No free pass
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
WHO’D HAVE thought that Roman Polanski’s arrest in Switzerland over the weekend would be so controversial?
In the 1970s, Polanski was arrested and accused of drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl. In 1977, he pleaded guilty to what apparently was a lesser charge: having sex with a child.
Then he ran to France to escape sentencing. In the ensuing years, he has continued to make successful movies and has drawn critical acclaim for his talent. The 1978 outstanding warrant for his arrest for skipping out on the sentencing precluded his return to the U.S. to accept an Oscar for best director for “The Pianist.” Still, he remained free and, unless he traveled to Great Britain or another country likely to extradite him, Polanski’s life held few restrictions.
Known as the screenwriter and director for “Rosemary’s Baby” and director of “Chinatown,” Polanski no doubt is a talented man and has been honored repeatedly as such. During his voluntary absence from the Hollywood scene, he has continued to build his successes and his bankroll.
The film-making community long ago forgave him for his admitted transgression; it is a hiccup now in an impressive resume. The 76-year-old screenwriter-director had gone to Switzerland on Saturday to accept a lifetime achievement award for his body of works.
In Switzerland, he felt safe.
His arrest in Zurich set off a spate of angry protests from French Culture Minister Bernard Kouchner, from filmmakers in Polanski’s native Poland, and from others around the world.
Even his victim, Samantha Geimer, has joined Polanski in his bid to have the case and his guilty plea disregarded. Geimer says she wants the criminal case to be over; she long ago received an undisclosed settlement from Polanski for a civil case filed on her behalf.
A victim’s ability to forgive is admirable; the movie industry’s ability to forget is not particularly surprising. The latter group, after all, worships talent and perhaps can overlook piccadillos like having sex with children.
However, this isn’t about the merits of forgiving and forgetting. It’s about a man, more than 40 years old at the time, who wilfully violated a 13-year-old girl.
He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge, having sex with a child, to avoid a trial for drugging and raping the girl. A plea to a lesser charge often means that the defendant likely would be convicted on the original charge. Is the lesser charge supposed to be an improvement and, after all these years, are we to simply let the matter drop?
Those of us who won’t tolerate sex crimes against children can’t do that, no matter how talented or how beleaguered the man who pleaded to the reduced charge.
Yes, we overwhelmingly sympathize with Polanski for growing up without a mother because she died in a Nazi concentration camp; yes, we overwhelmingly sympathize with him for the horrific murder of his wife, Sharon Tate, in 1968.
And, yes, Polanski’s contribution to the film world — particularly the dark side of it — certainly has to be acknowledged.
But Roman Polanski wouldn’t by any stretch of the imagination be the only inmate who’d been dealt a raw hand in life and ended up in prison.
How many inmates currently in prison wish that the courts would forgive and forget in their cases, too?
Polanski’s supporters seem to be saying that Polanski hasn’t had sex with any other children, and because of his enormous contribution to our entertainment and because of his good behavior, we should give him a second chance.
OK; that’ll work, because the law can and does give that second chance.
It’s called parole.
Bobbi Mlynar
Reporter
goodoleboy (anonymous) says...
Absolutely astounding that anyone would speak out in favor of a child molester. I wonder if the people crying about how he was treated unfairly would like it if he watched their kids for a awhile?
September 29, 2009 at 3:18 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
dale011 (anonymous) says...
OK think Michael Jackson, only he liked little boys. Did Michael do any time? Nope, he actually fled the country to Dubai where evedently they don't mind child molesters as long as they have money.
September 29, 2009 at 3:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
giggles (anonymous) says...
I am neither agreeing or disagreeing with any of this, but the difference between Polanski and Jackson is that MJ did actually go to court. Whether or not he was found guilty and served time was up to the judge and jury on that one. Polanski should have to have his day in court and stop avoiding it.
September 29, 2009 at 4 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...
We should have nuked France for harboring a pedophile. Isn't France the same place that the unicorn killer fled to for so many years? What kind of sick country would give refuge to these kinds of criminals?
R.
September 29, 2009 at 4:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
me (anonymous) says...
Iam with you goodboy my child was molested over 20 yrs ago he did 20 years in prison and i still DO NOT forgive him!!! who could support this creep!!! LOCK HIM UP!!!!!!!!!
September 29, 2009 at 4:16 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
open_eyes (anonymous) says...
And the moral of the story (apparently) is:
No matter what you do, you can get away with it as long as you flee to another country and wait for enough time to pass.
Right?
September 29, 2009 at 4:21 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
goodoleboy (anonymous) says...
Apparently so Open eyes, it was out right ridiculous today I read about a man lost his children to a spouse that fled to Japan, where as I understand it child abduction is generally not frowned upon, but this guy ends up in jail for trying to go get his kids back( which he has full custody of). Simply amazing.......
September 29, 2009 at 9:47 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
open_eyes (anonymous) says...
Crazy world we live in :(. It's a wonder kids today can grow up with any sense of right and wrong at all.
September 30, 2009 at 9:28 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
znasr (anonymous) says...
Polanski went to court, too. And was found guilty. And fled before the sentencing.
September 30, 2009 at 5:45 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )