2009 Roman Polanski Petition

In September 2009, over 160[1] film directors, actors, screenwriters, and producers signed a petition, started by French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy,[1] which urged the release of film director Roman Polanski, after he was arrested for a 1977 charge for drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl. The petition was signed by many prominent individuals in the film industry including Guillermo del Toro, Martin Scorsese, Sam Mendes, David Lynch, Wes Anderson, Michael Mann, Woody Allen, Darren Aronofsky, Harrison Ford, Jeremy Irons, and Wong Kar-wai. Several signatories, including Emma Thompson and Natalie Portman, later retracted their names from the petition or expressed regret over signing it.

Polanski's 1977 mugshot

A separate petition was also issued by the SACD (Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques), and received as many as 850 signatures.[1] The SACD did not comment on Polanski's crime, stressing that their petition existed only to oppose the manner in which Polanski was arrested.

Lévy's petition has been the subject of significant media and public criticism since its release.

Text

Lévy

Lévy's journal, La Règle du jeu, issued the following text for his petition:

"Apprehended like a common terrorist Saturday evening, September 26, as he came to receive a prize for his entire body of work, Roman Polanski now sleeps in prison.

He risks extradition to the United States for an episode that happened years ago and whose principal plaintiff repeatedly and emphatically declares she has put it behind her and abandoned any wish for legal proceedings.

Seventy-six years old, a survivor of Nazism and of Stalinist persecutions in Poland, Roman Polanski risks spending the rest of his life in jail for deeds which would be beyond the statute-of-limitations in Europe.

We ask the Swiss courts to free him immediately and not to turn this ingenious filmmaker into a martyr of a politico-legal imbroglio that is unworthy of two democracies like Switzerland and the United States. Good sense, as well as honor, require it."[2]

SACD

The 2009 SACD petition for Polanski's release reads as follows:

"We have learned the astonishing news of Roman Polanski’s arrest by the Swiss police on September 26th, upon arrival in Zurich (Switzerland) while on his way to a film festival where he was due to receive an award for his career in filmmaking.

His arrest follows an American arrest warrant dating from 1978 against the filmmaker, in a case of morals.

Filmmakers in France, in Europe, in the United States and around the world are dismayed by this decision. It seems inadmissible to them that an international cultural event, paying homage to one of the greatest contemporary filmmakers, is used by the police to apprehend him.

By their extraterritorial nature, film festivals the world over have always permitted works to be shown and for filmmakers to present them freely and safely, even when certain States opposed this.

The arrest of Roman Polanski in a neutral country, where he assumed he could travel without hindrance, undermines this tradition: it opens the way for actions of which no one can know the effects.

Roman Polanski is a French citizen, and an international artist now facing extradition. This extradition, if it takes place, will be heavy in consequences and will take away his freedom.

Filmmakers, actors, producers and technicians — everyone involved in international filmmaking — want him to know that he has their support and friendship.

On September 16th, 2009, Mr. Charles Rivkin, the US Ambassador to France, received French artists and intellectuals at the embassy. He presented to them the new Minister Counselor for Public Affairs at the embassy, Ms Judith Baroody. In perfect French she lauded the Franco-American friendship and recommended the development of cultural relations between our two countries.

If only in the name of this friendship between our two countries, we demand the immediate release of Roman Polanski."[3]

Signatories

Signatories of the 2009 petitions include, but are not limited to:

2010 petition

In 2010, a subsequent petition arguing for Polanski's release was signed by many individuals including,[7][8][9] but not limited to:

Refusals and retractions

Actor Michael Douglas refused to sign any petition in support of Polanski, stating that it would be "unfair" to support someone who "did break the law".[10]

Actress Emma Thompson retracted her name shortly after signing the 2009 petition, while Natalie Portman later expressed regret over her signature.[1][5] Asia Argento also expressed regret in 2018, saying that "I foolishly went along. That’s no excuse, and it’s a decision I regretted almost immediately and have regretted ever since." However, most signatories have since declined to comment on the petition.[11]

Reactions

Lévy's petition, and its signatories, received generally negative backlash. They were criticized by both political liberals and conservatives, with both groups generally accusing signatories of showing their support for a convicted rapist and pedophile.

Feminist author Kate Harding wrote in response in Salon that "Roman Polanski raped a child. Let's just start right there, because that's the detail that tends to get neglected."[12]

The organization Protect attacked the petition, with its executive director stating, "I don't think a lot of people take the sexual assault of children very seriously at all, and it's something we battle everyday."[13]

Actor Paul Petersen criticized the move, saying "I can't believe that Hollywood has separated itself so completely from American morality. It is yet another case of Hollywood being out of sync with most of America." Petersen also stated that he believed many of his fellow actors wanted to speak up against the petition, but "are afraid of the Hollywood power structure that is tilted distinctly to the left and plays favorites."[13] Actress Kirstie Alley also spoke out, writing on Twitter that "JUST FOR THE RECORD... RAPE IS RAPE. This is one Hollywood star who does not CELEBRATE or DEFEND Roman Polanski."[14] Film critic David Thomson argued that "The split between what the rest of the world thinks about Polanski and what Hollywood thinks about Polanski is quite remarkable. It proves what an old-fashioned and provincial club Hollywood is. People look after their own."[15]

References
  1. Akbar, Arifa (7 November 2009). "Thompson 'talked out of support for Polanski' by 19-year-old student". The Independent.
  2. Bernard-Henri Lévy (28 November 2009). "Artist Rally Behind Polanski". Huffington Post.
  3. Knegt, Peter (29 September 2009). "Over 100 In Film Community Sign Polanski Petition". IndieWire.
  4. AFP (6 October 2009). "Penelope Cruz joins 700 celebrities in bid for Polanski release". Fashion Network.
  5. Desta, Yohana (21 February 2018). "Natalie Portman Regrets Signing Petition That Defended Roman Polanski: "It Was a Mistake"". Vanity Fair.
  6. Kale, Sirin (21 February 2018). "Natalie Portman Is One of the Few Celebrities to Apologize for Supporting Roman Polanski". Vice.
  7. "Pétition des nominés à Cannes en faveur de Roman Polanski". La Règle du jeu (in French). 11 May 2010. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  8. Lévy, Bernard-Henri (11 May 2010). "Polanski Petition: A Gesture of Solidarity and an Appeal to Swiss Justice". HuffPost. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  9. "French directors sign Polanski petition at Cannes". Daily Express. 12 May 2010. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  10. Associated Press (14 May 2010). "Michael Douglas Won't Sign Polanski Petition". CBS.
  11. Freeman, Hadley (30 January 2018). "What does Hollywood's reverence for child rapist Roman Polanski tell us?". The Guardian.
  12. Harris, Paul (3 October 2009). "Roman Polanski sex case arrest provokes backlash in Hollywood". The Guardian.
  13. France, Lisa Respers (1 October 2009). "Backlash builds against support of Polanski". CNN.
  14. Wightman, Catriona (5 October 2009). "Kirstie Alley comments on Polanski case". DigitalSpy.
  15. Horn, John; Daunt, Tina (1 October 2009). "A cultural divide over Polanski". Los Angeles Times.
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