Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by Audiophilander (A) on April 02, 2003 at 11:08:20

In Reply to: Re: If he wasn't sentenced then the verdict is held in absentia. posted by SR on April 01, 2003 at 22:38:13:

... read the attached URL. Polanski, who can fairly be faulted for poor judgment and should have been aware of how statuatory sexual misconduct with a minor was frowned upon in the United States, wasn't "convicted" by a jury, but rather a Grand Jury who pressed for indictment. There was a plea bargain, but the judge appeared to renig on the deal which would've meant prison. If you read the entire enclosure, you'll see that he felt that he was justified in fleeing and extradition back to the US was denied by France; later, his fugitive status whittled down to a civil case and the underage girl, now an adult, negotiated for a settlement and requested NO prison time for Polanski.

As for fugitives from US justice, there are lots of folks who have been abused by the justice system in this country as I stated earlier when mentioning the cases of Chaplin and those who were blacklisted under McCarthy. The bottom line is that art should not be constrained by the narrow perspectives of judges and legislators who would impose their biases on our lives. ART, in my informed opinion, exists for art's sake and should be appreciated without the imposition of any unrelated bias based on prejudice against the person or persons who created it.

• Roman Polanski: The whole story, without embellishment.