Film Director Roman Polanski Arrested For 1977 Rape Case

By Amanda Pendolino on September 28th, 2009

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Roman Polanski, the famous filmmaker behind Chinatown, Rosemary’s Baby and The Pianist, was arrested this weekend in Switzerland in connection with the rape of a 13 year-old girl back in 1977. According to The New York Times, Polanski, 76, was en route to Zurich to accept an award at the Zurich Film Festival when authorities detained him in the airport. Now he may face extradition to the United States.

The arrest was a huge shock to Polanski and his supporters, but authorities in Los Angeles say they have been playing a game of cat and mouse with Polanski for years.  “Any time word is received that Mr. Polanski is planning to be in a country that has an extradition treaty with the U.S., we go through diplomatic channels with the arrest warrant,” said Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

I don’t understand this. Polanski has made several films, won an Oscar, and basically done whatever he’s wanted for his entire life, all while never having to serve time for a drugging and raping a 13 year-old girl? It’s not even a matter of innocence; Polanski pleaded GUILTY to one count of sex with a minor and then fled the country. (You can read a horrific transcript of the girl’s testimony from the Smoking Gun – but be careful, it’s NSFW.) There have been allegations of judicial misconduct in the original case, but that doesn’t change what he did. Why has this man been allowed to avoid jail time? Why do we constantly treat famous artists as though they’re above the law?