Filmmaker and American expatriate Roman Polanski is looking to clear his name in a more than 30-year old case, and the reason behind his fleeing to Europe.
Roman Polanski used to live in Southern California, not far from the movie capital, Hollywood. After being accused of having sex with a 13-year-old and having legal charges brought for the matter, the filmmaker fled to France, where he has resided for the last three decades, as he also has citizenship to that European country. He now wants those charges dropped. Is it safe to assume he wants to come back to the United States? No representatives of Polanski have suggested that a return to the United States is what is driving Polanski's request, but it isn't too much of a stretch to wonder if that isn't the driving force behind a campaign to drop charges which Polanski once pleaded guilty to anyway. Though only the man himself knows why he fled, it was widely assumed that he left only to avoid possible incarceration, if the legal situation did not come to a pleasing conclusion for the man of Polish extraction.
He has not returned to California, or the country, since this suit. According to reports, lawyers have filed a motion in a Los Angeles court on behalf of Polanski, asking to have the suit dismissed, due to "misconduct" during the course of the legal proceedings in 1978. More than 30 years ago, at the time the allegation came forward, Polanski had pled guilty. He earned an Oscar for his 2003 film, the Adrien Brody-starring The Pianist. He was not present to obtain the award at the Hollywood ceremony, and some present were not happy about his receipt of the award, as he was a fugitive on the lamb, 30 years after the fact. He was recently seen in a cameo appearance in the comedy, Rush Hour 3, with Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker.
Polanksi was married to actress Sharon Tate, until the grisly murder of Tate and their unborn child in the late 1960s, by radical terror group the "Manson Family." The two resided in Southern California.
Maybe we should cut the poor guy some slack. Perhaps he had the funny reaction to the suit in question because he was still pretty freaked about his family history and interactions with law enforcement became intollerable. At his age he is unlikely to be a danger to young girls these days.
Read my upcoming opinion piece on the matter. Though I can't entirely agree that his age precludes him from being any less of a threat than any other former offender, I do understand what you are saying.
In the opinion piece I just submitted, I talk about how, to me, it's pretty clear that the man just wants to come home, and I understand that and sympathize with that. I think it would be kind of silly to just say ok, whatever, charges dropped, goodbye! Something entirely symbolic, like community service, or being ordered to take a class or go to therapy, could be helpful. The poor guy did go through hell when his entire family was slaughtered, and it can be understood that he was in a daze for a while, although the crime itself was brought to court in 1978, years after the tragic loss of his family. Let him come home and enjoy his twilight years, but just let him know that he's home, but he could still use some friendly help.
So, as I understand it, he figures that living outside of the country for thirty years should be equivallent to having lived in prison for thirty years and he should be considered to have served his time. Give me a break. At age 75, he is unlikely to be any less a threat to young girls than he was at 45. Let him stay where he is.
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