Sometimes, bad is bad – A brief comment on the Polanski affair

I believe most of you, like me, have been inundated by the media ruckus surrounding the arrest of Roman Polanski in Zürich last week. From Whoopi Goldberg’s “it wasn’t rape-rape” to Cokie Roberts’s “just take him out and shoot him” (now, don’t be a putz; stop overreacting and continue watching the video past the 1:45 mark for the full context) and the support of many in France and Hollywood for Polanski’s release, it’s been quite a show. I think we’ll start hearing some voices of reason right about now. For a start, check out Josh Olson’s take here on the idea that Hollywood is supporting Polanski. I know, I know, he’s an asshole, but the writing’s frank, colorful, and Olson makes more than a few valid points. (Besides, we assholes gotta support one another.)

Personally, I’m not much of a Polanski fan, but I think that has little bearing on his alleged crime and the fact that he went on the run. I ‘m surprised at the number of people who signed the petition for Polanski’s release, and I suspect that a good number of them signed the petition for all the wrong reasons. In any case, it’s impossible to take the petition seriously without Polanski facing trial in an American court and giving his side of the story. I’m even more surprised that Polanski’s artistic contributions as a film director and the severe personal trials he has suffered are mentioned as possible mitigating circumstances. Supposing a cache of Hitler’s paintings were discovered today that showed unmistakably he was a supreme artist, would we scramble to effect a posthumous exoneration, or erect a memorial? I know the analogy is far-fetched, but extreme examples are often the best tools for exposing lapses in human reasoning.

No, I won’t boycott Polanski’s films and the films of those who signed the petition, but I’d be lying if I said these matters won’t pop into my head every time I watch Chinatown or Frantic. (I still find Rosemary’s Baby and The Pianist overrated, and The Tragedy of Macbeth had less impact on me than The Three Stooges.) Let’s hope this affair ends better than it started.