ROMAN POLANSKI: WANTED AND DESIRED

Although it’s actually rather rude to ask a lady her age, I can divulge that I am too young to remember the Roman Polanski incident. He had deflected to France a good while ago by the time I was born. But naturally, I had heard a lot about it. And naturally, the idea of a grown man having sex with a 13 year-old is in a word, disgusting. Which is why I strongly recommend you watch this documentary on Roman Polanski, his life and the incident in question. It’s easy to categorize this event under the label of “simply disgusting” and dismiss it, but the truth of the matter, and the truth about what went on in the courtroom is very far from simple. Roman Polanski is, no matter what you think of him as a person – on any level – one of the greatest directors of our time. This is why I believe you at least owe it to him to make an informed decision about him. Not an easy mission, believe you me.

At this point I should technically give you an account of the story, but really I am not sure where to begin. My point is, the whole reason one would watch a documentary on an event so “talked about” as the Polanski case is to get a fresh angle, more information. If I gave a detailed account of the documentary and the things it uncovers, in my opinion, there would hardly be a point in your watching it. A cursory summary of events would not do either – most of us know so much about Polanski’s life one way or the other. The tragic beginning he had in life is known: after having lost both parents in the Dachau concentration camp, he was left completely alone in the world in his early teens. He didn’t let that drag him down, rose like a comet in the world of cinema and not only made it to Hollywood but also managed to hold his own and stay original there. He was adored by both the stars and the public. Then, fortune smiled on him once more – he found love, true love. Indeed, his marriage with Sharon Tate is also well documented; it was one of the great love stories of his era. She was eight months pregnant to their first child – a baby boy – when she was brutally murdered at their home at the hands of the Charles Manson family. Polanski almost physically disintegrated from the sheer misery – this is also well documented. But he is, as all who know him testify, a survivor and survive he did. Then came his encounter with Sandra Gates and I will not be going into that as what happened there is technically still being discussed in courts – and is the main topic of the documentary. But add to that the courtroom shenanigans that ensued… Suffice it to say, it ended in Polanski’s lawyer Doug Doulton giving in a petition declaring the judge assigned to the case was too prejudiced to give a fair trial. If you think “that serves him right”, let me also add that Mr Doulton had as a very willing witness the assistant D.A. who should have been his “rival”, Roger Gunson. Believe me, it’s a story you would be interested in hearing even if you aren’t particularly “in” to courtroom drama.

In my initial paragraph, I talk of “giving an informed decision”. Considering the subject matter, this documentary is about as objective as you can possibly get. Interviews with Sandra Gates herself, the afore-mentioned Doug Doulton and Roger Gunson, journalists and courtroom employees of the day make up the bulk of the documentary. Mr Polanski himself does not figure in it personally; however, he is naturally present in the great quantity of archive footage of the day, not to mention extensive archive interviews with him – and he basically does say all he - I can only presume – wanted to say there. The extensive use of archive footage is important – the director has succeeded greatly in giving the ambiance of the day. It was one of the first “media feeding frenzies” of modern times. Naturally, we are used to such thing now, but it’s fascinating to see things develop, “all those years ago” back in 1977. And the way the documentary itself is actually put together is also quite spectacular. I mean, you may be bothered by the “subject matter” if you see what I mean – have no fear. No seedy reconstructions here. It is strikingly edited (striking as in it received the prize for best editing at the Sundance film festival in 2008. While we’re on the subject, Wanted and Desired was nominated for the Grand Jury prize for Best documentary at the same festival, won 2 Emmys (outstanding directing and writing) and was nominated for a further 3 Emmys : outstanding nonfiction special, outstanding picture editing and outstanding sound editing. In truth, if you are at all into media studies you wouldn’t do badly to watch the film purely from an academic point of view). And said editing gives the full impact of the importance of the event – without letting it disintegrate into the realm of the seedy, which is a great accomplishment. In fact, director Marina Zenovich has done such a good job of it, I am actively searching for more of her work. In short, it is a frank and open account – that is artistically put together to boot.

Another good thing is the fact that the documentary doesn’t hold sides. You may or may not think this a good thing, but the whole point is that nothing in life is that simple – especially not something as grave as what Polanski’s being charged with. I mean, there were things in the documentary that disturbed me – but it had little to do with Polanski : the way the courts handled the victim Sandra Gates in a word, made my skin crawl. And here’s another piece of information for you to chew on : Roger Gunson (as I mentioned before, the assistant D.A. in charge of the case) plainly states on tape that he “is not surprised Polanski left the country under those circumstances”. He is not some “hippy” by the way. He is a Mormon who seems to be renowned at the time for his straight-thinking and common sense…

In short, Wanted and Desired doesn’t want you to “pick a side”. Just listen to the whole story and make your mind up then. No matter what you think of Polanski and considering what a long and complicated story it is, that’s fair enough, wouldn’t you say?