Wife says Polanski is 'marvelous' husband
By ELAINE GANLEY - The Associated Press
Thursday, January 21, 2010; 4:42 PM
PARIS -- Film director Roman Polanski's wife said she "understands perfectly" that women have been shocked by the 32-year-old sex case revived by her husband's sudden arrest in Switzerland.
But she added in an interview with Elle magazine appearing Friday that in the 1970s, when the crime occurred, society viewed sex and drugs in a different light.
"My personal truth is that Roman is a marvelous husband and man," said actress Emmanuelle Seigner, 43. "He is an impeccable man and I have nothing to reproach him for."
The 76-year-old Polanski, who has two young children, is fighting extradition to the United States. The director was initially accused of raping a 13-year-old girl after plying her with champagne and a Quaalude pill during a 1977 modeling shoot. He pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse, then fled to France on the eve of sentencing in 1978.
"My husband never believed he was above the law. The proof is that he pleaded guilty...," she said.
Polanski was arrested in Switzerland on his way to a film festival in September. He was jailed for more than 60 days before being placed under house arrest Dec. 4 in Gstaad, Switzerland.
The woman who was the child victim at the time, Samantha Geimer, is supporting a motion by Polanski's lawyers urging that the director be sentenced to time served then - 42 days in a California prison for psychiatric evaluation.
Geimer's attorney, Lawrence Silver, faxed that position to other lawyers Wednesday, asking that Polanski be sentenced in absentia.
The director's wife said the 1970s were a "crazy time."
"The relationship to drugs wasn't the same, the relationship to sexual liberty and permissiveness neither," she said. "Today, public opinion has considerably evolved on the subjects."
Seigner described her personal horror after her husband's arrest.
She said she has had the impression of "falling into a well like Alice in Alice in Wonderland," and that each day the fall has been "slow and regular ... and this long fall won't stop."
Switzerland has not yet decided whether to honor the extradition request.
More of that interview is here: http://www.theage.com.au/world/polanskis-wife-defends-him-over-sex-charges-20100122-mooo.html
Here is what Samantha Geimer is saying and wanting to do with the case now:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/01/victim-in-roman-polanksi-rape-case-expected-to-testify-on-his-behalf-in-la-courtroom.html
Here is what the prosecutors had to say about the above:
http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=9629187
Polanski being compared to German Officers/Nazis?
I found this strange conversation that apparently appeared on the radio not too long ago (link: http://sweetperdition.wordpress.com/2010/01/20/awn-2009-year-in-review/) :
Sharon daVanport: I’ll tell you something that really caught my attention; I think it’s pretty controversial: Roman Polanski. He’s probably most famously known as Sharon Tate’s husband—Sharon Tate was one of the victims in the Manson murders. He’s been a fugitive for 30 years. They’ve been pretty split in Hollywood; he’s got a lot of pretty big Hollywood stars who have backed him, and said that they should just drop these charges.
He actually was charged with statutory rape, I guess in Los Angeles. He’s been on the lam for 30 years and was finally caught, and some people are protesting and saying: “Oh, they should drop the charges” just because it’s been 30 years. If he wasn’t Roman Polanski, would people be doing that? He had sex with a 13 year old: I don’t think so. Hello?
Tricia Kenney: It’s the same thing with those German officers. I don’t care how many years have gone by, and how old you are now. What you did was still wrong and you still should be held accountable for that.
Sharon daVanport: Right. And I was really surprised at some of the people in Hollywood who were saying: “We need to just drop these charges.” They’re trying to say that even the victim says she just wants to move on. Well, a lot of victims do. They just want it to be done with it; but it’s not up to them. It’s the law, and I think that he should be prosecuted. I really do.
Sorry but comparing Polanski to german officers or Nazis??? I think that's pushing the envelope a bit much (and I'm being sarcastic here), don't you?
And saying that the victim's voice means nothing???
If it hasn't been bad enough that most of these people do not actually know the details of the case, now we hear this???
Here's to hoping that the Geimer and Polanski will have the upper hand!
I reported on Dennis Hopper the other day. I still do not know if Sharon and Roman knew him but here is the latest on him:
http://specials.msn.com/A-List/Dennis-Hopper-divorce.aspx?cp-searchtext=%20dennis%20hopper%20divorce
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