews was secretly videotaped by a pervert!! And right you are.
BUT you excuse the drugging and rape of a 13 year old child.
What the fuck is wrong with you.
I hope it never happened to you. And if by some chance you have a daughter or son I would hope YOU hope it will never happen to them.
You are a sick bunch.
I’ve heard comments from the entertainment community… “It’s wasn’t rape-rape.”
Excuse me Whoopi, your ignorance is disgraceful. I guess NO, doesn’t mean NO either. Thank you for turning back the clock 50yrs for women.
Turn in your WOMAN card now, we don’t feel you deserve it.
It’s really amazing how the hollywood “elite” are deciding justice for a pedophile! I’m glad aa has a list of a few supporters for this mind-boggling petition, is there a way to get all the names? Can we start a petition to have actors stay out of the law?
If I get a speeding ticket and fail to appear they’ll issue a bench warrant for me with a bail amount of $10,000. $10k for a speeding ticket, that sounds excessive – it is, but it’s the law.
I know lots of people who were adults during the 70’s. While they did some crazy shit, none of them “had sex with” a 13-year old.
Truth is, he’s a fugitive and should be treated as such and given his day in court. If he gets the right judge in the rotation, he may get a suspended sentence or something one might consider lenient. If he gets the wrong judge, he might get real time which means he might get to reenact a scene from ‘Oz’.
The good thing is that he’s already had his trial and we won’t have to go through the an 18-month ordeal regarding the facts of the case.
I never thought I’d say this: The LAPD… They Always Get Their Man!
As long as he’s not OJ Simpson or Robert Blake or Michael Jackson or……
He ALLEGEDLY did not have her consent, and allegedly orally, and anally raped her. He only plead guilty to sleeping with her. He never admitted to the rest of it and in fact denied it in his book.
I tend to believe the rape victim, but none of that has been proven. And will be impossible to prove at this late date.
The filmmakers believe their old friend’s side of it — that he had consent — and made the moral lapse of sleeping with someone underage. And they believe that the judge, caught up in the spotlight, was going to give him the full fifty-year sentence for this “lapse” even after he only agreed to any guilt in return for a light sentence. Also, the victim’s family was only asking at the time for an apology and that he go to counseling — and not that he go to jail. Thus, bolstering the filmmakers view that it wasn’t so bad.
I think a 44-year-old man sleeping with a 13 year-old with or without her consent is quite bad and he should go to jail. But at this late date, proving he did any of the terrible things in the grand jury testimony will be tough (not sure you can even prove he knew her real age.)
Her testimony clearly indicates that she did not “consent” to sex, but that’s irrelevant because it’s legally impossible for a 13 year old to consent to sex with a 40 year old man.
Right. It’s HER testimony. It was never proved in court and he did not plead guilty to those alleged facts.
Again, I tend to believe women (or in this case, a child) who makes such allegations. But he is innocent until proven guilty in our system.
Polanski admits he slept with her, and he says it was consensual. That is what his friend’s have chosen to believe. They seem to be willing to overlook the fact that she was underage, and think of it as not all that bad. I don’t agree.
He admitted to knowing her age in court documents
sourse
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0928091polanskiplea1.html
Here’s the deal. I’ve been a victim of crime, so let me explain. Polanski got his plea. The judge did nothing to change the plea. The plea was that he not be charged with rape. The plea meant that his distribution of illegal drugs to a minor would not be charged. They weren’t. The fact he was in possession of illegal substances with intent to distribute would also not be charged. The violent predicate of the crime was also not charged. He agreed to a lesser charge.
He was facing sentencing. The prosecution made a RECOMMENDATION as to sentencing, and the judge didn’t like it and was unfortunately too open about not liking it. Probabtion it seemed to him, was completely skirting the law.
He was free to sentence Polanski to the maximum time allowed under the crime he pled guilty to, and he was prepared to do that. A judge is in NO WAY required to go along with a sentencing recommendation. Him choosing not to happens ALL THE TIME. It happened in the case I was in, in which one defendent was given more leniency then we asked for, and another was given more time then asked for because of outside circumstances.
Polanski committed the crime. He pled to a guilty on a specific charge. He was unwilling to do the maximum potential time on that charge.
As far as I’m concerned, he’s lucky this is all he’s facing and the prosecutor then dropped other equally serious charges.
Go ahead, try being anything but a rich, white artistic fop and get away with this today. Hell, try to be a celebrity today and do this. Think there is anyone in Hollywood with clout to rape & drug a 13 year old and not be stalked by TMZ/lurkers/everyone else and berated daily as calls for their head roared?
Don’t think so. Let the scumbag do time.
Sorry, Hollywood, but you’re so far to the left here, you’ve left America. And I’m a Democrat. He’s a pedophile. He was going to prison so like a coward, he fled. There is some serious misguidedness going on around here. You do know you’re playing into the extreme, insurrectionist far right’s hands, right? He’s a rapist, and that’s what he always will be.
Every person on this list should close their eyes. Now picture a 13 year old girl… Picture your own daughter if you have one! They are so small at that age… Just a kid! Now imgaine a 42 year old man eating her out, fucking her, flipping her over, and fucking her up the ass! all while she was drugged with half closed eyes…That is what this freak did! Shame!
We don’t actually know that. It’s what she said happened. He says it was consensual — meaning she happily went along with it and none of it was against her will (and yes, she was too young to give consent under the law, but there’s a different between what he said happened and what she said happened.) He should have gone to jail either way, but one is much worse.
I tend to believe her but nothing beyond the fact he slept with her was proven in a court of law.
Defending the child-rapist… Real Classy, Hollywood! Real classy.
It’s a sad state the world is in when society accepts the notion of zero tolerance, in order to arrest a talented man who did something that shouldn’t even be considered a crime.
Rape becomes a word tossed around merely to create fear and paranoia, when it can’t be used to describe what was in fact consensual sexual activity, with a developing woman (not a child). Every little thing is condemned in order to maintain that level of paranoia.
So if you plead guilty to sex with a minor “RAPE,” run off to France, have sex with another underage girl, make a few films, do interviews and receive awards…. Your outstanding felony warrant should all be forgotten because …. remind me again ??? you’re an Artist?
People in Hollywad are as out of touch as people in Washington.
Are these people kidding? They have no scruples or compassion for a 13 year old. These same people who have bodyguards protecting THEIR KIDS!!!!
The dude’s a convicted child rapist and bail jumper. He should serve serious time. End of story.
Enlightening, isn’t it?
