Garbanzo Toons

Roman Polanski and the Search for Justice

Roman Polanski is suing Vanity Fair over an article they printed about him. No big deal. What is a big deal, is that the trial is taking place in Great Britain, but he's testifying from France over a videolink. Why? Because if he goes to Britain, he's afraid of being extradited to the United States to face justice over his rape of a 13 year old girl way back in 1977. Yes, he's a great director, but he's also a hypocritical slimeball, and a fugitive from justice. And a creep.

It soon became clear that Polanski, who stood in a blue suit and tie while giving evidence from his Paris hotel room, was happy to admit to all sorts of past licentiousness - even to an episode in which he seduced an actress in Rome while Tate was in California pregnant with their child - but that he drew the line at the Vanity Fair allegations.

So we are to believe that he does have some shame.

Polanski was giving evidence by video link to avoid the risk of being extradited from Britain to the US. The Oscar-winning director of The Pianist and films like Chinatown and Rosemary's Baby has not set foot in the US since fleeing the country in 1977, hours before he was due to be sentenced after pleading guilty to having unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl, and has not visited this country since 1978.

Or does he?

Polanski, who fled the Krakow ghetto during the second world war after his parents were deported to concentration camps by the Nazis, said Vanity Fair's allegation that he had tried to pick up or seduce a girl by exploiting Tate's name was an "abominable lie. It's not the way I behave as far as my sexual life is concerned.I still had some honour. I still have now".

Is he kidding? Remember the 13 year old girl?

At another point he admitted having sex at least on one occasion with two women at the same time. One was 15 or 16 and the other was 18. He told Mr Shields: "I can assure you it wasn't illegal. It was within the laws of that country. I made only one mistake and I am still suffering for that."

And how he must be suffering!

Personally, I'm having a very difficult time feeling sympathetic toward Mr. Polanski. I hope he loses the suit.

Labels: Roman Polanski, Vanity Fair

posted by Harry @ 9:52 AM