Polanski's Hollywood Ending

RealClearPolitics - Polanski's Hollywood Ending http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/10/01/polanski_...

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By David Paul Kuhn

Imagine a world where the famous live by separate laws. People are so captivated by fame that they argue for the absolution of, say, a child rapist--so long as that rapist is famous.

Seriously, I'm not kidding. What if a famous film director repeatedly raped a 13-year-old girl? Here's one storyline: David Paul Kuhn Author Archive The director flees the United States for a life MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR of European luxury. His fame becomes a shield. He goes on directing major films. He The Circus Investigates Muslim Extremism appears on red carpets. Everyone knows Could Gas Prices Sink where he lives. His name is on his doorbell. Obama's Reelection? The Critical 2012 Swing Three decades later, he's arrested. Powerful States filmmakers like Martin Scorsese, Woody Big Labor's Last Stand GOP 2012 Field: 'What Are Allen, David Lynch and Harvey Weinstein They All Waiting For?' demand his release.

Even a strong liberal woman like Whoopi Goldberg, who stars on a show for women, terms this not "rape-rape"--which apparently infers, not really rape. The cofounder of Women Overseas for Equality blogs that this director's arrest overseas, for the unequal circumstances of sexually abusing a girl, is "disgraceful and unjustifiable."

The director has French and Polish citizenship. Top officials from both countries send a formal letter of protest to the American secretary of state.

The French foreign minister terms this arrest "sinister." The French cultural minister terms it "absolutely dreadful," a man "thrown to the lions over an ancient affair that doesn't make any sense." Believe it or not, even the French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, urges a "speedy resolution."

Welcome to the makings of Roman Polanski's "true Hollywood story," to borrow the title from a television channel devoted to celebrity.

Polanski directed two exceptional films, Chinatown and The Pianist. His tragic case of moral misdirection occurred in March 1977. He was initially indicted on six felony counts, including rape and sodomy with a child.

A few weeks after, the girl swore in grand jury testimony that Polanski lured her with promises of a high fashion photo shoot. She said he plied her with champagne and part of a Quaalude. He convinced her to undress and join him in a Jacuzzi. He undressed and got in. Later, he raped her again and again, despite her repeated pleas for him to stop.

In a generous plea deal, which likely would not have been offered to others, Polanski admitted to a felony of "unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor." He also admitted that he knew she was a 13-year-old. This is not a case of mistaken age or an artist pushing the boundaries of the bourgeoisie. He was a 44-year-old man. She was visibly still a child.

On the eve of his sentencing in 1978, he absconded to France. Polanski has been a cause célèbre ever since.

One sympathizes with Polanski. He is a Holocaust survivor. He later suffered the murder of his pregnant wife, Sharon Tate, by the Charles Manson family. It's the worst of tragedies combined with a made-in Hollywood tragedy. These circumstances might have lessened his sentence. But context, however dramatic, only informs; it does not change facts.

"If he weren't famous, I bet no one would bother with him at all," concluded the Washington Post's Anne Applebaum in her Polanski defense.

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But of course, it's fame that protected this man. It's fame that now makes fools of the famous, and jokes of their apologetic fans.

Certainly, one must separate the artist from the art. But whether it's charges of Michael Jackson molesting a 13-year-old boy, Jerry Lee Lewis marrying his 13-year-old cousin or charges of Polanski raping a 13-year-old girl, we cannot ignore a grievous act because we favor the art.

These are strange days. We have a successful television show called "To Catch a Predator." Common child predators gain infamy. And in this age of celebrity, infamy blends with fame. Popular culture makes stars of predators but often protects stars who have acted predatorily.

And Polanski's actions deeply concern fame and young girls' particular vulnerability to it. For Jake Halpern's book "Fame Junkies" he conducted a survey on middle school children. He asked them to choose the most appealing career: President of Harvard or Yale; the CEO of a big company like General Motors; a U.S. Senator; a Navy SEAL; or an assistant to a celebrity (not even a celebrity itself).

Boys most wanted to be a Navy SEAL. Forty-three percent of girls chose "celebrity assistant," more than any other profession. Close proximity to fame is considered quasi-fame. And for many people, quasi-fame is the making of an exceptional life. What else can explain the bulk of reality television participants?

An old friend of mine, who has enjoyed the benefits and costs of fame, once argued to me that celebrities have no more responsibility than others to be a good example. Ok. And over the years, I've socially seen some celebrities in poor form. They did not deserve more scrutiny.

But the converse is also true. Celebrities deserve at least as much scrutiny as anyone else.

In one sense, fame is now an empty adjective. One is famous today for being famous. In Manhattan nightlife, words like "socialite" are actually applied to reality television stars. And modern socialites, like Paris Hilton, are treated like starlets.

Yet here we are. It's an age when presidents advocate on behalf of the famous. The powerful becomes a victim. And the victim is forgotten.

Despite the inflation of celebrity, fame's currency retains its value. It allowed an admitted sex offender to live a charmed life for decades. And at the conclusion of the tale, when justice appeared absent, suddenly a twist. Polanski is unexpectedly arrested. His fame meets its limits. It's the rightful narrative. Very Hollywood. But let's see how this story ends.

David Paul Kuhn is the Chief Political Correspondent for RealClearPolitics and the author of The Neglected Voter. He can be reached at [email protected] and his writing followed via RSS

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Related Topics: michael jackson, famed film director, Europe, France, Woody Allen, polanski

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