The arrest of an ADMITTED FUGITIVE RAPIST outrages high-profile, influential members of our industry and they rally to protest a perceived horrific injustice.
Where is the outrage for the fate of the FRAIL INNOCENT ELDERLY who are being f**cked against their will by the immoral, unconscionable decision to close the MPTF Nursing Home? Throwing defenseless people out of a home they were promised would be theirs for life is another form of rape.
Visit savingthelivesofourown.org and SIGN THE PETITION to prevent a true injustice.
Last I checked it isn’t 1988, this is not an action movie, and Roman Polasnki is not Steven Seagal… so why would anyone think he’s ABOVE THE LAW?
To anotherwgamember, you’re pathetic. Polanski forced himself on a 13 year old with drugs and alcohol and sodomized her against her will. He didn’t “cut a deal”. He’s an ill MFer who needs to be in jail having what he enjoyed forced upon him. He should die in prison just like the sick bitch who cut out his unborn child and drank his wife’s blood. 42 days of psyche eval wasn’t his sentence. Get real.
This is screwed up. He drugged and raped a child, and then fled justice. Why on earth would ANYBODY defend him? Yeah, he’s a talented filmmaker. He’s also a criminal who belongs in jail.
Mr. Polanski is the victim of this right-wing fascist country which is trying to impose Puritanical standards on all of us. Mr. Polanski has suffered enough, being forced to spend 30 years in exile rather than to submit himself to the corrupt and bigoted justice system. The Swiss government had many opportunities to arrest him before. Yet they didn’t. I wonder why that is. I am sure it is because Obama is pandering to the right wing who are killing him over his health care plan. Obama needs to stop this nonsense or else it will be clear to be that he is no different than Bush, who also had no concern for human rights and the rule of law. And besides, with a name like Polanski, who cares if we arrest the Polish guy right? No one in America does, because the white people in this country are nothing but racists and xenophobes.
Mr. Polanski should be released immediately.
Can you please explain what Obama has to do with the Los Angeles District Attorney?
Vinny, since when does the recent Polanski news have to do with the battle over health-care reform? Nothing.
For those people saying that Polanski should be released because “of a youthful error” are just deluded. He was 44 years old by the time the case broke out — so tell me, how is it youthful and how is it a “mistake”? Polanski did it willingly.
And while the case was indeed mishandled by a fame-seeking judge, two very different wrongs (the judge threatening the maximum penalty after a previously-agreed plea bargain vs. Polanski’s fleeing the U.S.) don’t make a right. He fled before sentencing, he should’ve served it in 1978 and moved on with his life.
I take it you believe he is innocent?
No, I don’t. Polanski is guilty, but fled before sentencing. But the late judge is also at fault too, for making it a media circus in 1978 in order to keep his name in the news.
Polanski should do the time, he admitted to it and should serve his time. His Hollywood friends need to realize that he has been on the wrong side of the U.S. law for 30 years — a good deal, if not most of his supporters have kids themselves, which saddens me more.
What are they going to say to their kids who question their support? “It’s all right, kids, it was 30 years ago and he’s done nothing wrong since then.” At least Luc Besson (one of Polanski’s friends) has the sense to not drink the “free Polanski” Kool-Aid Hollywood is drinking.
So basically if you’re a rich, white male director you can do anything you want, including drug and rape children, avoid punishment and all is forgiven?
WOW just WOW Hollywood has sunk to a new low.
I say cut his balls off, just like all the other perverts out there. Once a sex offender always a sex offender. Also anyone who defends sex offenders need to have their heads examined.
What is did was illegal and wrong, he should be punished for it plain and simple. What is wrong with these people? *shakes head*
harris kattleman are you serious? you are never sitting at my table again.
he is a rapist. like what happened to bernie madoff and the rest of the slugs of the world, i am confident, justice will prevail.
shame on anyone or corporation that signs the petition.
I did like The Pianist, but if my choice were the chance to view that movie or be deprived of it because the director was incarcerated for raping a child, well, I’d just watch Schindler’s List again.
I’m guessing Jean-luc Godard isn’t signing.
I know it’s Polanski crime for sure but one has to wonder why a 13 year old girl was allowed to run off with him alone in the first place to take photos for several hours. Any responsible parent would have asked Roman to take her daughter home when they called from Nicholson’s house as it was getting dark (see the transcript of the girl’s testimony online). And then the girl (Samantha) admitted to having taken quaaludes before when she was 10 or 11 (what?!) AND that she had already had sex twice before this event with Polanski. So this is the classic case of an pathetically irresponsible parent mixed with a scheming pedophile and this is exactly what you get. It’s a shame…
“While he is not above the law, Polanski received his punishment and served his time, and the deal is not being honored.”
When did he receive his punishment of serve his time? He chose to go to France, not hades. He lived the life he wanted in Paris. A better life than Joe Blow who committed the same crimes would live if he couldn’t afford to skip town with his bank account intact. Sorry. If he served his time I’d say he was punished and should be given a second chance. He still needs to pay for his first chance.
RAPIST. CHILD PREDATOR. COWARD. It is our responsibility as adults to protect all children. It’s that simple.
I hope the petition is published. I’d love to see who would put their young daughter in a room alone with him. Or who thinks 41 years of escaping the law is punishment enough for the man who raped, sodomized and drugged their child. OH PLEASE PUBLISH THIS PETITION AFTER SUBMISSION. PLEASE.
I’m as liberal as they come and I will boycot every director, actor, key grip, writer, producer, and studio exec who signs this petition and speaks out in favor of Polanski. I will get my friends and their friends to boycot them too. I will band with other like minded decent human beings who refuse to condone a rapist, no matter how many oscars grace his mantel. I will start my own petition and distribute it to the corporations and sponsors telling them that I and others refuse to buy products from those who stand beside rapists. I believe this is something both liberals and conservatives and all those in between can and will get behind.
I’ve never been much of an activist before but this is making my blood boil. The only solution left is to hit these morally-corrupt and hypocritical entertainment industry members where they may actually feel it:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/405/petition-to-boycott–roman-polanski-petition-supporters
Weinstein really picked a stupid time to pick such a controversial battle given he’s already scraping for every penny he can find.
The French government has been rethinking their stance and has backed off for calls asking for his release. A number of cabinet ministers are not for his release and are speaking out about the seriousness of the crime. Thank goodness. This could be a turning point.
I will never support the films of those who signed that petition. May their careers crash and burn. I used to be reporter and did a story about two girls molested by a popular churchman. He pleaded guilty. They were traumatised. And his supporters bombarded the office with angry calls saying the girls were lying. Even tho he pleaded guilty. In life there are people who care more about the predators than the victims. If there’s an alternative petition in support of justice I’ll be signing it.
