Not trying to fight here, A-man; but I do have to point out a few things.
quote:Originally posted by Animalman: The reason he gives for fleeing is simple. He was willing to serve his time in a facility, but he asked that he not be placed in a prison as he was traumatized by his experiences in Auschwitz during WW2(a phobia that thousands of Nazi work-camp survivors have demonstrated). He cooperated with authorities throughout the trial, hoping that they would respect at least that wish. When it looked as if the judge would sentence him to time in a jail anyway, he left.
He's a criminal, by his own admission. Criminals shouldn't have the right to choose their punishments. They have to accept what is given to them by the court of law. That's the deal we made for being citizens of a country.
quote:Originally posted by Animalman:
quote:WOW! What punishment banished to a mansion...phew...poor guy...
In addition to never being able to set foot in the United States again, Polanski was forced to spend more than 6 weeks in a psychiatric ward(and several nights in a jail cell while being transported) undergoing dozens of tests to see if he was mentally unbalanced. Of course, he'll also forever be associated with statutory rape, tarnishing his image, and severely limiting the amount of money he could have made(no endorsements, no grants or public funding for film teaching, not as many movies as he has to keep a relatively low profile, etc).
Now, before you say "oh gee so he only makes a few million dollars, poor bastard!" or "and this excuses him from raping a girl?", or make similar comments....no, it doesn't excuse him, no, you shouldn't(and I'm sure you won't) feel sorry for him, and no, he's not living in poverty.
However, it is punishment, and probably a good deal more severe than you may think. It's not like he just walked away, got off completely scot-free, and everyone else was none the wiser.
Yes, six whole weeks institutionalized makes up for the fact that he raped a 13 year-old girl and emotionally scarred her for life. The fact that he can't come back to the U.S. or make all the movies he wants really does even out for perpetrating an act that has been known to ruin people's lives and even drive some to suicide.
