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his own damned fault
Sep. 30th, 2009 01:41 pmThere's been a lot of conversation and speculation about why Polanski was arrested now, about his fear of the alleged ethical violations of the now deceased judge. All the more reason why everyone should know this:
Roman Polanski's Arrest Is His Own Fault
In 2008, filmmaker Marina Zenovich—who had no prior relationship with Polanski—released a documentary, Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, that corroborated Polanski’s fear that his plea bargain wouldn’t have taken effect. Polanski tried to use the information presented in the film to get his case dismissed. Even the prosecutor from the original trial said in the documentary that he didn’t think the judge, who is now dead, had been fair to Polanski.
And for a while, it seemed as if Polanksi’s strategy might work. Earlier this year, a new judge was willing to consider dismissing the case against him. But first, he wanted Polanski to show up in court. Polanski, however, would not appear.
This is Polanski’s biggest problem: The judge’s terms were reasonable. He gave Polanski three months to surface in L.A. and even hinted that the director would probably not serve jail time if he appeared. And yet Polanski refused. From the point of view of prosecutors, Polanski practically dared them to act.
Polanski refused the legal opportunities afforded to him, both decades ago and now. Polanski is responsible for this entire horrific circus, for putting himself above the law by committing a crime and by fleeing the consequences of the crime. Polanski has dragged out this awful part of life for himself and his victim. Don't even get me started on his alleged "suffering in exile." Because if suffering in exile means enjoying your celebrity, owning multiple homes, getting married and having a family, winning Oscars and jaunting around Europe - wow. Clearly being a child rapist hasn't hurt his reputation if so much of the film community is willing to throw their names around and support him. I think the very idea of implying Polanski suffers from some terrible persecution and exile is repugnant and does a disservice to people who have suffered from real exile in places like Siberia.
Let's talk about Roger Avary.
Roger Avary is going to jail for his crime. Wait, where's the petition that says how horrible it is that Roger Avary go to jail for killing someone while drunk driving? He's won an Oscar too! Oh wait - Roger Avary is a decent goddamned human being who accepted his punishment for his crime. He didn't run away.
Roman Polanski's Arrest Is His Own Fault
In 2008, filmmaker Marina Zenovich—who had no prior relationship with Polanski—released a documentary, Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, that corroborated Polanski’s fear that his plea bargain wouldn’t have taken effect. Polanski tried to use the information presented in the film to get his case dismissed. Even the prosecutor from the original trial said in the documentary that he didn’t think the judge, who is now dead, had been fair to Polanski.
And for a while, it seemed as if Polanksi’s strategy might work. Earlier this year, a new judge was willing to consider dismissing the case against him. But first, he wanted Polanski to show up in court. Polanski, however, would not appear.
This is Polanski’s biggest problem: The judge’s terms were reasonable. He gave Polanski three months to surface in L.A. and even hinted that the director would probably not serve jail time if he appeared. And yet Polanski refused. From the point of view of prosecutors, Polanski practically dared them to act.
Polanski refused the legal opportunities afforded to him, both decades ago and now. Polanski is responsible for this entire horrific circus, for putting himself above the law by committing a crime and by fleeing the consequences of the crime. Polanski has dragged out this awful part of life for himself and his victim. Don't even get me started on his alleged "suffering in exile." Because if suffering in exile means enjoying your celebrity, owning multiple homes, getting married and having a family, winning Oscars and jaunting around Europe - wow. Clearly being a child rapist hasn't hurt his reputation if so much of the film community is willing to throw their names around and support him. I think the very idea of implying Polanski suffers from some terrible persecution and exile is repugnant and does a disservice to people who have suffered from real exile in places like Siberia.
Let's talk about Roger Avary.
Roger Avary is going to jail for his crime. Wait, where's the petition that says how horrible it is that Roger Avary go to jail for killing someone while drunk driving? He's won an Oscar too! Oh wait - Roger Avary is a decent goddamned human being who accepted his punishment for his crime. He didn't run away.