Review of Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired (2008) by Tom B — 03 Oct 2009

Marina Zenovich has put together a smart documentary. The footage is all of the period or current interviews. The facts are striking. As with all things, the truth exists in a context, and sometimes means different things to different people.

But as Defense Attorney Douglas Dalton says: "People have the right to their own opinions about what happened, but the don't have the right to their own facts. The fact of Polanski leaving the country and so forth seems to have eclipsed the really important part of this case, about what actually happened in the system of justice.

" On this the prosecuting and defense are unanimous: the judge's choices resulted in a sham, in which Polanski was mistreated. The documentary underscores amply how the press, or this type of outside-looking-in attention can result in exaggerated negative characterizations of imperfect people, and fuel mishaps in treatment that might otherwise have been just.

You know there's something to it when Mia Farrow is able to speak openly about Polanski with what seems to be fond memories and a certain amount of affection. People are human, this does not mean it is fair to characterize them in monstrous ways, or to treat them publically in ways that clearly have more to do with the justice system in America seeking to save face by catching the one that got away.

As Albert Einstein said: "Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment. Most people are even incapable of forming such opinions.

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