Pretty Good

A very feeble attempt at affirmatie action

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

A wonderful look at corruption and justice, even if it's justice we don't agree with. Putting Polanski's crimes to one side, there is no denying he is an exceptional filmmaker. He is able to address a darkness many hope never to experience. It's very easy to see Polanski as a coward that ran from sentencing, but we also have a fascinating story of a judge hungry for fame. That cares more about peoples opinion of him, than he does keeping his word. It's a fascinating battle where everyone appears to be in the wrong, and the two lawyers seem to be the most honest of the bunch. It's a great watch, just for all of the different reactions it can evoke, with Polanski's troubled and harrowing life as a backdrop for greater tragedies to come.

It is interesting that this "documentary" was released as efforts were being made to extradite Polanski to the U.S. to stand trial for his alleged drugging and repeated anal raping of a minor. The film seeks to excuse his behavior based upon his horrific past including the loss of much of his family to the Nazis and to excuse his fleeing trial because of the judges alleged reneging on some deals he'd cut with Polanski regarding which crimes He'd would be charged with. The shameless way in which this film slants every detail to curry sympathy for this repeat pedophile strains credulity. It is unlikely his affliction can be traced to his parents demise and even if it did it would not excuse his crimes merely how they would be punished/treated. One of the films characters even accuses Polanski's detractors of playing the blame game while simultaneously blaming the victims parents for allowing her to be photographed, unchaperoned, by Polanski. Admittedly this was not a wise move , but who'd think that a high profile personality with such resources would stoop to such a heinous and ham-fisted act.The film did gather some fascinating information though, namely regarding the support Ploanski enjoys from a number of Film industry moguls. One is left to speculate on why this may be but in the end they are besmirching their own characters. Even the country of France, of which I am personally quite fond of for a number of reasons is left looking barbaric in their harboring of Polanski, though it should be pointed out that three quarters of it's people favor his extradition. It is one thing to dismiss sex with children under 16 years of age , it happens here certainly, but not with a forty-three year old. And to turn a blind eye to drugging and raping a 13 year old child is inexplicable.I have to give the film credit for weaving a story in a smooth and well produced fashion and for piecing together a substantial cast of participants who were involved with Polanski and his case at varying levels, but the degree of bias and the yawning lapses in logic and moral bearing are ultimately inexcusable. I would not be surprised to learn that Mr. Polanski funded the project himself.

For those who want a quick snapshot of the entire hullabaloo surrounding acclaimed director Roman Polanski and the slew of charges against him, one for having sex with a minor of 13 years, then this documentary by Marina Zenovich will present everything on a silver platter in digestible portions, though with any documentary, objectivity sometimes gets a little bit skewed. If you ask me for an opinion, I'm still a firm believer of serving time if done the crime, and under an imperfect system, there are always instances where we see the rich and the famous escape jail terms, like in Law Abiding Citizen which preached that truth is only what you can prove in a court of law.In presenting facts and the case itself, Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired did a brilliant job in establishing the premise and providing that broad background of the director and his life, which seemed to have been rooted in tragedy from his childhood days during the Holocaust, and including the senseless murder of his pregnant wife Sharon Tate under the hands of the Charles Manson family. Clips from his iconic films were also included, and parallels somehow uncannily drawn from his darker films to mirror the darker days of his life, which worked in emphasizing his twisted state of mind if you're standing on that side of the fence.Zenovich also spent considerable time painting the picture of the media frenzy which surrounded Polanski during his younger heydays, and especially during the trial, where a distinction was made between the European and American press, one still fascinated by yet another twist and turn in his life, while the latter firmly demonizing a stranger in their midst, whose demeanour and physical built made it almost perfect as that classical villain out to exploit the meek. It's a media circus built around the director's reputation, which served as a double edged sword according to some as it is this repute that allowed the sensationalism to hit the roof in terms of selling papers.What's more intriguing in this documentary, is how Zenovich assembled and presented the crux of the film, that on the appointment and backgrounds of the legal eagles handling the case, with talking head interview segments with the lawyers involved. It's a pity that the judge Laurence J Rittenband was not included in modern day interviews because of his passing, but from the archived clips, court documents and testimonies gathered, his is the key which probably made Polanski flee. After all, how can one trust a court presided by a judge with ulterior personal motives ranging from wanting to get the limelight from such a high profile case, to having personal emotions play such a huge part in deciding on punishment, and the benefits of lack thereof to personal reputation.It's down to Zenovich's skill in assembling the timeline of events, recounting court incidents and evidence that makes this documentary a compelling watch, especially when she launches into a tirade that questions the integrity of the judge through his gerrymandering of the entire legal process and the perversion of justice, and how a judge, competent or otherwise, holds plenty of cloud over the proceedings and punishment, despite flip-flopping on bargains and promises made.It's been decades since that faithful day of the deed, and both the director and the child back then had already moved on in their lives. It's quite clear that both want to put this episode behind them with even the victim forgiving Polanski, and public opinion as well as that of peers are divided between forgiveness and punishment nonetheless, it's interesting to see how things will develop hereon, after all it has been left hanging in the balance already for so long. Like I mentioned, this documentary somehow portrayed Polanski as a victim of an inconsistent court process yes, but you cannot deny that a crime is a crime, and one has to face the music, famous personality or not.

so wait are you supporters for or against drugging and raping a 13 year old or not? Everyone on his side makes excuses but EVEN if it was consensual which it wasn't she was underage. I see people who support Polanski MAYBE making a argument if the girl was almost legal, wanted it and the guy excised bad judgment but c'Mon she was 13, drugged, said no and he fled the country. Even in Europe that's not even jail bait it's still pedophilia, it's not okay just because he's rich and people like his films.My take: It's not a witch hunt if you did it, admitted you did it and ran. Summation of the Documentary:I dunno anymore, Hollywood just continues to make less sense. I'm not a bible thumper or a letter of the law kind of guy but this is just bizarre. I liked Chinatown too but the man needs to serve for his crime. This Documentary was very skewed..... was produced well but I left feeling the film needed a rebuttal film. Too one sided for my personal taste on this subject with sprinkles of 'Americans Hate foreigners' and 'He had a tough life' to excuse the crime thrown in. But watch or not I don't feel most people will change their view one way or another.Pity his life BUT remember the little girl was the victim not Polanski he was a adult when he made his choices.As for the director himself his works speak for itself.