Watch Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired For Free

Great Film overall

Expected more

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

In 1977, Roman Polanski was arrested after having sex with and providing drugs to a 13 year old Samantha Geimer in Los Angeles. She had gone with her mother to do a photo shoot with the famed director for a magazine. The mother leaves Samantha alone with Polanski and they have sex. The lawyers come to a plea without jail time. Judge Rittenband using questionable methods orders a 90 days psychiatric evaluation in prison. After serving 42 days, he is released. With favorable reports, he expected probation but the judge is under pressure to impose a heavier sentence. In 1978, he left for Europe and has not yet returned to America.The overriding question for me is, "Did he have sex with a 13 year old girl?". At the end of the day, he did the crime and he spent 42 days in protected custody. It's not the biggest injustice ever. In fact, I don't see it as that harsh. The most revealing element is the incompetent judge. He is worst than judge Ito but I doubt he's the worst. The movie dives into Polanski's troubled life but it doesn't have him explaining himself. He is an enigma in this movie.

Examines the public scandal and private tragedy which led to legendary filmmaker Roman Polanski's sudden flight from the United States.I was rather impressed with this documentary. I thought it would offer a broad overview of Polanski's life, and it did not. It had just enough to give you a feel for the man and then focused on the different aspects of the criminal trial against him.Polanski fled this country before I was born, so I certainly did not hear about his crimes from the newspaper or television at the time they happened. I was under the impression he was charged and then immediately ran away. The film shows that is not entirely accurate, that he actually spent a little time in prison and even after leaving once, he came back. This cleared up a lot of misconceptions I had.Having read a biography on him and having seen all his movies (yes, even the weaker ones -- though not his short films), I was pleased that something new could still be learned.

It's the mark of a civilised society that, no matter how terrible the crime of which you are accused, you are entitled to a trial in accordance with due process; and although some perpetrators may sometimes escape the full consequence of their crimes by playing the system, that's better than mob rule, or a judiciary with arbitrary powers. In this sense, Roman Polanski was badly treated: convicted only of sexual intercourse with a minor, the outcome of due process was unacceptable to public opinion, so in sentencing, the judge ignored the law. Polanski fled the U.S and has never returned (although since this film was made, he has been arrested in Switzerland and faces extradition). On the other hand, while only convicted of a minor offence, this was due to a plea-bargain agreed by the state because of the reluctance of the alleged victim to testify; had Polanski been tried and convicted of all charges (including rape), he would have gone to prison for a long time whatever the judge. But that trial did not occur and the verdict it would have returned is thus unknown. The story may not be a happy one; but Polanski is as entitled to impartial justice as anyone, and did not get it.The backdrop to all this is a culture in 1970s California of young women making themselves available freely to rich and attractive men. The joke was that the prosecutor, a Mormon, was selected because he was the only lawyer in the office who hadn't committed the same offence himself. You may feel this is only natural, and that Polanski was just unlucky to be picked out for persecution for doing a very normal thing; or that the whole culture was rotten, and "why me?" is not an adequate defence. And remember that the original charge was of rape. The most disturbing thing I found in this entire film was a defence put together by some of Polanski's friends, who criticised the victim's mother: Polanski, they argued, was known to like sleeping with young women, so what was the mother doing in introducing her daughter? The assumption here, that Polanski was obviously have sex with a thirteen year old if given the chance, and that it was everybody else's responsibility to make sure this didn't happen, is enough in itself to make a little part of you wish Polanski was sent to gaol for life.Marina Zenovich's film tells Polanski's extraordinary life story (of which the trial is only one part), has interviews with all the right people, and is consistently revealing. Because the tale ends with judicial manipulation, it induces a kind of sympathy for Polanski he probably doesn't deserve. On one hand, he has had a tragic life. On the other, he does appear to be a man who believes his own talent and sexual magnetism give him carte blanche to do whatever he can get away with. One thing is clear: neither he nor his victim got justice.

so wait are you supporters for or against drugging and raping a 13 year old or not? Everyone on his side makes excuses but EVEN if it was consensual which it wasn't she was underage. I see people who support Polanski MAYBE making a argument if the girl was almost legal, wanted it and the guy excised bad judgment but c'Mon she was 13, drugged, said no and he fled the country. Even in Europe that's not even jail bait it's still pedophilia, it's not okay just because he's rich and people like his films.My take: It's not a witch hunt if you did it, admitted you did it and ran. Summation of the Documentary:I dunno anymore, Hollywood just continues to make less sense. I'm not a bible thumper or a letter of the law kind of guy but this is just bizarre. I liked Chinatown too but the man needs to serve for his crime. This Documentary was very skewed..... was produced well but I left feeling the film needed a rebuttal film. Too one sided for my personal taste on this subject with sprinkles of 'Americans Hate foreigners' and 'He had a tough life' to excuse the crime thrown in. But watch or not I don't feel most people will change their view one way or another.Pity his life BUT remember the little girl was the victim not Polanski he was a adult when he made his choices.As for the director himself his works speak for itself.