andPOP » Roman Polanski

Roman Polanski’s New Film about Marital Drama

Lauren Treihaft — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 20:10:43 +0000

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Kate Winslet and Jodie foster have recently signed on to appear in Roman Polanski’s new film, God of Carnage, an adaptation of Yasmina Reza’s Tony-winnin. The film chronicles the story of two sets of parents who meet after their sons are involved in a schoolyard fight. The meeting is goes horrendously as the parents end up criticizing each other’s parenting skills which leads them into exposing their own marital problems. Matt Dillon (There’s Something About Mary) and Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Basterds) have also signed on to play the character’s prospective husbands.

Evidently, Polanski hasn’t let his former allegations of unlawful sexual conduct stop him from winning the Academy Award for The Pianist, and consistently directing revered films. However, Polanski is still unable to set foot in the United States so he has to take the filming elsewhere. God of Carnage, which is set in in Brooklyn will have to be shot in Paris, France.

With a strong Academy Award Winning Cast (Foster, Winslet, Waltz), the film is bound to gain worthy attention and possibly go on to the Oscars. It is an early prediction, but Polanski constantly proves his mastery as a filmmaker from Rosemary’s Baby in 1968 to this year’s Ghost Writer, both of which were met with critical acclaim.

Shooting for God of Carnage begins in February.

Actress Charlotte Lewis Claims Roman Polanski “Forced Himself Upon Me”

Jacob Morris — Sat, 15 May 2010 20:19:33 +0000

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On Friday afternoon actress Charlotte Lewis held a press conference with attorney Gloria Allred, saying that when she was 16 years old Roman Polanski sexually victimized her, reports E! Online.

Lewis claims that the incident occurred in Paris at Polanski’s apartment, four years after the director left the United States—fleeing before he could be sentenced for his first known sex crime.

Lewis stated, “Mr. Polanski knew I was only 16 years old when he met me and forced himself upon me in his apartment in Paris,” continuing, “He took advantage of me, and I have lived with the effects of his behavior ever since it occurred.” Lewis is now 42 years old.

Although the age of consent in France is 15 years old, what Lewis is alleging is that there was no consent involved—which, as you would expect, is very much illegal.

The timing for Lewis to step forward with these allegations comes as Polanski fights extradition to the U.S. where he would face sentencing for his first offence, which he has admitted to. Lewis wants to make sure his alleged actions are taken into consideration for how Polanski will be depicted in court.

“The defense, for example, may wish to portray their client as a loving father, and a law-abiding citizen after he fled and failed to appear for his sentencing,” said Allred.

This new information suggests Polanski’s life after fleeing the U.S. wasn’t squeaky clean, and could have an effect on how he’s perceived. Allred stated, “The judge, however, can also consider credible claims of predatory conduct after Mr. Polanski fled when determining the appropriate sentence for Mr. Polanski.”

Polanski resides in Switzerland and is under house arrest.

Roman Polanski Ordered Back to United States

andPOP Staff — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 23:03:42 +0000

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TMZ is reporting a Los Angeles judge has ruled that Roman Polanski must be present in court to be sentenced in his sex case. However it is believed that Polanski will not be coming back anytime soon as his lawyer will likely appeal the judgement.

Roman Polanski is currently in Switzerland under house arrest where he is fighting extradition. The Swiss courts are currently reviewing his plea to stay. Polanski pleaded guilty in 1978 for unlawful sexual intercourse with a 13 year old girl. Immediately after he fled to France before sentencing.

Roman Polanski Complicated Arrest Could Lead to Release

Emma Renda — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:14:26 +0000

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After 32 years on the run from the American government, Academy Award-winning film director Roman Polanski, 76, could finally see a resolution to his outstanding charges. He was finally detained in Switzerland where border officials acted on an American arrest warrant from 1977, but that move could lead to Polanski’s release.

In the seventies, Polanski pleaded guilty to charges for having unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor (Samantha Geimer, 13.) After he fled the country, American investigators have been passively keeping tabs on him, waiting for their chance to pounce.

Polanski fled to France before he was formally sentenced and has been on the lam ever since. His capture now could lead to extradition to the U.S. but now that the American, French and Swiss governments involved, the whole process could be fuddled. Polanski could be released entirely, or his time served prior to the initial court case will translate to his sentence.

Either way, resolution will hopefully be reached in the exhausted case. There was a public outcry in response tPolanski’s arrest, as film stars across the globe called for his release, according to Perez Hilton. Incidentally, his biggest supporter is Harvey Weinstein.

“We’re calling on every film-maker we can to help fix this terrible situation,” said Weinstein.

A petition has also been launched, and signed by Monica Belucci (The Matrix Reloaded, Passion of the Christ) and Fanny Ardant (Paris, Je T’aime). Even French president Nikolas Sarkozy is said to be paying attention to the case, and Samantha Geimer, the defendant, is calling for the case to be dropped as well.

Polanski, director of The Pianist, Chinatown and Rosemary’s Baby, was at the centre of another high profile court case forty years ago when his wife, actress Sharon Tate, was brutally murdered by Charles Manson’s followers when she was eight months pregnant. Polanski’s mother was killed in Auschwitz during the Second World War, and he narrowly escaped the Jewish ghetto in Krakow.

Polanski Triumps in Trial

andPOP Staff — Sat, 23 Jul 2005 12:37:17 +0000

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Film director Roman Polanski, 71, won his case yesterday against Conde Nast, the media group that owns Vanity Fair.

The case was over an article which stated that Polanski made sexual advances to a woman in New York just after the 1969 murder of his wife, Sharon Tate.

Though many different stories had been published about the event of Polanski?s wife?s death, none hurt him more that the July 2002 Vanity Fair allegations.

The article even had quotes from a so-called ?on-looker?- Harper’s magazine editor Lewis Lapham, as saying: “Fascinated by his performance, I watched as he slid his hand inside her thigh and began a long honeyed spiel which ended with the promise ‘And I will make another Sharon Tate out of you’.”

Vanity Fair claimed that though the incident did not occur when Polanski was on the way back from his wife?s funeral, it did happen two weeks later. The magazine also argued that Polanski?s reputation had been ruined before the story had been even published, when, in 1977, he pleaded guilty to having sex with a minor and fled the United States.

Polanski brought in celebrities such as actress Mia Farrow, who was also at the dinner, to help him testify that the allegations which occurred in the Manhattan restaurant were all together untrue.

The case adjourned with Polanski winning compensation worth $115,000 U.S. (?50, 000) in libel damages.