Add mine to the folks who are STUNNED and sickened by this petition to pardon a man who forcibly drugged and RAPED a child!
But…are we certain all the signers are legitimate…? Could the person creating this email have assumed support from some?
Disgusting!
I can’t believe that Hollywood is so so out of touch.
Polanski drugged, raped and sodomized a 13 yr old little girl.
The reason that their is no statue of limitations on sexual assults of minors is because about 10 yrs ago a whole slew of catholic priests were rounded up for buggering little children (some commiting these acts as long as 30 & 40 yrs ago)A lot of their vicitims were boys but some little girls too. The priests were described by their parishioners as “good men of the cloth, who supported a number of human right causes, etc.”
Some of these pedophile priests were seen as saints!!
We, the USA people went after the catholic church and won!
Some priests were 70, 80 even 90 yrs old and they threw their asses in jail. It was the right and lawful thing to do.
I ask you, what makes Roman Polanski so special?
Why is Hollywood so twisted that they think having sex with little children is an ok thing to do?
BTW where are all the child advocates, i.e Mrs. Steven Spielberg? Mrs. tom hanks?
Why arent they speaking OUT AGAINST ROMAN POLANSKI?
thanks Nikki for letting us air this.
Mr. Polanski should be brought back to CA to face charges ASAP! This man is not a rapist but a child predator. For those celebrities defending him, well thy may want to think about Karma, it could come back and bite them in the A_ _! It could happen to one of their own someday then I wonder which side they would be on. I think they have lost their minds and they think that they are above the law. In my opinion CA took to long to get him now let’s see how long it takes to bring him back to the U.S.
I don’t talk out of school and I won’t start now but some of the names on this petition for Roman Polanski, it’s safe to say, could be considered a mercurial lot on any given day and wouldn’t forgive a typo or misprint of their last grosses (not that I ever did) but it’s okay to excuse the sexual abuse of a minor by an adult who should have known better with every fiber of his supposedly brilliant being? They don’t represent the Hollywood that I work in or those that I know and I’ve been working at this since I was a teenager myself.
I don’t understand where the illogic lies considering that the facts of the case aren’t a matter of speculation or a mob mentality. The facts are a matter of public record and can be read or researched by any who care to. It’s not cool and it’s not okay for these kinds of actions to be perpetrated on a minor. I’m stunned at the disregard for what the victim, and countless others like her, have endured and have had to overcome. It’s not esoteric or nebulous, it’s real and it’s awful.
Somewhere Whoopi is asking, “Is this a petition-petition?”
Being an artist does not give a person any rights beyond any citizen. He raped a child after getting her drunk, then fled prosecution. He should go to jail. Hey petitioners, what if the girl raped was YOUR child?
Eduardo: do you really mean what you said? She was a ‘developing woman’ therefore – what? she was ready for it? Think back to when you were 13. Imagine being in a mansion owned by a movie star. A famous director is showing you attention. As a 13 year old, you haven’t the sense of self yet – you’re all insecurity and doubts about everything.
Your mother encourages this meeting and now here you are – expected to be special.
Now think about drinking alcohol – probably for the very first time. Imagine now that even with all of that – you still say ‘no’ to this man. But it’s not enough because he keeps going. I suggest thinking back to what children go through and the obstacles that poor girl faced on that day before defending a man’s terrible behavior.
Once again Hollywood just doesn’t get it. And then they wonder why the average American feels most stars are nothing but entertaining attractive fools. Woody Allen signing the petition was the cherry on the cake. This guy is an admitted rapist of a 13 year old girl. He deserves to be in jail.
This support of a child rapist by mainstream Hollywood is beyond sickening. Right minded movie goers ought not support the actors, writers, or directors who sign or support this petition.
Whatever happened to our values?
I think it is critically important to sign petitions against the Hollywood community and launch a boycott of the films of the actors who support a child rapist. A boycott of Miramax films would send a serious message to Harvey Weinstein who wrote a letter referring to the rape, as a ” so – called crime” and called Polanski a ” humanist”.
Pls advise if anyone knows if their are efforts are on the net to sign petitions against Hollywood.
sarina s
BEST. COMMENTS. THUS FAR.
1).I say it’s okay! Where do I sign?
Comment by R. Kelly
can they add a year of jail time for The Ninth Gate?
Comment by film guy
Last time I checked, the court of public opinion counts for exactly jack s**t when it comes to legal matters.
Comment by Vic
1. The documentary cited is simply a filmmakers opinion, not legal fact even if you like to believe everything you see.
2. If you think 42 days in a hospital for drugging and raping a 13 year old girl is the fair sentence to be paid by any man for this crime then go right ahead and advocate for Polanski’s release.
3. Now you must step up and defend the many poor unfortunate men on trial today in this country for the same offense of the drugging & rape of an underage girl. 42-day hospital sentences for everyone right? I’ll put them on your tab.
You do the crime, you pay the price.
Once again, Hollywood people rise up and make me embarrassed I’ve chosen this as my career. The people who sign such a letter need to wake up a bit. While a case could be made that he served his time and the judge has some explaining to do, the simple fact that Polanski chose not return to the US and settle all charges for all this time (which he could have done by now) pretty much tells me he is a scumbag and needs to reminded of a few things regarding the law. Of all people in L.A. during the late 60’s and 70’s, Roman Polanski is the last person who should be side stepping the law, whether it be the 1978… or 2009.
What bullshit this petition is. Their evidence is a documentary!?!? Not a court document, not even an article written in a respected journal or newspaper, but a documentary, and an extremely biased one from what I’ve heard. Give me a break. Are those who created this petition that out of touch with reality? I hope the filmmakers they’re courting to sign this piece of shit petition are smart enough to let justice be served and stay out of it.
To condemn this judge while ignoring what Polanski actually did is so hypocritical and just plain wrong. She was 13. Not 16, not even 15. Not in high school. A Junior Higher. Think about the 13 year olds you know. The fact that consent would even be claimed here is pathetic.
France has to choose between anti-semitism or pedophilia. No wonder they seem confused.
oh here’s the list of jackasses that have signed
http://community.livejournal.com/ohnotheydidnt/39618660.html
How could anyone sign such a petition? This is a matter for the law, let the courts decide his fate. The guy RAPED A CHILD! How is that okay? How does he deserve freedom after doing such a thing?
