Today in The-Entire-World-is-Insane

[glenniebun]

Darren Aronofsky, Martin Scorsese, Terry Gilliam, David Lynch and Alfonso Cuaron, among others, don't think that drugging and raping a child means you shouldn't flee the country to avoid punishment. Because it's been a really long time? Because his victim doesn't want the media circus surrounding her again (reasonable on her part, but not a reason

Comments

[jcdaredevil]

In a way, I get the grounds they're supporting him on...apparently the case was screwy or something and even the victim wants the new one dropped.

But COME ON. He raped a girl. And then fled to France for thirty years. Rape is Rape.

[karcy]

She wanted it dropped because it was too traumatic an experience for her to go through the memories again.

This is not just rape in the statutory rape sense, she really did not want to have sex with him. She said no; that is genuine, true blue rape.

[glenniebun]

Thank you. A lot of the people defending him by saying that even the victim wants the charges dropped aren't actually concerned about her wishes at all. What if she said that the California police should shoot him in the head as soon as he's back on the continent? Again, I'd sympathize (and I'd wager most everyone could understand), but the justice system shouldn't allow that either.

[swashbuckler332]

I think that Roman Polanski is an outstanding filmmaker.

I also think that he needs to face the music for what he has done.

However, I do feel that the resulting media circus that will ensue will not benefit anybody, least of all Samantha Geimer and her family (and you can bet that the whole Sharon Tate incident will be brought out of mothballs to the consternation of Geimer, Polanski and her family). This case ought to be tried, but in a closed court.

[glenniebun]

True, the media circus won't be good for anybody (when is it ever, in this kind of situation?) and certainly all sympathy should go to Geimer for everything she's been through and will be going through. My main point was merely letting off steam about the people scrounging for mitigating circumstances, as if Polanski's films or tragic events in his life somehow mean that he didn't flagrantly break several laws.

[swashbuckler332]

I do think that a certain amount of the reaction has to do with the fact that people have a tendency to put those they admire on a pedestal. Polanski has indeed created many films that are quite admirable, and I think that he gets a lot of slack cut for him because of the personal tragedies that he had experienced.

I think that those defending him have either worked with him or hope to at some point in the future.

Nothing, however, excuses what he did; Samantha Geimer née Gailey's description of the event is pretty disturbing from any standpoint, I don't care how (understandably) distraught he may have been at the time. The man is an absolutely fantastic filmmaker, there is absolutely no question (and I don't think that his Oscar should be taken away from him by any means), but he must be held accountable for what he has done.

[karcy]

"I think that those defending him have either worked with him or hope to at some point in the future."

This.

[karcy]

I'm a cynical person when it comes to Hollywood, and that's partly because I'm aware that the ladder climbing up Hollywood is one filled with sleaze. The Hong Kong film industry, for an example, is rather renowned for being a place where 'everyone has sex with everyone else'.

They want to defend him because he's their friend, and they have the connections and influence to use the media to help them defend their friend.

Also, I suspect that they might see a bit of themselves in him. I'm pretty sure there are loads of skeletons in their own closets, though not always statutory rape. What director has not been implicated of using some of his influence for some kind of sexual advantage -- whether it's telling his female actors to strip, or bedding some of them in exchange for a lead role?

[glenniebun]

I suspect that they might see a bit of themselves in him. I'm pretty sure there are loads of skeletons in their own closets, though not always statutory rape.

There're skeletons in everyone's closet, yes, but I wonder, if you're one of the Hollywood types joining up with the no-big-deal crowd, if that feels like enough to ignore the fact that you're defending a rapist. The colossal myopia necessary to ignore that, or never fully realize it in the first place...might sound about right for some of them, actually. Certainly it's no surprise to see Woody Allen on the list.

[zanduar]

Kevin Smith is going to be in my area, not that I can afford 60 bucks for a Q&A session.

I didn't know about the rape thing until the arrest in Switzerland. When I read about the original crime the only stand out thought I had was, "Jack Nicholson's girlfriend let him get away with this."