MANON, ROMAN POLANSKI: WANTED AN DESIRED Screening
This evening, UCLA’s James Bridges Theater will be screening Henri-Georges Clouzot’s (right) modernized version of Manon (1949) at 5 p.m., and, at 7:30 p.m., Marina Zenovich’s now much-discussed documentary Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired (2008), about the circus surrounding the legal (and at times apparently illegal) maneuverings throughout Roman Polanski’s trial for having sex with a minor in the late 1970s. Admission is free.
I’m assuming that Wanted and Desired will be packed. So, be ready to stand in line. Also, it should be noted that one of the prosecutors in the case, David Wells, has just recently recanted the story he told Zenovich, which revealed unethical behavior on the part of the judge assigned to Polanski’s case. Wells now says [...]
by Andre Soares | October 1, 2009
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Tags: Cécile Aubry, Classic Movies, Documentaries, Henri-Georges Clouzot, James Bridges Theater, Los Angeles Screenings, Manon, Marina Zenovich, Roman Polanski, Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, Samantha Geimer, Serge Reggiani
Penélope Cruz, Bernardo Bertolucci, Gael García Bernal Sign Polanski Petition
Actor Gael García Bernal, Academy Award-winning actress Penélope Cruz, veteran director Mario Monicelli, veteran screenwriter Lorenzo Semple Jr, and Academy Award-winning filmmakers Bernardo Bertolucci and Ethan Coen are a few of the latest additions to the list of signatories demanding freedom for filmmaker Roman Polanski, currently being held by Swiss authorities.
Among the other new signatories of the petition organized by France’s Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques (SACD) are:
Author Ariel Dorfman; actor-screenwriter Buck Henry; composer Vangelis; actors Sylvia Kristel and Anne Consigny; filmmakers Fatih Akin, Juan Antonio Bayona, Djamel Bennecib, Giuseppe Bertolucci, Alain Berliner, Guillermo del Toro, Michel Deville, Sam Gabarski, Diane Kurys, Tonie Marshall, Brett Ratner, and Jerry Schatzberg; World Cinema Foundation director Kent [...]
by Andre Soares | September 30, 2009
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Tags: Bernardo Bertolucci, Charles Chaplin, Gael Garcia Bernal, Penélope Cruz, Politics, Roman Polanski, Roman Polanski Petition, Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, SACD, Samantha Geimer, Sex
Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese, David Lynch Sign Roman Polanski Petition
Woody Allen, David Lynch, Martin Scorsese, Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne, and Terry Gilliam have added their names to the petition, organized by France’s Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques (SACD), demanding the release of Palme d’Or and Academy Award-winning filmmaker Roman Polanski, currently in the custody of Swiss authorities.
In 1978, Polanski pleaded guilty to a charge of statutory rape (sex with a minor) of 13-year-old Samantha Gailey (now Geimer), whom he allegedly drugged before having sex with her against her will. Polanski, who at the time claimed that the sex was consensual and that he was led to believe that the 13-year-old was 18, reportedly fled the United States upon learning, after spending 42 days in prison, that [...]
by Andre Soares | September 29, 2009
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Tags: David Lynch, Luc Besson, Martin Scorsese, Politics, Roman Polanski, Roman Polanski Petition, Ronald Harwood, Samantha Geimer, Sex, Woody Allen
Roman Polanski Arrested
Roman Polanski, who won a best director Oscar for the Holocaust drama The Pianist in 2003, was arrested at the Zurich airport last night. According to reports, the 76-year-old filmmaker could face extradition to the United States for charges of having sex with a minor in the late 1970s.
Polanski, who was in Switzerland to receive a lifetime achievement award at the Zurich Film Festival, was apparently arrested at the behest of the U.S. Justice Department, following a lead from the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. He would be held until a decision was made regarding his extradition to the US.
In 1977, Polanski was accused of using champagne and a Quaalude tablet to have sex with a 13-year-old [...]
by Andre Soares | September 27, 2009
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Tags: Emmanuelle Seigner, Marina Zenovich, Robert Harris, Roman Polanski, Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, Samantha Geimer, Sex, Sharon Tate, The Ghost, The Pianist