My brother spent three years in prison for marijuana possession. Never hurt a soul. I don’t remember any Hollywood bigwigs signing a petition for him.
Scorsese and these other moral lepers who are advocating for Polanski have really given the film business a bad name with this whole Polanski lovefest. It’s one thing to like his movies, it’s another thing to say he should get away scott-free for raping a child.
How about a petition of the petition
This email claims he has “suffered enough.” Last time I checked, living in Europe was not considered suffering. Another example of a snobby douchbag thinking he is above the law.
I agree with an earlier poster who stated that it is time to boycott those who have come out publicly to support this degenerate. But we shouldn’t be surprised folks—Hollywood is populated by nothing but degenerates. It is a morally bankrupt community which has done its best over the years to debase American culture. It is time to use the power we possess as consumers and stop supporting these reprobates by attending their films, watching their television programs or buying their products. I must admit that part of me is quite pleased because most of the country is having an epiphany as they watch liberal elitists vitiate our country. Liberalism is a malignancy.
This is not about a great director. This is not about someone with famous and powerful friends. This is about someone being on the run from the law for 31 years.
If this fugitive from U.S. justice/legal system was O.J. Simpson living in France for 31 years people would have a different opinion and would be clamoring for heaven and earth to moved to bring him to justice.
They give Polanski the Fugitive Oscars while tv whiteouts any and all traces of O.J. Simpson from sports and movies. “But O.J. committed murder” some say. But Polanski murdered the childhood of a 13 year-old girl.
Mr. Polanski made one of the greatest movies of all time and every actor, actress and writer in Hollywood probably has wanted to work with him. BUT IT DOESN’T MATTER!
To the people supporting his unconditional release: would it be okay if someone DRUGGED and RAPED your 13 year old daughter or DRUGGED and RAPED you when you were 13? If someone drugged and raped your wife, sister, mother or girlfriend… should the sex offender being a famous director have a fucking thing to do with it?
And while you’re at it, all those times you went to Europe for vacation or filming, did it ever enter your mind to ask Polanski to baby sit your kids? Highly unlikely.
It doesn’t matter if the girl (now a full grown woman) forgave him. It doesn’t matter if she was paid off or not to say she forgave him. What matters is: Roman Polanski is a fugitive from the U.S. justice/legal system and has been so for the last 31 years.
This is about $$$ and awards and whatnot. This IS REALLY about some A-list director that people want to work with and make money with. If some D-list director was in the SAME SITUATION, we wouldn’t even be commenting on it.
For me, there are 2 questions:
Is it right for him to be arrested? Yes, without a debt.
Should he be arrested? Well his crime certainly speaks for itself. But I doubt he’ll actually be incarcerated. In the end, the whole exercise could be a waste of money in a time of crisis.
It is repulsive what these people are trying to do. He ran away to another country like a coward, now that he has been caught, he needs to do the time for the crime.
Hooooooooooooray for Hollywood! Quaaludes and sodomy of a 13 year old girl, no place but Beverly Hills! Once again, this town disgusts the country.
I am deeply revolted by members of our community signing petitions to excuse Roman Polanski. While it has all been said in other countless emails let me add this. While to is our cherished right to exercise our freedom of speech in voicing support it is also our freedom and right to not support the filmmakers that have chose to expose their social and political opinions to the world. I would like to judge each filmmakers by their work alone. Unfortunately, I can no longer separate those that have chosen to support Roman Polanski from their artistic endeavors. Sorry but I feel this way. I will never feel the same about many of these filmmakers. Their attitude is part and parcel of what makes working on film sets and dealing with slimy studio people so sould destroying.
Seriously folks – her grand jury testimony makes it clear she did NOT consent, so your baffling arguments about whether it was ‘rape’ or only ‘rape rape’ (thanks Whoopi) are not only offensive but stupid.
According to Whoopi, even a 13-year old can be enough of a slut to deserve what she got. So, prostitutes can’t be raped, nor can wives for that matter. Any non-virgin is fair game.
Where are Hollywood’s so-called feminists and progressives? They seem to be falling over themselves to defend a rapist and marginalize a 13-year old girl’s suffering. Even if his movies cured cancer he’d still have to do his time.
And Woody Allen – really? Is he the best spokesman for Polanski’s defence? Not helping.
Its 32 years ago – he hasn’t been able to travel since then. The girl looked 25 then (according to witnesses), and she later sued him and they settled out of court (ie, he paid a fortune)
And these days she just wants everybody TO SHUT THE HELL UP about this. Yet all of you and the self centered press just keep going on about it.
This should stop right now for her sake. And he has gotten his punishment over the decades.
Now shut up and clean out your own houses.
This is an interesting case in that it highlights the bright-line divide between Hollywood and real people. It’s not right vs left either, I don’t think there’s a web forum out there where the margin isn’t about 99% against the brave stand these artists are taking to preserve the forcing of sex on minors by the ranking elites of the ‘artistic’ community.
I hope that list sticks around a long time to remind people of who stood behind the rapist and brands them forever as the amoral, despicable scumbags they are.
HAVE YOU NO DECENCY? HAVE YOU NO SHAME?
