I don't have any trouble with the "Why now?" question. It may have been a happy confluence of international politics, opportunism, renewed publicity from a documentary, and extra arrogance from Polanski (who had refused to enter countries when there were rumors he might be arrested for extradition before). Late is still better than never. And I'd rather justice be served late and maybe for the wrong reasons, still affirming that it is not okay to rape a child and that there is at least an ideal of equal justice for all to aspire to, than have justice not be served at all. I think it's pretty disingenuous to accuse people of "pornographic relish" when detailing what Polanski did. It's bloody well necessary when people start denying what he did was rape and try to age up a 13 year old girl by calling her a "young woman."
I don't have all that much trouble with separating art from artist. Artistic greatness doesn't equal moral greatness . . . as exemplified by Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord Byron, Ezra Pound, by ever so many others. It may be easier to come to terms with when the artist is dead and not profiting from people consuming their work, but Pound's poetry doesn't change his misogyny or fascism. Polanski is a great director. That does not negate the fact that he is an unrepentant pedophile, a predator and a rapist.
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Date: 2009-10-01 04:38 pm (UTC)I don't have all that much trouble with separating art from artist. Artistic greatness doesn't equal moral greatness . . . as exemplified by Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord Byron, Ezra Pound, by ever so many others. It may be easier to come to terms with when the artist is dead and not profiting from people consuming their work, but Pound's poetry doesn't change his misogyny or fascism. Polanski is a great director. That does not negate the fact that he is an unrepentant pedophile, a predator and a rapist.