Jaymole

After watching Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, my feelings have changed somewhat about his flight from justice. I still think he did the wrong thing by fleeing, but I understand better why he did. I also had no idea that he had already spent some time behind bars under psychiatric supervision (42 days).

I think this arrest may be the best thing for everyone involved as it may finally give some closure to these events.

BJacks

Who cares if he spent 42 days in jail already? Drugging, sodomizing and raping a minor should get you years.

Cheato

I have an idea. List out 1000 different crimes, from least significant to most significant, and then list out 100 or so different jobs working on a movie, and then you can ask Dick Laurent to draw the lines and map out his beliefs. I'm sure it's there's a curve somewhere between a Key Grip committing genocide and a producer getting a parking ticket.

Because after all, it's impossible to simply make a single judgment. We all have to have policies that are consistent across the board and ask "what if" in a thousand different ways before arriving at an opinion. And then it has to be absolute, all-or-nothing, or justifiable why it isn't.

That is exactly the point DL was trying to make, right?

Or, we could just say "Roman Polanski drugged and raped a 13-year old girl and then fled from the U.S. justice system, and now he's finally been caught." And maybe some people feel a little strongly about the fact that he drugged and raped a 13-year old girl, so they don't want to support his career. I don't think "watching Naked Gun" as "supporting O.J. Simpson" is in the same ballpark. Maybe you do. Whatever.

Jaymole

I only mentioned that as I always thought he fled the country as to avoid any responsibility for the crime. I never said that should be the full extent of his punishment.

BJacks

Ah, gotcha.

NoirFan

Hey, why don't we boycott all of Led Zeppelin albums? Jimmy Page drugged and raped dozens of 13-year old girls - where's the outcry there?

Dr. DVD

It took them this dang long? What he did was wrong, but I think if they REALLY wanted him they would have done something to get him extradited more swiftly than waiting 30+ years.
Also, if the victim has forgiven him and wants it all behind them, they should respect her wishes.

Say what you will, what he did does not detract from his film making abilities, past or present.

NoirFan

I wonder if this will affect the release of The Ghost next year.

Boba Fett

What disgusts me, is I've heard people say Polanski deserves extra sympathy for what he did because he's a Holocaust survivor.

NoirFan

Or because his wife was butchered. Both ridiculous defenses.

Jack Straw

Not defenses, mitigating circumstances. There's a difference.

NoirFan

I'm reminded of the SNL skit in which a drunken, belligerent Horatio Sanz is allowed to destroy an entire apartment because his parents were eaten by bears.

Supermallet

That was a skit? I thought that was just Horatio Sanz.

Ted Todorov

France absolutely does extradite. They don't extradite for the specific crime that Polanski plead guilty to: "unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor" which presumably doesn't translate to an extraditable felony under French law (not 100% percent sure what it was under California law -- anyone remember the exact details?)

Deftones

what does that matter? if they extradite or not, they didn't for this specific crime, and that's all that matters.

Perkinsun Dzees

I think Polanski has already suffered enough. Fer chrissakes, he was in Rush Hour 3.

rexinnih

He has made some good movies, but he is a fugitive from justice. This would have been over years ago but he made a conscious decision to run. Now we'll see.

JumpCutz

Interesting.

Barton Heyman, Pete Masterson, Robert Symonds and Arthur Storch are the actors who portrayed the doctors in The Exorcist.

Do you know which actor/doctor? I'm not disputing your assertion, I just couldn't find anything googling this topic.

Dick Laurent

I'm gracefully bowing out of this discussion because posters are not reading the details of statements made, mine especially.

I chose to boycott his films for a very specific reason, of which this is not the appropriate venue to go into detail. I'm a victim, and though I don't play that as a "card" I choose not to spend my time with a man (though only artistically) that reminds me of a big chunk of my childhood I'd rather forget completely. Sure, if I never knew any of this, I would be none-the-wiser. But since I do know the details, and have researched the mater extensively, I can't help that I feel a sense of what I felt many years ago. It's just a mental thing for me. As I stated before, a personal decision. My boycott is not a blatant statement of support for the legal system. It's my own thing. I guess it's my mistake for sharing.

Thanks to those that do get it. No hard feelings toward anyone.

chris_sc77

While I dont condone sodomizing 13 year old girls Polanski's actions do not hinder my enjoyment of many of his films.

lamphorn

I wonder why it is that it's ok for certain people to sleep with minors, but not others?

I've never heard anyone suggest boycotting Elvis Presley for sleeping with a 14 year old. I've never heard people calling for Jerry Lee Lewis' incarceration even though he knocked up his 13 year old cousin. We're talking incestuous child molestation, but he was a handsome rock n' roller and somehow it's ok.

But an odd-looking Jewish foreigner does it and people go crazy.

I bet half of you guys in here secretly applaud when it's a pretty 40 year old woman and a 13 year old boy. ("Lucky kid!") Double-standards all around.

Kurt D

I think it's the whole 'drugged and unwilling' thing. As far as I know The Killer and The King (now there's a movie title) had willing partners who didn't press charges.

Goes to show how morality, justice and personal feelings don't really transfer well from person to person.

Anyway, Polanski should do the time ...

Matthew Ackerly

Hope this scumbag serves time...

And I was never a fan of his films anyway, except for "Chinatown".

RocShemp

Sounds like a remake of The Emperor and the Assassin.

But, yeah, the key difference is that he drugged the girl and she pleaded with him to stop despite her being drugged. So he was twice in the wrong.

mhg83

Tell that to R.Kelly!