Erika Abrams, Fatih Akin, Yves Alberty, Stephane Allagnon, Woody Allen, Pedro Almodovar, Gianni Amelio, Wess Anderson, Michel Andrieu, Roger Andrieux, Jean-Jacques Annaud, Frédéric Aranzueque-Arrieta, Alexandre Arcady, Fanny Ardant, Asia Argento, Marie-Hélène Arnau, Darren Aronofsky, Olivier Assayas, Alexander Astruc, Gabriel Auer, Zdzicho Augustyniak, Alexandre Babel, Fausto Nicolás Balbi, Eleonor Baldwin, Jean-François Balmer, Alberto Barbera Museo nazionale de Torino, Luc Barnier, Christophe Barratier, Carmen Bartl, Pascal Batigne, Anne Baudry, Juan Antonio Bayona, Xavier Beauvois, Liria Begeja, Gilles Behat, Jean-Jacques Beineix, Marco Bellochio, Yannick Bellon, Monica Bellucci, Véra Belmont, Jean-Marc Benguigui, Djamel Bennecib, Luc Béraud, Jacob Berger, Alain Berliner, Gael Garcia Bernal, Pascal Berney, Bernardo Bertolucci, Giuseppe Bertolucci, Marlène Bisson, Arnstein Bjørkly, Lucien Blacher, Catherine Boissière, Olivier Bonnet, Thierry Boscheron, Freddy Bossy, Patrick Bouchitey, Cédric Bouchoucha, Paul Boujenah, Frédéric Bourboulon, Katia Boutin (Membre de l’équipe du dernier film de Roman Polanski “The Ghost”), Jacques Bral, Sophie Bramly, Paulo Branco, Patrick Braoudé, Guila Braoudé, Isabelle Broué, Merima Bruncevic, Anne Burki, André Buytaers, Anthony Byrne, Marco Cacioppo, Gerald Calderon, Monica Cannizzaro, Christian Carion, Henning Carlsen, Jean-Michel Carré, Lionel Cassan (Membre de l’équipe du dernier film de Roman Polanski “The Ghost”), Mathieu Celary, Teco Celio, Muriel Cerf, Chagi, Daniel Champagnon, Christophe Champclaux, Fabienne Chauveau, Claire Chazal, Patrice Chéreau, Brigitte Chesneau, Mishka Cheyko, Catherine Chiono, Catherine Chouchan, Elie Chouraqui, Souleymane Cissé, Jean-Pierre Clech, Henri Codenie, Ethan Coen, Robert Cohen, Jean-Paul Commin, Anne Consigny, Alain Cophignon, Alain Corneau, Jérôme Cornuau, Guy Courtecuisse (Membre de l’équipe du dernier film de Roman Polanski “The Ghost”), Miguel Courtois, Guillaume Cousin, Morgan Crestel, Dominique Crevecoeur, Penelope Cruz, Alfonso Cuaron, Estelle Cywje, Frédéric Damien, Sophie Danon, Olivier Dard, Luc et Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Hervé de Luze (Membre de l’équipe du dernier film de Roman Polanski “The Ghost”), Valérie de Saint-Do, Guillermo del Toro, Benoît Delmas, Jonathan Demme, Ruud den Dryver, Dante Desarthe, Romain Desbiens, Thomas Desjonquères (Membre de l’équipe du dernier film de Roman Polanski “The Ghost”), Alexandre Desplat, Chris Devi, Rosalinde et Michel Deville, Guillaume D’Ham (Membre de l’équipe du dernier film de Roman Polanski “The Ghost”), Christelle Didier (Membre de l’équipe du dernier film de Roman Polanski “The Ghost”), Kathrin DiPaola, Claire Dixsaut, Ariel Dorfman, Jean Douchet, Fabrice du Welz, Marina Duarte Nunes Ferreira, Georges Dybman, Daniel Edinger, Elrem, Sam Enoch, Ernest, Jacques Fansten, Joël Farges, Gianluca Farinelli (Cinémathèque de de Bologne), Etienne Faure, Michel Ferry, Jean Teddy Filippe (Membre de l’équipe du dernier film de Roman Polanski “The Ghost”), Aurélie Fiorentino, Alan Fischer, Martine Fitoussi, Sebastian Fleischhacker, Joy Fleury, Scott Foundas, Werner Fraai, Stephen Frears, Thierry Frémaux, Marc Freycon, Sam Gabarski, René Gainville, Matteo Garone, Yves Gasser, Tony Gatlif, Catherine Gaudin-Montalto, Jean-Marc Gauthier, Costa Gavras, Nathalie Geiser, Lizi Gelber, Isabelle Gély, Jean-Marc Ghanassia, Alain Gil, Véronique Gillet, Terry Gilliam, Christian Gion, François Girault, Stéphane Gizard, Carlos Miguel Bernardo González, Christophe Goumand, Eric Gravereau, Philippe Gruss, Marc Guidoni, Mikael Håfström, Ronald Harwood, Dimitri Haulet, Buck Henry, David Heyman, Laurent Heynemann, Dominique Hollier, Isabelle Hontebeyrie, Frédéric Horiszny, Robert Hossein, Jean-Loup Hubert, Wendy Hudson Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Gilles Jacob, Eric et Veronique et Nicolas Jacquelin, Just Jaeckin, Thomas Jahn, Olivia Janik, Jean-Baptiste Jay, Anne Jeandet, Alain Jessua, Sébastien Jimenez, Arthur Joffé, Pierre Jolivet, Kent Jones (World Cinema Foundation), Alexandra Julen, Paola Jullian, Roger Kahane, Pierre Kalfon, Reena Kanji, Nelly Kaplan, Wong Kar Waï, Darius Khondji, Ladislas Kijno, Richard Klebinder, Jonathan Klein, Harmony Korinne, Jan Kounen, Sylvia Kristel, Diane Kurys, Emir Kusturica, Jean Labadie, Eliane Lacroux, Michel Laigle, Stéphane Lam, John Landis, Claude Lanzmann, David Lanzmann, André Larquié, Pauline Larrieu, Jacques et Françoise Lassalle, Carole Laure, Christine Laurent-Blixen, Emilien Lazaron (Membre de l’équipe du dernier film de Roman Polanski “The Ghost”), Eric Le Roy, Fábio Leal, Vinciane Lecocq, Patrice Leconte, Linda Lefebvre, Claude Lelouch, Alain Lenglet, Gérard Lenne, Larry Levine, Lorraine Lévy, Pierre et Renée Lhomme, Marceline Loridan-Ivens, catalina Lozano, Hugo Luczyc-Wyhowski, Laurence Lustyk, David Lynch, Bania Madjbar, Laurent Malet, Tim Malieckal, Guy Malugani, Michael Mann, Yvon Marciano, François Margolin, Jean-Pierre Marois, Tonie Marshall, Alain Martin, Sandrine Martin, Didier Martiny, Mario Martone, Christine Mathis, Esmeralda Mattei, Nicolas Mauvernay, Yannick Mazet, Christopher, Spencer et Claire Mc Andrew, Guillermo Menaldi, Frédéric Mermoud, Allison Michel, Radu Mihaileanu, Jean-Louis Milesi, Claude Miller, Lionel Miniato, Nelly Moaligou, Jean-Marc Modeste, Mario Monicelli, Jeanne Moreau, Gael Morel, Omayra Muñiz Fernández, Stephanie Murat, Christian Mvogo Mbarga, Anna N.Levine, Charles Nemes, Juliette Nicolas-Donnard, Sandra Nicolier, Rachel Noël, Rui Nogueira, Olivier Nolin, Michel Ocelot, David Ogando, Mariana Oliveira Santos, Szentgyörgyi Ottó, Martine Pagès, Eric Pape, Abner Pastoll, Alexander Payne, Richard Pena (Directeur Festival de NY), Olivier Père, Suzana Peric (Membre de l’équipe du dernier film de Roman Polanski “The Ghost”), Jacques Perrin, Thomas Pibarot, Arnaud Pierrichon, Stéphane Pietri, Anne Pigeon Bormans, Claude Pinoteau, Michele Placido, Sabrina Poidevin, Agnès Catherine