Polanski is a man of deep flaws. Some might argue that those deep flaws were also responsible for his great ability. I'll leave that for others to decide.

It was a deep flaw in his personality that led to his drugging and raping of a 13 year old girl. It was a deep flaw in his personality that led to his fleeing justice, even though it is relatively clear that his conviction wasn't justice's shining moment.

Let us remember the obvious causes for his flaws. At the age of 6, he witnessed the Nazi invasion of Poland and lived through his family being forced to live in the Krakow ghetto. Eventually, the family was forcibly split up and sent to concentration camps. The young boy would never see his mother again - she would die in Auschwitz.

Polanski, though, managed to escape his concentration camp (Mauthausen-Gusen) and lived for years in hiding being protected by some Polish Catholic families.

He was reunited with his father, who survived his time at Mauthausen, years later.

There is already more horror in this story than anyone deserves - let alone a young boy. Yet Polanski's story, as you know, gets much worse.

By all accounts, the love of his life was Sharon Tate. What happened to Sharon Tate - 8 months pregnant at the time - is more horror than any woman deserves. You must know that Polanski blames himself for her death - he delayed a return home for business reasons.

Fleeing justice was without question the wrong thing to do. But who has ever had a more reasonable distrust of "justice" than a man who as a boy was forced into a concentration camp, forced to part from his mother, forced to remain in hiding - all in the name of "justice." Who better than Polanski knows the limitations of justice, when for the second fucking time in his life the one person he treasured was brutally removed from him?

He raped a 13 year old girl. It should surprise no one that he must have issues with women. It's more surprising that such issues have never resurfaced. My guess? He was abusing drugs at the time (who wasn't at the time?)

The victim wants closure to the case. She feels Polanski has been punished significantly and sufficiently already. She feels the judge wrongly reneged on the deal. She says further prosecution only serves to dredge up lurid details and cause her more pain.

I'm sure she's right. Still - in spite of all this - I don't believe his punishment has been sufficient. And I do believe its time he face justice. The victim certainly deserves continued sympathy. But it's time to bring this matter to an end - a matter his actions have unnecessarily prolongued. We know he is guilty of drugging the girl and raping her - even though he was actually found guilty of only "unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor". You might think he would have trouble sleeping at night over this. The truth is though, he would have trouble sleeping at night anyway. Being famous shouldn't get you a lighter sentence. Events of his past should be taken into account in any psychiatric evaluation. But those events don't give you the green light to rape, even if they are, somehow, causally connected.

So - last thought now - anyone not have Polanski in their top 5 list of greatest living directors?

If all else fails remind the of the "Holocaust".

all those Holocause survivors who witnessed such terrible things and did NOT drug and rape 13 year old girls ... I wonder what's wrong with them?

Why in the world would they waste such an amazing free chit?

Tagging this: Disgusting Things

охренеть можно.
так много слов на набившую оскомину тему ,которая всех заябала уже.
И, кстати, Поланский не входит в мою пятёрку лучших режиссеров

suffer from reading comprehension problems.

roasted and ate tender-aged babies for artistic inspiration we should cut him some slack because he is a film making genius?

There are probably countless survivors of the Holocaust who did not go on to rape thirteen year old girls. Go figure. Some of them probably even had their pregnant wife murdered and yet STILL did not consider it necessary to compensate by raping children. In addition one wonders how many other children Polanski sodomized while being indulged by the French for so many years?

The world is full of great films created by directors who [probably] were not in the habit of raping little girls. This same world would have been just as enlightened and just as entertained inside the movie houses had Polanski never been born.

making the "top 5" list of anything (ballplayer, inventor, singer) doesn't give you the right to drug and forcibly rape a child

and if surviving the holocaust (or a similar traumatic event) gives one license to commit horrific crimes on strangers, then heaven help us.

lets not pretend polanski isn't responsible for his actions. his values and desires were shaped by the "anything goes" hollywood/film environment, not by the abuse his relatives suffered at the hands of hitler.

this is the worst top post of the day.

While I have no sympathy for Polanski's crime, I do have sympathy for the victim's wishes. If she'd rather it were dropped, it should be dropped. End of story.

However, there has been an argument made that the victim has no say in the matter. That "justice, not vengeance" mandates prosecuting a crime against the wishes of the victim. This is a new concept to me, and a troubling one. What is the meaning of "pressing charges" in a criminal matter, if not to give the victim the choice?

I'd be interested if anyone has expertise in this area.

And that is saying something today.

this is the worst top post of the day.

You exaggerate.

reading comprehension problems.

this is the worst top post of the day.-BA

But , please , have in mind that you have not yet top posted on 10/06/09

problems

but if the victim wishes to drop charges because he/she fears retribution - or because he/she has been bribed, do you find it troubling in these cases?

I don't believe his punishment has been sufficient. And I do believe its time he face justice.

Can the people here really be this stupid?