Documentary director Marina Zenovich defends the defense in Polanski’s long controversy

By Judith Orr

PARK CITY, UT (Hollywood Today) 1/24/08 — Was Roman Polanski railroaded 30 years ago in the sex with a minor trial that sent him fleeing the United States? Film buffs have been arguing the question for years — and still are at Sundance. Hollywood Today talked to “Roman Polanksi: Wanted and Desired” documentary director Marina Zenovich to get her take on the never-ending controversy.

She said she does not think what Polanski may have done is right, but what was done to him afterwards smacked of a kangaroo court in a media circus.

See HT’s video interview on Polanski

In 2003 there was debate over “if he was nominated for an Oscar for “The Pianist” with Adrien Brody would he come back to America.” The victim in the case wrote an opinion in the LA Times saying that his film should be honored for the “quality of the work” and should not be judged by “what he did to me.”

The Academy agreed and he won the Best Director Oscar and was given a standing ovation in absentia at the ceremony. That does not mean he can re-enter the country, which is what Zenovich hopes will be an eventual outcome.

The Hollywood Reporter called the film a “thoroughly researched and beautifully crafted documentary that introduces new evidence that suggests a gross miscarriage of justice.”

“Zenovich does not argue that what Polanski did to 13-year-old Samantha Geimer was right, but she does present a compelling case that he was not treated fairly by the judicial system, especially by his trial judge, Laurence Rittenband,” the paper explains. “It’s a complex story with many moving parts, and Zenovich gives context to the main drama by referencing Polanski’s horrendous childhood fleeing the Nazis in Poland and the death of his mother in a prison camp.”

“But what really set the stage was the murder of his pregnant wife, Sharon Tate, by the Manson family. It’s from this point on that Polanski became the center of a three-ring media circus and was identified by the public as a profligate dwarf. It was his misfortune to draw a judge that was always playing to the court of public opinion and saw himself as a director on the bench. One of the film’s subtle points is the role the media played, as long ago as 1977, in influencing justice,” the Hollywood Reporter concludes.

When he was nominated for the highly acclaimed film, the girl involved in the case went on television with Larry King and said,“The day Roman Polanski fled America, is a sad day for the American judicial system.” Marina Zenovich said “people think he fled so he wouldn’t have to go to jail when in fact the judge pulled the rug out under him and Roman actually did in fact serve time in jail.”

Photo: Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski by David Bailey, also famous for his “Hard Days Night ” photos of the Beatles