Poirier, Stéphane Pozderec, Harry Prenger, Gilbert Primet, Marie-Hélène Raby, Philippe Radault, Tristan Rain, Jean-Paul Rappeneau, Brett Ratner, Raphael Rebibo, Jo Reymen, Laurence Reymond, Yasmina Reza, Christiane Rhein, Jacques Richard, Dominique Robert, Jean-Jacques Rochut, Yannick Rolandeau, Paul Rondags, Avital Ronell, Graciela Rosato, Kontochristopoulou Roula, Laurence Roulet, Joshua Rout, Florence Rphael, Isabelle Ruh, Martin Ruhe, Sonia Rykiel, Anita S. Chang, Esteban S. Goffin, Marc Saffar, Gabriela Salazar Scherman, Walter Salles, Jean-Paul Salomé, Jean-Frédéric Samie, Marc Sandberg, Léo Scalpel, Jerry Schatzberg, Georg Schmithüsen, Julian Schnabel, Barbet Schroeder, J. Neil Schulman, Pierre Schumacher, Ettore Scola, Luis Gustavo Sconza Zaratin Soares, Martin Scorsese, Andrea Sedlackova, Frank Segier, Guy Seligmann, Lorenzo Semple Jr, Julien Seri, Boris Shlafer, Antoine Silber, Pierre Silvant, Charlotte Silvera, Noel Simsolo, Christophe Sirodeau, Abderrahmane Sissako, Beatrice Sisul Petter Skavlan, Paolo Sorrentino, Roch Stephanik, Karen Stetler, Guillaume Stirn, Jean-Marc Surcin, Tilda Swinton, Jean-Charles Tacchella, Radovan Tadic, Danis Tanovic, Bertrand Tavernier, André Techiné, Cécile Telerman, Harold Alvarado Tenorio, Alain Terzian, Valentine Theret, Virginie Thévenet, Pascal Thomas, Jeremy Thomas, Marc Thomas Charley, Giuseppe Tornatore, Serge Toubiana, Nadine Trintignant, Julie Turcas, Mitja Tušek, Tom Tykwer, Alexandre Tylski, Stephen Ujlaki, Jaques Vallotton, Phil van der Linden, Betrand Van Effenterre, Leopold Van Genechten, Christophe van Rompaey, Dorna van Rouveroy, Vangelis, Christian Verdu, Jean-Pierre Vergne, Sarah Vermande, Marc Villemain, Jean-François Villemer, Daria Vinault, Thomas Vossart, Gilles Walusinski, Eric Watton, Wim Wenders, Anaïse Wittmann, A Wolanin, Arnaud Xainte, Serge Youbiana, Paule Zajdermann, Christian Zeender.
Information about Polanski’s film ‘The Ghost’ you cannot make this stuff up. How did these people find a bond company for this film (or any of his other films)?
““I am sure that Roman would have a very good idea of how this film would end up and he might be able to edit remotely via his editor,” said Ali Jaafar, international editor of Variety. “It will probably delay the process but it should not derail it entirely.”
the times: http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article6856134.ece
Dear Harvey Weinstein:
Here’s some testimony you may want to read before you decide to post another (illiterate) op-ed piece:
Q. What did you do when he said, ‘Let’s go into the other room’?
A. I was going ‘No, I think I better go home’, because I was afraid. So I just went and I sat down on the couch.
Q. What were you afraid of?
A. Him…. He sat down beside me and asked if I was OK. I said ‘No’.
Q. What did he say?
A. He goes ‘Well, you’ll be better’. And I go, ‘No I won’t. I have to go home. He said ‘I’ll take you home soon’.
Q. Then what happened?
A. Then he went down and he started performing cuddliness… I was kind of dizzy, you know, like things were kind of blurry sometimes. I was having trouble with my coordination… I wasn’t fighting really because I, you know, there was no one else there and I had no place to go.”
Q. Did he ask you about being on the pill?
A. He asked, he goes, ‘Are you on the pill?’ and I went, ‘No’ and he goes ‘When did you have your period?’ and I said, ‘I don’t know. A week or two. I’m not sure’… He goes, ‘Come on. You have to remember’. And I told him I didn’t…. and right after I said I was not on the pill… and he goes… and then he put me – wait. Then he lifted my legs up farther and he went in through my anus.
Q. Did you resist at that time?
A. A little bit, but not really, because…
Q. Because what?
A. Because I was afraid of him.”
It’s nothing you haven’t heard already — but I just want to make sure I’ve got this right: Polanski drugged and raped a thirteen-year-old, plead guilty to a “semantical lesser charge” — and then fearing more jail time and a “raw” deal, fled the jurisdiction and the country, soon to be living a life of skiing, cheek-bussing, Cannes Film Festivals and Academy Awards, lavished with artistic praise and stand-in-line contracts from the Hollywood liberal elite. And, true to form, this silly petition is signed by (among others) one director who slept with his girlfriend’s teenage step-daughter — and another director whose negligence was directly responsible for the grisly deaths of two children placed into his care and then discarded under the roaring blades of his bullying ego. This Hollywood liberal (and I am) decries the attacks on “Hollywood” because my community is made up mostly of family-oriented human beings who remain disgusted by not only the crime but by the minority of fools who defend this Holocaust-Manson-scarred man — and I defy any of my fellow travelers to offer up your outrage as to this miscarriage of artistic justice until the moment when you learn that the brutalized child is, in fact, your own. Roman Polanski then, Phillip Garrido now — and the difference is what exactly?
Come on, he has suffered enough living in France all of these years.
I mean FRANCE for Christ’s sake. Just like poor Bernie Law stuck in Rome.
Plus I hear Polanski does a killer moonwalk too! And he makes movies.
MOVIES! Why would anyone demand justice from a man who makes movies?
Polanski is a victim of American rightwingers who have no problem killing and raping entire Iraqi families.
I’m truly astonished by the number of people here who are taking the complain at face value, when: 1) it was never tested in court (ie: experts, cross-examination, witnesses, exculpatory evidence) and placed before a jury, and 2) the DA himself threw 5 of the 6 charges.
If the Prosecution itself says he didn’t do most of what he was accused of, who are you all to know better?
At the time, the European press, especially DIE STERN, not being subject to the restrictions imposed on the American press, did a lot of background research on the case.
