"Minor technicalities." Those were the words Zurich Film Festival president Debra Winger used to describe the American arrest warrant finally served by Swiss authorities upon her buddy, director Roman Polanski. Like other countless Hollywood luminaries, journalists, and commentators, the actress verbally erased the ugly truth behind her friend's belated arrest with a few well-chosen words. Polanski's rape charge has been repeatedly labeled a "sex scandal" rather than a "rape scandal," the result of "inappropriate sex" rather than "rape of a 13-year old girl" a product of "Puritanical aversion to sex" rather than pursuit of justice, "he's living in exile" rather than "fleeing American authorities." Ah, the power of words! Little wonder that many Americans and Europeans alike view Polanski as a victim of antiquated morality.
The photo shoot that Roman Polanski scheduled 30 years ago with a 13-year-old model almost didn't come off, due to the fact her mother wasn't permitted to be present. The mother's fears were allayed by Polanski's agreement to let young Samantha bring a friend. For reasons that nobody seems to know, that friend never arrived. The teen's intuition arose when he asked her to photograph her topless, but she was reluctant to challenge a seemingly acceptable European custom. Polanski didn't quench her thirst with water or soda, but rather alcohol...followed by a quaalude. While she repeatedly said no, she finally dropped her resistance in the hopes of going home. "I was afraid," she later said of the much older director. She figured, "Let's get through this." What ensued was rape, forcible sodomy, and a car ride home punctuated by Polanski's admonition, "Let's just keep this our little secret." That, folks, is not "inappropriate sex," but the drugging and raping of a child. The criminal justice system knew it, and so did Polanski, who admitted his behavior. Shortly after he learned that the judge was about to reject his plea deal, the "artistic genius" fled to Europe, where he has been jaunting between several homes, making movies, winning an Oscar, and having a good old time.
Since the rape, Polanski made financial amends to his victim, and she publicly forgave him. This, we are told by Polanski's fans, should make the justice system forget all about his sentencing. Samantha Geimer, now 45 years old, is understandably tired of media harassment. That exasperation is echoed by her husband, who is nauseated by the mention of Polanski's name in the news. What his supporters forget is that it isn't the justice system, but rather Polanski himself who prolonged the media harassment of the Geimers by staying in Europe. He could've brought closure to the case years ago, but he chose not to. Now they must endure another round of public scrutiny until Polanski faces the music on American soil.
Is the director truly facing a jail sentence for his crime? If Chris Brown's felony case is any indication, it's highly unlikely the 70-ish director will be sent to the pokey. But it's not as if he didn't do anything to merit incarceration. Child rape & forcible sodomy are the reasons the American courts want to talk to Mr. Polanski. And that, Ms. Winger, is not a "minor technicality."
The photo shoot that Roman Polanski scheduled 30 years ago with a 13-year-old model almost didn't come off, due to the fact her mother wasn't permitted to be present. The mother's fears were allayed by Polanski's agreement to let young Samantha bring a friend. For reasons that nobody seems to know, that friend never arrived. The teen's intuition arose when he asked her to photograph her topless, but she was reluctant to challenge a seemingly acceptable European custom. Polanski didn't quench her thirst with water or soda, but rather alcohol...followed by a quaalude. While she repeatedly said no, she finally dropped her resistance in the hopes of going home. "I was afraid," she later said of the much older director. She figured, "Let's get through this." What ensued was rape, forcible sodomy, and a car ride home punctuated by Polanski's admonition, "Let's just keep this our little secret." That, folks, is not "inappropriate sex," but the drugging and raping of a child. The criminal justice system knew it, and so did Polanski, who admitted his behavior. Shortly after he learned that the judge was about to reject his plea deal, the "artistic genius" fled to Europe, where he has been jaunting between several homes, making movies, winning an Oscar, and having a good old time.
Since the rape, Polanski made financial amends to his victim, and she publicly forgave him. This, we are told by Polanski's fans, should make the justice system forget all about his sentencing. Samantha Geimer, now 45 years old, is understandably tired of media harassment. That exasperation is echoed by her husband, who is nauseated by the mention of Polanski's name in the news. What his supporters forget is that it isn't the justice system, but rather Polanski himself who prolonged the media harassment of the Geimers by staying in Europe. He could've brought closure to the case years ago, but he chose not to. Now they must endure another round of public scrutiny until Polanski faces the music on American soil.
Is the director truly facing a jail sentence for his crime? If Chris Brown's felony case is any indication, it's highly unlikely the 70-ish director will be sent to the pokey. But it's not as if he didn't do anything to merit incarceration. Child rape & forcible sodomy are the reasons the American courts want to talk to Mr. Polanski. And that, Ms. Winger, is not a "minor technicality."
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