Roman Polanski

[joninliverton]

I love this guy and I love his films which includes my all time favourite Chinatown which starred Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunnaway and John Huston. Again courtesy of my late dad who actually had the film on video tape but now there are not many video players around I purchased a copy on DVD.

Here is a youtube clip of Polanski talking about the film and unselfishly giving lots of credits to the writer Robert Towne and the producer Robert Evans. I love his take on corruption too and also the tragic ending.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ExA-yeWmYE&NR=1

 

[joninliverton]

Here is another clip giving a bit more insight of the great man and this fabulous film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q34OSPw17o4&feature=related

 

[mikeyank]

The dark side's of genius

When you mention the name Roman Polanski, the first thing that comes to mind is his recent arrest, and then release in Switzerland, based on his statutory rape conviction back in 1977 of a 13 year old girl.

This is a portion of an article detailing what happened:

"Two weeks after Polanski plied her with Champagne and a Quaalude, Samantha Gailey appeared before an L.A. grand jury and recalled Polanski's predatory behavior in a Mulholland Canyon home owned by Jack Nicholson.

The teenager's troubling--and contemporaneous--account of her abuse at Polanski's hands begins with her posing twice for topless photos that the director said were for French Vogue. The girl then told prosecutors how Polanski directed her to, "Take off your underwear" and enter the Jacuzzi, where he photographed her naked. Soon, the director, who was then 43, joined her in the hot tub. He also wasn't wearing any clothes and, according to Gailey's testimony, wrapped his hands around the child's waist.

The girl testified that she left the Jacuzzi and entered a bedroom in Nicholson's home, where Polanski sat down beside her and kissed the teen, despite her demands that he "keep away." According to Gailey, Polanski then performed a sex act on her and later "started to have intercourse with me." At one point, according to Gailey's testimony, Polanski asked the 13-year-old if she was "on the pill," and "When did you last have your period?" Polanski then asked her, Gailey recalled, "Would you want me to go in through your back?" before he "put his penis in my butt." Asked why she did not more forcefully resist Polanski, the teenager told Deputy D.A. Roger Gunson, "Because I was afraid of him."

Following his indictment on various sex charges, Polanski agreed to a plea deal that spared him prison time (he had spent about 45 days in jail during a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation). But when it seemed that a Superior Court judge might not honor the deal--and sentence Polanski to prison--the director fled the country."

All of this does not diminish his great directorial work, nor does Phil Spector's murder case diminish his greatness as a musical genius, nor does OJ Simpson's greatness on the gridiron change due to his activities later in life.

However it is hard to think of any of them for their accomplishments in film, music, or sport, based on their heinous acts for which they were all convicted, (except OJ, who was convicted and is currently in jail for an unrelated crime).

 

[joninliverton]

So where is Michael Jackson on your list then ? Let them without sin cast the first stone. I'm not on about the crime that he allegedly commited, I'm on about this guys creativity behind the camera, especially and in particular Chinatown, which is one of my all time favourites.

 

[mikeyank]

So where is Michael Jackson on your list then ? Let them without sin cast the first stone. I'm not on about the crime that he allegedly commited, I'm on about this guys creativity behind the camera, especially and in particular Chinatown, which is one of my all time favourites.

Hi Jon,

I'm not taking a stand on Roman Polanski. I too enjoyed Chinatown. I was just mentioning to you that his name has been in the news lately, in the tabloid press and on television gossip shows in the U.S. in regard to his conviction, and living abroad to avoid prison.

Far be it from me to pass moral judgement on someone desiring sex with someone considerably younger, but I always be sure that the person is of legal age, and I would certainly never dose them with drugs. But I know that lot's of folks think I am "sick" and "demented" to want to suck the cock of a 20 year old or an 18 year old. I was just presenting the story, Jon, without making a judgement.

 

[joninliverton]

Yes I saw the story about the USA wanting to extradite Polanski from Switzerland to face trials god knows how many years on. Who do the USA think they are by demanding people from various countries be sent to the USA to get an unfair trial. I hope the likes of the BP board and the Scottish MPs give the US dept who wants to question them the big FINGER.

 

[mikeyank]

Yes I saw the story about the USA wanting to extradite Polanski from Switzerland to face trials god knows how many years on. Who do the USA think they are by demanding people from various countries be sent to the USA to get an unfair trial. I hope the likes of the BP board and the Scottish MPs give the US dept who wants to question them the big FINGER.

Jon, a post like that may incite carking out of his self imposed exile, to defend the USA. "Them's fighting words" Watch out.

 

[joninliverton]

Jon, a post like that may incite carking out of his self imposed exile, to defend the USA. "Them's fighting words" Watch out.

I stand by my statement. There have been many disasters in other countries that USA companies have been responsible for but the companies have always rejected invitations to appear in those countries affected by their actions - India for one. The USA govt seems to be very blinkered in this respect and should order their own companies to give evidence in other parts of the world if they transgress.

 

[joninliverton]

Mike, I remind you of this:

Think back to the 80's when Union Carbide killed more than 8,000 people in Bopal, India. The US governement / laws have blocked / prevented anyone from standing trial for this crime... and all these years later it's still not been resolved.

 

[mikeyank]

You are stating the truth Jon. It is hard to defend many of the actions of US policies over the years. I was so hopeful that Obama would do so much, quickly, but apparently the system is bigger than the man, and status quo is the way of Washington and world politics.

 

[joninliverton]

You are stating the truth Jon. It is hard to defend many of the actions of US policies over the years. I was so hopeful that Obama would do so much, quickly, but apparently the system is bigger than the man, and status quo is the way of Washington and world politics.

It's quite difficult for people to appear outside their comfort zone. Hayward is an example when he was ordered to appear before your hounds, something I still say he should have had to do as BP is not a USA company. However, he did do it, and it was this performance that lost him hiim his job, not the oil explosion and subsequent spill.

Similarly the same hounds now want members of the Scottish Govt to fly over and appear before the same commitee. Who do these people think they are ? BTW, I and lots of other UK citizens were against the release, it was the Scottish Govts decision. But that is now history and you cannot change that.

 

[cumrag27]

Victims have rights too!

As I recall I believe this tragic and heartless event took place in the 70's. The victim, a 13 year old girl Roman Polanski plied with both Champagne and a Quaalude followed by a no-holds barred(no pun intended) merciless fucking of this now drunk, drugged, and defenseless minor. Years later, the victim has respectfully asked the court to no longer pursue RP's extradition and prosecution. Regardless of her expressed wishes made now as an adult, we have a prosecuting attorney that cannot rest for the thought that RP got away with it. Somehow, the victim’s current feelings are irrelevant to this wise prosecutor.

On the one hand it doesn't make me proud of Polanski or feel like rooting for him except for the hell bent Prosecuting Attorney is out to get his pound of flesh, agaiinst the victim's wishes. On the other hand, don’t you think it is cruel that she must have to revisit her victimization one more time just so a Prosecuting Attorney can add one more chalk mark on the board?

You have to ask yourself is Polanski (now almost 80 years old) a danger to anyone today? Punishment for the sake of some anal-retentive prosecutor is not what justice, our legal system, or our prisons are for.

The only one I respect out of all of this is the victim and she says to drop it. I am on her side regardless of RP's purported "creative genius". Being a monster is not incompatible with being a genius. I have to say in circumstances such as this, if there is some god out there who will judge each of us in the hereafter, then perhaps this is far superior to our adulterated legal system with all of its flaws. Without divine justice in the afterlife, then no one will be there to realize this apparent miscarriage in justice anyway.