Purely hypothetically, I submit to you what the defense might have claimed had the case come to trial — keeping in mind that the prosecution would have argued the opposite case, of which you are familiar, that is to say the complaint.
What if the girl in question had had sex already with other older men, with (at the least) her parents’ knowledge, in order to foster a budding modeling career? What if she was known on the club circuit and taken drugs before? What if she had had sex already two weeks prior with Polanski and didn’t file a complaint then? What if she was the one who asked if he had any drugs?
I’m not saying this happened, what I’m saying is, no one ever got to hear the case for the defense.
The only fact we know is that the DA dismissed 5 of the 6 charges, limiting the prosecution to a sex with a minor, and Polanski fessed up to that. That’s it.
And if there was nothing more than that, then he would still be a vile and reprehensible piece of human trash who should have spent time in jail. Real time not 40 days chilling out and looking at ink blots.
As for the counts against him, DAs drop charges all the time in plea bargains – that doesn’t make them less valid.
Polinski is a child rapist. Period. That is an indisputable fact. None of the other unprovable bits of nonsense alter that.
@ Lupin
You are a first rate idiot, you know that.
Sorry, I don’t really give a damn about what some stupid, moronic Eurotrash paper said back in the 70’s. A 43 year old man having sex with a 13 year old is rape – pure and simple. There is no debate about this and you are one sick puppy.
you are a dumb as bread redneck who has not one intelligent thought of his own.
Loopy wrote:
”
I’m truly astonished by the number of people here who are taking the complain at face value, when: 1) it was never tested in court (ie: experts, cross-examination, witnesses, exculpatory evidence) and placed before a jury”
that’s because Polanski admitted to the charges. Why have cross examinations when the criminal says, ‘yup, i did it.’. The cross-examination, etc, comes when the accused says the charges aren’t valid.
”
and 2) the DA himself threw 5 of the 6 charges.
”
No, Loopy, the charges were pleaded down in return for Polanski admitting his guilt.
”
If the Prosecution itself says he didn’t do most of what he was accused of, who are you all to know better?
”
huh? when did they say this? What you smokin’?
”
At the time, the European press, especially DIE STERN, not being subject to the restrictions imposed on the American press, did a lot of background research on the case.
”
So what? You think a California judge or DA is swayed by what a German magazine thinks. Guess that’s why they call you Loopy.
”
What if the girl in question had had sex already with other older men, with (at the least) her parents’ knowledge, in order to foster a budding modeling career? What if she was known on the club circuit and taken drugs before? What if she had had sex already two weeks prior with Polanski and didn’t file a complaint then? What if she was the one who asked if he had any drugs?
”
What if she was a space alien? What if… What if… What if doesn’t matter. What DOES matter is that Polanski admitted to drugging and screwing a child. And that, my dear friend, is a crime.
”
I’m not saying this happened, what I’m saying is, no one ever got to hear the case for the defense.
”
Again… that’s because Polanski admitted his guilt.
”
The only fact we know is that the DA dismissed 5 of the 6 charges, limiting the prosecution to a sex with a minor, and Polanski fessed up to that. That’s it.
”
And guess what, genius, sex with a minor is enough to land you in jail. So Polanski ran. Running from the law is another crime. So now there are two crimes he should be jailed for.
Kind of simple if you think about it… even for the slightest, teenie-weenie bit.
Actually, there is another fact we know, Lupin:
She was 13 at the time.
That wipes out just about all your hypothetical arguments. That other older men might have committed statutory rape with her doesn’t somehow make it ok, nor does her having some sort of reputation or Polanski having potentially had a previous relationship with her. That just means he was a sick perv who broke the law on more than one occasion.
Could those things be true? Anything is possible. Drew Barrymore was partying at Studio 54 and in rehab by the time she was 13. (you would assume if those things were true about Polansk’s victim they might have come out by now) It still doesn’t excuse his having sex with her. He was a 44 year old adult who was suppose to know that having sex with a 13 year old, consensual or not, is morally wrong and against the law. That he had already had a relationship with a 15 year old while in his 40’s shows he didn’t care much about laws, or just plain old right and wrong.
You are sick. I can’t believe I’ve worked with some of you people who are defending this piece of shit. There are many facts we know about this case, and one of them is that he vaginally and anally raped a 13 year old girl despite her pleas to stop.
“What if the girl in question had had sex already with other older men, with (at the least) her parents’ knowledge, in order to foster a budding modeling career? What if she was known on the club circuit and taken drugs before? What if she had had sex already two weeks prior with Polanski and didn’t file a complaint then? What if she was the one who asked if he had any drugs?”
Were you dropped on your head as a child? Those questions are irrelevant. Polanski admitted to raping her. WHAT THE HELL DO THOSE QUESTIONS HAVE TO DO WITH THAT? If you take drugs or sleep around, it’s acceptable to for someone to rape you!? If the facts prove he’s as innocent as you claim, this chickenshit will come back to a trial he fled from 30 years ago and be let go. In that case, SHUT THE HELL UP. But somehow, I don’t think he’s been hiding on the other side of the world for half his life because he couldn’t afford a good lawyer. Remind everyone to never bring any young girls in your direction. God-forbid one has ever had alcohol before, because in your disgusting world, they’ve opened themselves up to rape.
You have struck the crux of the problem. The victim urgently wishes that no further action be taken against Polanski. The victim’s wishes should be heard and obeyed in this instance. The problem is that the US Judicial system has become an entity of it’s own and no longer serves the people at all. Geimer and Polanski have settled this case out of court. Americans need to shut up and listen to the victim for a change instead of rendering their own opinions.For all the proclamations of sympathy for the victim, I see no evidence of this in any American’s post. Just requests for their own opinions to be served.
If his accuser has forgiven him, who can cast a stone? We all pay for our sins. We all pay for our blessings. We have seen the man’s soul laid bare from Chinatown to the Pianist.
I feel my judgement is poor in bright light.
He made an emotional movie so he’s paid for his sins!? You people are beyond helping. Please don’t have kids.
And justice isn’t for the victim, it’s for society. Any rich bastard can rape someone and pay them off. That’s not something a civil society encourages.
EXCLUSIVE: POLANSKI RAPED ME WHEN I WAS 13 .. HE IS A CREEP
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=15775812&method=full&siteid=115875&headline=exclusive–58–polanski-raped-me-when-i-was-13—-he-is-a-creep-name_page.html
Lupin:
He admitted that the girl was telling the truth.
