The Polanksi Conundrum

[eumelia]

Oh wait.

It really, really is not a fucking conundrum.

The man raped a child, plead guilty, then ran away because the sentencing was too harsh for him (U.S. Appellate Court! Hello!), not that I think there's anything to appeal, or condone or even sympathise with a criminal who decided to do a runner rather than serve the time given him for the crime he committed upon a 13 year old girl.

Is this getting into people's thick skulls?! Obviously not, seeing as there is a fucking petition (No! Tilda Swinton! Pedro Almodovar?!?! *weeps*... just a couple of names at first glance that popped out at me) calling for him to be let go and set free signed by a large amount of people, whose work I admire and inspire me. This is all so fucking Twilight Zone I'm having a hard time articulating it in a manner that doesn't include me tearing my hair out and run screaming through the streets like the "hysterical woman" that I am.

The man, drugged and raped a girl, is also an artist.

*crickets*

What? Is that so bloody hard to imagine? That people who create great things are also morally bankrupt and make no mistake, even if he personally feels guilty (but doesn't really want to sit in jail for it) he still raped a child.

It's really not that complicated. Either the rape of a child is punishable no matter who commits it, or those who are famous, wealthy and part of the artistic Elite are utterly exempt from the laws governing us lowly serfs.

An exaggeration? Please, this is once again a moment in history in which those who "Have" are entitled to get away with espousing the ugliest, most anti-social bullshit imaginable.

And for getting away with criminal behaviour, of course.

Obviously, this is no longer just about Polanski.

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/vinyl__/]

thank you. it seems like all i hear is that he's "served his time" (uhh he's got a YACHT in switzerland, not exactly hard time), or that 13 years old is old enough to give consent.

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

I'm just... what kind of standards of humanity are we setting ourselves up for if we allow this sort of thing to go on like this.

It's basically saying "awesome movies are more important that the life of a person".

It's sickening.

[lishablog.livejournal.com]

My gods, THANK YOU! You are the first one I've seen give a rational statement about all this.

Yeah, yeah, it's been 30 years. Yeah, yeah, the plea bargain was originally supposed to be that he would be sentenced to time served. Yeah, yeah, he settled a civil suit with the girl for an undisclosed amount of money. But, still, he 1) raped a child and 2) ran out on justice.

There's this thing called due process. He could have and should have followed it through the way normal mortals do.

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

He ain't no mortal!

He directed "Chinatown" (which now seems extra creepy to me) and won the Oscar for "The Pianist" (what a crap movie).

We peasants are simply revolting.

[dearanxiety.livejournal.com]

amen.

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

[kaetien.livejournal.com]

Normally you and I don't see eye to eye on a lot of issues (I have a far more laid-back temperament), but I totally agree with you on this one. Sure, the man's directed movies I adore, but he still committed a reprehensible act and ought to serve his sentence.

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

[nods]

Looking at the names on the list of petitioners, I don't know how much of a conscientious consumer I can be. Those are artists I admire... the only thing I can think of is pirating, and I kind of like going to the cinema :(

[antikythera.livejournal.com]

Yyyyeah... I just keep thinking, what's the dilemma here? Lots of people make good contributions to society, but if their bad contributions outweigh the good ones (and child rape trumps just about anything), they get locked away where they can't interact with the world. End of story.

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

I was boggled, until I rememberd that (some) Hollywood (and other movie making societies) producers, directors and actors really do think they live in a movie.

[sadie-sabot.livejournal.com]

I read that some hot shot producer is calling people and asking them to sign the petition. I wonder if there's repercussions for people who don't/won't sign?

fuck roman polanski, man.

[antongarou.livejournal.com]

thank you, I'll pass.This one I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

I concur.

Eww.

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

Harvey Weinstein is one of the biggest producers in Hollywood. It wouldn't surprise me if people feel threatened for their jobs.

Not that that's an excuse for anything.

[antongarou.livejournal.com]

A good thing I don't watch movies much. won't be a problem avoiding their creation for a few months until my disgust with them ebbs a bit

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

[nods].

I'm a consumer and I love the cinema... *sigh*.

[constintina.livejournal.com]

That list of signees just wrecked my night. Isabelle Huppert? Wim Wenders??? Wenders seems to think (based on Far Away, So Close) that porn is dehumanizing and degrading and warehouses of it should be burned, or wtfever happened at the end of that movie...but child rape is hunky dory? If you make classic movies?

Terry Gilliam?

Then all the directors I don't even like but somehow thought better of--Soderbergh, Sam Mendes..

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

Terry Gilliam is crushing for me, as are many others that I admire.

I dunno what to do about this. I mean, cinema is my art of choice to actually pay for and support! How can pay and support these people now? I never paid for a Polanski film when I found out what he did and never served time.

[constintina.livejournal.com]

I don't know that boycotting the work of the people who signed will do much good. Maybe if a particular new film by one of the directors was chosen and the boycott was organized, with press advisories and releases and contacts. But just refusing to pay for anything involving any of the signatories? I respect anyone's personal choice to do that, but as a tactic it seems futile.

Maybe something like a letter writing campaign, or an open letter to all who signed would be more useful?

I guess it depends on your goals. For me, it's not so much about advocating that Polanski go to jail or face any particular punishment (in fact, I worry that if he does it will only add to his criminal glamor and make him more of a persecuted artist hero or wtfever.) I hardly think the US justice system is just, or that sending anyone to prison is likely to help anything or anyone most of the time. That said, since we have prisons, I'd rather see Polanski in one of them than the majority of people serving time right now. But If he returned to the states and his lawyers effectively argued that he deserved a new trial, at which he was not sentanced to hard time for whatever awful reason--fine, whatevs. I'm just disgusted that he seems to feel that he's above the law, and so many other people are invested in helping him continue to believe this. It's not like he's a political fugitive, and it's an insult to actual political fugitives, who were set up by law enforcement and rightly see themselves as unable to get a fair trial--dude committed a horrible crime, a crime that SHOULD be a crime, and admitted it. He's hardly being unfairly persecuted and has no moral or ethical or political grounds on which to justify his skipping the country.

I'm more horrified still at the violent, patriarchal values that are reinforced by his defense, the idea that people will accept and defend an admitted (child!) rapist who fled justice, as if he shouldn't have to pay for his heinous crime because...it was a long time ago? I can't deal with living in a culture where many prominent figures use such misogynist, dehumanizing anti-logic in the name of defending artists! it's too sick. So, to close this round-about comment, I guess I feel more strongly about making a loud stink about what's wrong with the Polanski defense and teh harm that it does to everyone (I'm especially angry thinking about the message this sends to 13-year old girls today...) than about trying to punish everyone involved, if that distinction makes sense.

Mostly I'm just overwhelmed with disgust and disappointment.

I apologize for my migrane-induced ranting. Hope it made some sense. Really not sure right now.