The Celebrity Defense
As I mentioned in the comments of Mr. Adesnik’s post about Roman Polanski, the New Yorker’s Jeffrey Toobin has an excellent rundown of the facts of the case as they stand today, as well as a pretty solid (at least to my understanding) of the ins and outs and what-have-yous of the various disagreements about what happened over the years (from the rape itself to the reasons given for Polanski’s flight to the question of whether or not there was prosecutorial misconduct). Unfortunately, the full piece isn’t online, but as I’ve always said: You have no good reason NOT to subscribe to the New Yorker.
The real problem with the piece is Mr. Toobin’s framing: He attempts to make the argument that Polanski’s celebrity both helped and hurt the famous director, but the “help” so outweighs the “hurt” that it’s almost laughable. It’s really not even close. To recall: After Polanski drugged and raped a 13-year-old, the DA initially didn’t even want to have him arrested; when he was arrested his lawyers used his celebrity to trash the (13 year old!) victim as a slut; knowing the attention the case would receive, the victim and only eyewitness said she wouldn’t want to testify at a trial; everyone who came in contact with him (including his probation officer and the people who would evaluate him at Chino) is described as “smitten” by his celebrity; he got off with a slap on the wrist (a psychiatric evaluation); and he was allowed to leave the country to shoot a movie while he was supposed to be enduring a punishment! This is to say nothing of the fact that his celebrity allowed him to roam Europe for decades after fleeing the United States, living in palatial apartments in France and Ski Chalets in Switzerland.
What counterbalances this? Well, his celebrity caused him to be photographed in Munich with girls on his arms, enraging the judge who let him go to Europe to shoot a movie, and there’s some question as to how much Polanski’s judge sought the limelight for himself. Oh, and the support of Polanski by the artistic community created a backlash against him earlier this year.
Now, in what world are the pros and cons of celebrity anywhere close to identical? Like I said, it’s a fine, fine piece from Mr. Toobin…but his search for a frame with which to construct the article led him astray, I think.