Series & Events
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
Co-presented by the European Weekly
In 1978, after pleading guilty to having “unlawful sexual intercourse” with a minor, director Roman Polanski boarded a plane to London, never to return to his home in the United States. Months earlier, Polanski was arrested at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel and charged with rape after plying 13-year-old Samantha Geimer with champagne and a partial Quaalude at the home of his friend Jack Nicholson. He was released on $2,500 bail and eventually indicted on six felony charges, including child molestation and sodomy. Polanski agreed to a plea bargain, and plead to one felony count of illegal sex with a minor. The girl’s family told the judge that they weren’t interested in sending Polanski to jail. They only wanted an admission of wrongdoing. So why did Polanski flee?
Marina Zenovich’s brilliant documentary is not about the innocence or guilt of its subject—the charges are never in dispute. Instead, this intelligent doc takes us through the complex case, and powerfully points to a miscarriage of justice by a judge who was ready for his close-up. Zenovich presents a wealth of archival footage to highlight the media circus that surrounded the case, including clips from Polanski’s films, including Rosemary’s Baby and Chinatown, references to his escape from Nazi Poland, his mother’s death in a prison camp, and the horrible murder of his pregnant wife by the Manson family.
In piecing together the events that led to his flight, the film conducts fascinating interviews with Polanski’s lawyer and the prosecuting district attorney, who agree that Polanski had much to fear from the irrational Judge Rittenband. Friendly character witnesses include Geimer herself. “Who wouldn’t think about running when facing a 50-year sentence from a judge who was clearly more interested in his own reputation than a fair judgment or even the well-being of the victim?” Wanted and Desired reveals the circumstances that deprived Polanski of a fair trial and Samantha Geimer of justice. Premiere!
Cast & Crew
Director: Marina Zenovich
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