It looks like renowned director/fugitive Roman Polanski may be headed back to the United States after his lawyers here filed a complaint to dismiss the statutory rape case filed against him some thirty years ago. They cite judicial and prosecutorial wrongdoing revealed in Marina Zenovich’s documentary, “Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired”. Per Hollywood Elsewhere –
“Variety’s Diane Garrett has reported that “the complaint zeroes in on interviews in which then-deputy district attorney David Wells admits discussing the case with Judge Lawrence Rittenband during legal proceedings from the 1970s and further charges the current District Attorney’s Office with misconduct in statements made upon the doc’s June release.
Polanski, the complaint charges, “was and continues to be the victim of repeated, unlawful and unethical misconduct on the part of the L.A. District Attorney’s Office and L.A. Superior Court.”
Polanski’s story is equal parts disturbing, sad and fascinating. Arrested in 1977 for the rape of 13-year-old Samantha Geimer after photographing her for “Vogue” in Jack Nicholson’s Mulholland Drive home, Polanski pled guilty to a charge of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor before eventually fleeing after learning Judge Laurence Rittenband planned to find him guilty.
He fled to London and then France, where he maintains citizenship as a means to avoid extradition to the United States. If the charges are finally dismissed, Polanski’s return to the States would be a big deal. He continues to direct from Europe, most recently winning a Palme d’Or and Best Director Oscar for 2002’s “The Pianist”, an “Oliver Twist” adaptation with Ben Kingsley in 2005, and a segment in the 2007 collection of auteur directed shorts, “To Each His Own Cinema”.
A hearing has been set for January 21, 2009. Will this bizarre story finally conclude with Polanski returning to where he did some of his finest work?