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ZURICH, SWITZERLAND: A worldwide coalition of artists has issued a statement criticising the Swiss government and Los Angeles prosecutors over the arrest this week of celebrated film director Roman Polanski, saying that “with his track record of extraordinary films, we should forgive him the crimes he has committed in the past, and indeed some he may commit in the future.”
The group, Rarefied Artists for Personal Excess, argue that an artist’s body of work, and their cultural impact, should always be taken into account when determining the relative severity of any felony the artist might commit in the pursuit of art.
“An artist, whether with the pen, the brush, the chisel, or the camera, can bring joy, understanding and even enlightenment to millions of ordinary people,” said group President Joseph Noblart. “Why, then should we allow them to be undone because of the harm inflicted by the artist on one, or even a few ordinary people?”
Noblart, a renowned painter whose work “The Tears of Sade” was widely regarded as acceptable justification for his attempted assassination of former French President François Mitterrand, argued that many of Polanski’s films had made significant cultural contributions. “Chinatown, for example, is a masterpiece, the apogee of its genre. That film alone should justify an interjurisdictional crime spree. Taken as part of his overall legacy, Polanski should feel free to torch an orphanage with total impunity.”
The group of mostly European artists has lobbied in the past for legislation to excuse artists for crimes based on their creative achievements. “We need a codified system to overlook felonious behaviour, past or future,” continued Noblart. “A painter should be able to celebrate his or her first public exhibition by robbing a convenience store, or beating the shit out of a wino. Winning a prestigious award, like the Booker or an Oscar, should confer the right to cold-bloodedly murder an individual. Many of our members have already exercised this right.”
Noblart also urged prosecutors to consider an artist’s failures as time served. “During the time that he would likely have been incarcerated, Polanski made Pirates, with Walter Matthau. Is that not punishment enough?”
Many co-signatories to the statement expressed concern that Polanski was being made a scapegoat for the unpunished crimes of all artists. “Roman’s being unfairly castigated for the climate of violent, drug-fuelled sexual hedonism that has pervaded filmmaking in Europe and America since the 1920’s,” said film producer Herbert von Krolock, who has worked with Polanski in the past. “Everyone who’s ever been able to prove they were sexually abused by a director and survived got a nice out-of-court settlement or a juicy acting role, so who’s the victim? So a few people suffer unspeakable indignities along the way — if the movie wins awards or turns a profit, who really gives a crap?”
Other artists have criticised the group’s stance. “This issue is not about whether or not a particular filmmaker deserves to be forgiven for raping a child and fleeing prosecution because he went on to make some good films, because when you put it like that, it sounds utterly indefensible,” said Sondra Walker, author of The Prostitution of Values. “No, the real issue here is that we, the intelligentsia, loathe middle America so much, we’d rather a paedophile go free than let a person who speaks French spend a day in your jails.”
Stephen Jayson Harris has interviewed Roman Polanksi several times for American Penitentiary magazine. He is writing a book about artists who tragically commit serious offences before they become famous.
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Yeah. Good one.
I am gasping for breath laughing. Soooo funny…
But seriously, Polanski and his supporters really p*** me off. I’ve never been a huge fan, but regardless, after learning the details of this crime, I say put him in the pen for the rest of his life with all the normal convicts. Even if he hadn’t committed one of the most heinous crimes, his inflated ego and sense of entitlement warrants a few years with those guys.
P.S. I’m pretty sure I’m in love with your site. Is it single?
Tara, if we jailed people for having inflated egos, we’d have to wall off Manhattan, a la Escape From New York.
P.S. The site has been hurt too many times.
Nice to see you back, and about bloody time too!
I actually find this hard to believe! They surely can’t really believe what they are saying? The fact is that he really need sto take responsibility for his actions seeing as the girl was underage. It is not up to us to judge him however, lets leave that up to someone else. Also, an artist wouldn’t be an artist without an inflated ego!
Ha-Ha-larious. Great mock!! I’m passing it along. Funny!
Your blog is wonderful! Please keep adding to it! PS: one of my favorite blogs is The Neglected Books Page (neglectedbooks.com).
Hilarious.
“with his track record of extraordinary films, we should forgive him the crimes he has committed in the past, and indeed some he may commit in the future.”
So he commmits a crime. But wait, He’s a film genius! Of course we shouldn’t treat him like any other human being whose commited a heinous crime! No, he’s far too good for that!
Huh.
None of his defenders ever argued that we should forgive his past or future crimes for being who he is. The argument of his true defenders is that he never committed any crime in his life before or after the alleged rape – that he is an artist has nothing to do with any of it. I found a highly in-depth analysis if the messy case which sheds more light on his side, and the juridical side of things.
http://novalislore.wordpress.com/2009/10/
Read it, and then think again.
Marshal, you can’t speak for all of Polanski’s defenders. They’re a wild bunch, with all sorts of justifications – ranging, in my humble opinion, from the flat-out wrong to the chillingly wrong.
And you’re flat-out wrong on two key points:
1. The rape is not “alleged”. Polanksi pled guilty to a charge of unlawful intercourse with a minor, a crime known in other jurisdictions as statutory rape.
2. Polanski fled the United States before sentencing. Unlawful flight from prosecution is a crime, which he committed after the rape.
Anyone defending Polanski’s subsequent freedom, and/or decrying his arrest pending extradition, is implicitly forgiving him this second crime, if not the first as well.
If you truly believe that Polanksi’s status as an artist has “nothing to do with any of it”, you’re an idiot. It’s (almost) everything to do with it. Name one other statutory rapist whose freedom is vocally championed by a substantial contingent of the worldwide film community.
The anonymous “analysis” you link to is chillingly wrong: riddled with shoddy logic, opinions masquerading as reason, and assertions so ridiculous they beggar belief. It’s basically a long-winded, clumsy defence of statutory rape.
If you “found” that article, you desperately need to service your bullshit-detector. If you wrote it, then God help you, because your faculties are damaged.
Well, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra wrote “Don Quijote de la Mancha”, when he was in prison, and it turned out to be one of the best literary works of all time. So maybe he just need to change his art expression from films to writing.
A law should be applied equally to every person, irrespective of talent or not. That is the base of justice.
it’s all politics….people blathering on about ‘left’ vs ‘right’ may well be nonsensical, but the Polanski affair is a profoundly political issue. Given that his defenders are undeniably camped among the ‘left’, this is an opportunity to see revealed an aspect of their mentality that utterly betrays their fraudulent claims of ‘equality’ and ’social justice’ – they wish to be part of an elite with an ever-shifting standard for compliance with the law.
A great post – both funny and thought provoking. Well done.
I still can’t believe the guy has had quite a career since then. He’s quite the talented storyteller. But I can’t help wondering how other these other artists and celebrities could condone working with a man who would and could do such a thing. It really is quite creepy to think about it. These actors and actresses who talk about him as such a visionary…I guess they’re thinking “A job is a job.” Or maybe they’re just using him to promote their own careers. Very interesting post.
Rarefied Artists for Personal Excess… hehe.
Brilliant article, where did you go?