He was lucky that he wasn’t charged with CHILD PORNOGRAPHY too
Lupin, what if doesn’t count here, a 13year old can not give consent to sexual intercourse, there fore its legally rape no matter how you spin it. He did not deny the charges at the trial, he pleaded guilty, did not deny anything the girl said, only later in a book did he say these things weren’t true…..duh! If it wasn’t true I’m sure he’d be likely to say yes I did that and I’m sticking my middle finger up at the US justice system. It would be such a logical thing to do now wouldn’t it?
The girl’s forgiveness came after a financial settlement….once again, duh!
If you want to play ‘what if’s’…….what if Roman Polanski is a consummate liar and for 30yrs has been spinning plausible fairy tales and crying into his cashmere sweaters at his Swiss Châteaux to all his film colleagues, politicians and fellow artistes, so they would like him and forgive him and stand up for him when the horrible Americans finally come to get him.
You may not have heard the latest, remember that documentary that Harvey Weinstein and the rest of the sheep who signed this petition got their ‘proof of judicial misconduct’ information from? Turns out the prosecutor who was interviewed in the film has admitted he lied on the documentary. The full item can be found on the link below
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/entertainment&id=7041542
@Lupin. you are blamming the victim. are you totally nuts??? you are blaming a 13 year old girl for being drugged and raped by a 44 year old man.
I’m outraged by the number of vengeful hypocrites posting their comments on the web. With this level of extremism we’ll need not adopt Shariah Law to start seeing people stoned in the streets. Stop this, no one of you have the moral right to judge this man.
FREE ROMAN POLANSKI!
Excuse us for not putting up with child rape. How are we hypocrites!? I’m assuming most of us commenting have never raped a 13 year old child.
You are comparing wanting a rapist to be punished to Shariah law! That’s so absurd, I question your mental capacity. Your level of extreme tolerance will start seeing little girls raped in the street. So you stop. Your disgusting, moronic mind has no moral right to spew your bile to the rest of us. With your twisted beliefs, I’m sure many would deem you a menace to society. So keep them to your perverted self before you end up sharing a cell with Polanski.
Roman Polanski is innocent and a victim.
The Americans are the last to pass a moral judgement on him.
Before ANYONE signs this petition, you had better first read Polanski’s court pleading, or your are going to look like immoral fools!
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0928091polanskiplea8.html
To those of you exploit right wing by associating Iraqi families,you’ve gone too far. U lose the arguement.
One Roman Polanski fled the states back in the late 70s and when he had a chance to clear things. Now thirty years is a long time being a fugitive from the law. Reality is reality,hard facts,are cold facts. “You can’t handle the truth”, from the movie A Few Good Man comes to my mind. By the way I grew in the 70s too. MeGeneration dull decade of the dullest pardon my pun.
I doubt if a petition signed by some public celebrities is going to change the DAs office. They can’t face the fact an agreegious crime has been committed. A crime which has been unpunished for all these years.
I would love to see Stabler and Olivia from Law&OrderSVU make the arrest and Sam Waterson,Alana De La Garza hammer facts in court.
“How about a petition of the petition”
Here you go:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/405/petition-to-boycott-roman-polanski-petition-supporters
Hollywood shows its true face! Protecting one of its own, even one who has openly admitted to carrying out such despicable acts. These people who hold such power over the media, have a duty to defend the victim not this unrepentant repulsive excuse of a man. If Hollywood has grown so insular from and arrogant to society at large, its time they were knocked down a peg or two. This is such an important matter of principle, and Hollywood are such a powerful political machine, I can’t help thinking that a dedicated petition website should be set up to help counter balance this machine and persuade the politicians of the seriousness of this matter. Kind Regards Steven Parry, England
Here’s a link to a picture of a 13 year-old Samantha Geimer:
http://dne.enaa.com/upload/Samantha_Geimer_13_1408%20.jpg
She looks THIRTEEN!
Despicable.
@ Bill-
are you really defending the sexual actions of a 43 year old man and a 13 year old child?
lolita? are you really going there? he’s a fugitive. child. rapist. it’s child abuse.
I hate people like you- justifying a perverted old man with a child.
sounds to me like you’re justifying your own wanton experiences.
your pedo ass belongs in jail with polanski.
you make me sick and you lack of humanity is appalling…
disgusting.
California may let this guy off. To bad he cant be put on trial in Texas and then imprisoned in Louisana. If he ever got out of prison, he’d be walking kind of funny.
What’s also wrong about so many of these posts are that they blame ‘Hollywood’. Polanski is not Hollywood and hasn’t been for 30-some years. Look at the petition signers – 95% are Europeans, and out of the American film community – all but a few are New Yorkers. So please everyone stop saying “Hollywood” is protecting one of our own – Polanski is not one of our own – and most of the US entertainment signers by far are from and live in New York. As you can see by the responses here – Hollywood is not supportive at all of Polanski and are disgusted at those who are.
Thank you for pointing out what should be obvious about the Polanski petition: that it does NOT represent “mainstream Hollywood” or the “Hollywood community.” I agree that it’s EXTREMELY disappointing to see a handful of respected American (”Hollywood,” if you will) filmmakers’ names on this thing — but the VAST majority of signers are European (mostly French), so a lot of this incredible frothing-at-the-mouth about “Hollywood” is just plain stupid. Look at the facts and get some perspective, people.
42 Days for A 40 plus year old man sodomizing a 13 year old girl!
How would the “Hollywood Legends” feel if they were sodomized when they were 13 and then the guy gets to walk.
We think differently if it is man on girl than if it is man on boy! It is still the good ole boys having their fun with the girls. They always get to somehow blame it on the girls. I remember at the time they were saying she was so mature for her age, etc. We know what that is code for. Look into the past of the people signing the petition, they are either stupid or maybe . . .
I am not sure that there needs to be any debate on this at all. This man, regardless of his social and economic standing, was found guilty of a shocking crime and instead of showing any moral courage – he fled. I also do not think that any ’settlement’ between the victim and Polanski amounts to anything under the law (not being from the US I could be wrong here). If a gaggle of half witted entertainers believe that, on the basis of celebrity, people should be exempt from the law then fine – but clearly it is more than their skin that is being air-brushed these days. They have their right to express an opinion however, the reality is simply that their voice is irrelevant, meaningless and lacks in any form of credibility. Support them if you will – I couldn’t give a damn. In todays instant messaging world Polanski’s arrest is hot property – he will not be saved this time, he will not wander along the banks of the Seine into the sunset, he will not pass go and he will not collect $200 – he will go to jail, directly to jail. Then he’ll get out and write a book – and you’ll buy it…….