Immediately following Roman Polanski’s arrest in Switzerland last week, a pro-Polanski petition instantly surfaced with dozens of signatures from the A-list of Hollywood. Ridiculous public declarations followed – Whoopi, you know who we’re talking about. Chris Rock seemed to be going it entirely solo when he spoke out against Polanski in an appearance on Jay Leno.
It seemed that the same people who use their celebrity to decry everything from child soldiers to victims of abuse wouldn’t dare speak out against one of their own, especially an auteur célèbre, for fear of being labeled ‘philistine’. (Debra – you know who we’re talking about.)
As a lover of movies, I’m heartened that another petition has surfaced encouraging industry types who don’t support amnesty for Polanski to speak up. So far, it's not sporting a lot of A-list support, despite over 400 signatures and counting. You’re more likely to see the names of hard-working unknowns than household names.
Still, there are some notable names and interesting comments from the likes of:
Bob Gale: co-writer of Back to the Future
David Zucker: co director and co-producer of Airplane and Naked Gun
Marc Guggenheim: veteran writer for TV’s The Practice, Law & Order, CSI: Miami, Brothers & Sisters, and most recently, FlashForward.
Edward Allen Bernero: executive producer of TV"s Criminal Minds
Dan Rather: Ex-anchor CBS News
Allen Covert: former SNL-writer and producer of films The Longest Yard and Anger Management
And as many now know, both Kevin Smith and Luc Besson refused to sign the free-Polanski petition. Kirstie Alley came out publicly on Twitter stating she does not support Polanski.
Now, the lack of star-power may be due partly to the petition’s online home. It’s housed at the website of one of Hollywood’s conservative naysayers, Andrew Breitbart, which could discourage some potential signatories. That would be unfortunate for I know I'm not alone in craving some perspective from the Hollywood community.
So please, any of you in the film fraternity with an opinion similar to Kevin Smith and Chris Rock -- and the courage to voice it -- reassure us.
Let us know you’re there too, so we can keep loving movies.
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Kerry Lauerman
Joan Walsh
Salon.com
Comments
He raped a teen girl whom he drugged. Then he fled the country and lived a life of luxury for over 30 years without any signs of remorse. He should not go free.
Its popular with me. I second your opinion.
I think since he was already found guilty by the jury, I don't even think a legal option is to have the charges dismissed. I could be wrong since I am not a lawyer.
Courts frown on people running after being convicted and usually go the maximum allowed for sentencing. He may even face new charges for fleeing which could ad more time. Roman is 71 now and if he gets 10- 20 years he could die in prison.
But you're right in that there's an entirely separate crime now and, if extradited, Polanski would likely face charges for failing to appear for sentencing and fleeing the U.S.