"Roman Polanski - Wanted and Desired" review by Ben Kenber

“Roman Polanski's here. Get him!”
-Steve Martin at the 75th Annual Academy Awards. That same year, Polanski won the Best Director Oscar for “The Pianist.”

We all know this story. Of how Roman was put on trial for unlawful sexual conduct with a 13-year old girl, and of him fleeing America to avoid sentencing. Since that time, he has never come back to the United States, and he would be arrested if he does. This scandal has remained a big shadow on Polanski’s career even as he went on to direct many other movies like “Death and the Maiden” and “The Pianist” among others. Making a documentary about this subject would seem pointless because we all know how it ends. But there turns out more to this story than many people realize. After watching this documentary which never excuses Roman for what he did, you won’t be able to blame him for fleeing America.

“Roman Polanski – Wanted and Desired” is a fascinating documentary, and a necessary one. It deals with the trial of a celebrity accused of a serious crime, and of the media circus that followed it to the end. Since then, we have had dozens of other celebrity cases, the biggest being the O.J. Simpson Trial from the 90’s. Even back in the 70’s, celebrity cases were a thing to be followed every second, and to be constantly overexposed to sell hundreds of newspapers. The documentary was directed by Marina Zenovich, and she successfully maneuvers through the complex politics of this infamous case, and ends up uncovering a misuse of the judicial system that ended up making Polanski something of a victim.

The biggest character of this film is Roman of course, and while he is never interviewed on film (understandably), the footage from all those years ago observes him at different parts in his life. Before and after this trial, Polanski is seen as a tragic figure whose talent for directing is never in doubt. We learn that his mother was killed during the Holocaust, and we see his utter devastation when he learns of Sharon Tate’s (his wife at the time) death. The footage of Roman with Sharon, who was ever so beautiful, is very sad to witness as we know what will eventually happen. We get to understand him through his experiences, and through the movies he makes. The theme of the corruption of innocence over water in his movies is especially eerie considering how Polanski was shooting this 13 year old girl naked in the Jacuzzi in the backyard of Jack Nicholson’s home (he was not there at the time).

The documentary does make you feel bad for Polanski, even while it never excuses him for the crime he pleads guilty to. Through watching this, you can kind of see why he ended up doing what he did, but it never hides away from the wrong that he did. Still, the scenes of Polanski coming back after finding out about the death of his wife Sharon are devastating to witness. Even worse is the way the press treats his wife and Roman after her murder. The press paints Ms. Tate as an unofficial member of the Charles Manson cult, and that she and Roman were basically having orgies at all the parties they held. So, we once again how the media distorts the truth, and people are not open-minded enough to see past it.

When we get into the specifics of the trial, we get introduced to the other big character of this piece who has since passed away: Judge Rittenband. The way he is described here, he comes across as the same person that Polanski became after Sharon’s death; a womanizer and a constant partier. Rittenbrand is also portrayed as a media hungry guy who clearly relished the attention that this scandalous trial brought. This media attention however proved to be the Judge’s undoing as he ended up making decisions that clearly went against what the lawyers for the prosecution and the defense had agreed upon with him. The fact that there was such a loss of trust between the lawyers and the judge makes it all the more understandable as to why Polanski fled America and has never been back since.

Another big character in this documentary is the victim herself, Samantha Geimer. I remember watching her on Larry King around the same time that Polanski’s “The Pianist” received several Oscar nominations including Best Picture. She publicly forgave the director and proclaimed that she was “so over” what happened to her years ago. Watching her now and being so forthcoming about what happened, you have to admire her strength of character and her persistence in not letting this event define who she is as a person to herself or those closest to her. You do feel sorry for her in that people still bug her about this case so long after it happened. It’s clear that she participated in this documentary to put to rest what happened, and to give a reason for people to leave her alone for good. It almost makes you feel like Chris Crocker who defended Brittany Spears and yelled out:

“LEAVE HER ALONE!!!”

The documentary is excellent in getting at those specifics of the trial, and of the bungling of the case by a Judge who clearly became more obsessed with how he would come out of this. With a celebrity being charged, he clearly did not want to be responsible if Polanski was hurt or killed while in his 90 day stay under psychiatric study. Special consideration appeared to be unavoidable, and while he should have been treated like anyone else in that same situation, he wasn’t any other person.

“Roman Polanski – Wanted and Desired” walks a very delicate line between sympathizing with Polanski over what has happened in his life, and criticizing him for unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor which he did plead guilty to. Polanski did serve some time (albeit only 42 days at Chino), but that was not enough in the eyes of many. At times, the movie threatens to be more biased towards defending Polanski, and Polanski did serve time as directed by the DA’s office, but it never does forget what Roman had done. But at the same time, if Samantha Geimer is willing to forgive Roman for what he did, shouldn’t that be the end of it? This case became so convoluted that there was no way that anyone could have been satisfied by the outcome.

Today, Roman lives in Paris where is loved by the people, and he has been married for several years and has two kids. Samantha Geimer has been married for several years as well, and has a couple of kids. Everyone involved in this case has moved on with their lives, yet this case hangs over everyone involved like a dark shadow that will hover over them forever.

Marina Zenovich made an important documentary that brings to light the facts of the trial that have been lost to many, and to those who have only heard about it. What could have been an average documentary about a seemingly perverted filmmaker is really about celebrities and trials, and of how this one was messed up by a judge who got caught up in the limelight. It is not perfect, and it does seem a little imbalanced as the scales tip a little too much to one side. But it is still very good, and a must see for fans of the director and of those interested in the workings of the law. This was a documentary that I think needed to be made because the past is not easily remembered, and we need to keep learning from it in order to keep from repeating it.

***1/2 out of ****