Review of Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired (2008) by Danny P — 06 Jul 2008

I was pretty excited to check out the HBO doc Roman Polanski: Wanted & Desired and I walked away thoroughly satisfied. Be forewarned however, Wanted focuses primarily on Polanskiâ??s rape trial. Fortunately, from the films title to the opening archival interview with Polanski, the film clearly indicates which path itâ??s going to take. Wanted is not an in depth look at the manâ??s life and film career. The rape incident, the scandal and the subsequent trial are the spine of the movie and any investigation of other facets of his life, including his filmmaking prowess, spring from that perspective. The film, edited by Joe Bini (Grizzly Man), deftly weaves archival interviews with Polanski, vintage news footage and press conferences, clips of Polanskiâ??s films, and current day interviews with Polanski cohorts and all the principles in the drama with the exception of Polanski. The film does a very sweet job incorporating Polanski film scores into the film as well. All told, Wanted does an excellent job exploring Polanskiâ??s indiscretions, the resultant court proceedings and dissecting the scandal from both an American and European perspective. Given the lurid nature of the scandal, the film is thankfully lacking the sensationalistic drive that so many recent bio-pics have when exploring artists with dicey pasts. This film tries to get at the core of what Polanski was thinking, how he was subsequently portrayed in the media, and the toll the case took on the people at the core of the drama.

Would I have liked to see a film that focused more on his moviemaking? Yes. Would I have liked to see a film about how he got involved in filmmaking in Poland? Yes. Would I have liked to see how he got the courage to leave Poland? Yes. How he made the transition to filmmaking in America? Yes. Would I have preferred a film that focused on the making of Chinatown instead of the making of Hurricane, the crappy Dino De Laurentiis movie he made during the trial to cover court costs? Yes. But that isnâ??t what this film is or claims to be. I still think there is room for a prequel. Most of Polanskiâ??s greatness as a filmmaker, and the reason we ultimately care about this story, takes place prior to 1976, the point where Wanted takes off.