Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
Director: Marina Zenovich
The effectiveness of documentaries about celebrities is usually measured by the extent to which the celebrities themselves are involved. That is not the case with Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired. The filmmaker (below) might not have granted new interviews here, but Marina Zenovich's documentary stirred up a lot of muck after its release last year, with Polanski's lawyer citing remarks made in the film in a bid to overturn the 31-year-old charge Polanski still faces for having sex with a 13-year-old.
The key to Polanski's argument lies with district attorney David Wells' on-screen recollections of his private conversations with the case's judge, Laurence Rittenband, while legal proceedings were ongoing. He implies that he coached Rittenband on what to do, which Polanski's lawyer, Douglas Dalton, says would constitute part of 'a pattern of misconduct and improper communications' that affected the judge's decisions in court.
Polanski fled the US on February 1, 1978, and has never returned.
The film takes an obviously sympathetic view of the Polish filmmaker, with Polanski's friends and associates talking about his tormented years during the Holocaust and following the Manson family murder of his wife, Sharon Tate. However, Wanted and Desired is much more than just a pro-Polanski tract. It uses Polanski's story to reveal the bizarre workings of a media-obsessed American culture, the way a judge appears more concerned about press conferences than adhering to statutes in court, or the way a foreign-born filmmaker - and someone who made films like horror classics such as Repulsion or Rosemary's Baby - was portrayed.