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Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired

Play trailer Poster for Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired Released Jul 11, 2008 1h 40m Documentary Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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85% Tomatometer 48 Reviews 78% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
In this acclaimed documentary, Marina Zenovich probes the sexual misconduct case against world-renowned director Roman Polanski. Arrested for drugging and then having sex with a minor in 1977, Polanski famously pled guilty and fled the United States for France before sentencing, fearing a corrupt judge. Zenovich explores the events of that year in depth through archived footage, and also examines Polanski's tragic past, including the murder of his wife Sharon Tate, and surviving the Holocaust.
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Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired

Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired

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Critics Consensus

A courtroom drama and an exploration of celebrity and responsibility.

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Critics Reviews

View All (48) Critics Reviews
John Leonard New York Magazine/Vulture He claims here to have been influenced early on by Snow White. I should have thought Peter Pan instead. Jan 5, 2018 Full Review Ben Kenigsberg Time Out Rated: 4/5 Nov 18, 2011 Full Review Joshua Rothkopf Time Out Rated: 4/5 Nov 17, 2011 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews If you're not a diehard fan of Polanski I can't see the pic holding your attention, as it lacks intrigue. Rated: C+ Nov 17, 2013 Full Review Jennifer Merin About.com "Zenovich's film is a fair and skillful chronicling of the Roman Polanski case, and a study of how the circumstances of celebrity influence the carrying out of justice in the U.S. It's not an in-depth study of the filmmaker's psychology nor of how his lif Rated: 4/5 Sep 30, 2009 Full Review Prairie Miller NewsBlaze The film's verdict is that Polanski is too distinguished to persecute by placing him in a prison among, well, criminals. Wanted And Desired: A premeditated act of propaganda in the service of exoneration with a creative genius defense, instead of remorse. Sep 27, 2009 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (329) audience reviews
Audience Member Made by and for Polanski apologists. I wholeheartedly agree with critic Miller's assessment of the film: "A premeditated act of propaganda in the service of exoneration with a creative genius defense, instead of remorse." Thankfully a decade later, the inherent idea behind this film is that obvious. Along with the powerful #MeToo movement, a creeper like Polanski is more likely to be held accountable. How "Hollywood" let predators like Roman Polanski, Woody Allen, Bill Cosby, and Harvey Weinstein (just a few) get away with sexual crimes just because they have a talent to subjectively entertain, is ludicrous and reprehensible. Serving sentenced time, paying fees/damages, being listed if required, and receiving mandatory therapy with appropriate monitoring is the aim of todayâ(TM)s justice for the victim(s). I had hoped this 2008 doc would shed light on how things were handled so out-of-hand; how perpetrators and their victims were treated, previous to this more transparent and less forgiving time period, when some powerful person or group decides to "turn a blind eye" (often repeatedly, as with the Catholic Church too), but isn't necessarily getting a free pass or the closest thing to it...the ability to readily flee after big bail money hits the court clerkâ(TM)s countertop. In recent cases, ankle monitoring has likely prevented similar avoidance and actual runs from the law. Sexual predation, by men or women, should NEVER be acceptable or "excused", like we see in Marina Zenovich's apologist film. -January 2019 Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/15/23 Full Review Audience Member Even-handed review of the Polanski statutory rape case that manages to make relatively clear the legal shenanigans that have been involved while also making it clear that the director was guilty. Just taking one look at the school photo of the 13-year-girl makes you realize how wrong he was - so young. I don't think it mitigates things to ponder the fact that Polanski's parents died in the Holocaust and his wife, Sharon Tate, was murdered by the Manson family. In archive interviews, Polanski himself seems to brush off the seriousness of the charges, as did the French, who received him when he fled the US. However, this documentary does make it clear just how much Polanski was jerked around by the judge, a publicity-seeking knob (as suggested by both prosecution and defense lawyers in interviews), and why he decided to escape to avoid any further complications in the case and its resolution. I didn't realize that the film was 8 years ago and therefore omits the most recent moves by the U. S. to extradite Polanski again and their unwillingness to allow him to wrap things up with "time served" as even the victim and her family now think should happen. I'm of two minds - 42 days isn't much of a sentence (the time he actually spent in prison) - but 40 years in exile might be. As a parent (albeit of boys), it is hard not to see the ugly side of things and hard not to doubt the complicity of the victim at the time. All told, this is a lot of talking heads to watch but director Marina Zenovich keeps things interesting. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member (***): [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img] Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/18/23 Full Review Audience Member Review to Come For now: Mia Farrow, you nutty hypocrite . . . Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Audience Member Documentary accurately concentrates on the events surrounding the Polanski rape trial. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member I'm a little obsessed with Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate and found this documentary fascinating. Whilst he did a disgusting thing, the media and the courts did little to protect the victim/s. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired

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Movie Info

Synopsis In this acclaimed documentary, Marina Zenovich probes the sexual misconduct case against world-renowned director Roman Polanski. Arrested for drugging and then having sex with a minor in 1977, Polanski famously pled guilty and fled the United States for France before sentencing, fearing a corrupt judge. Zenovich explores the events of that year in depth through archived footage, and also examines Polanski's tragic past, including the murder of his wife Sharon Tate, and surviving the Holocaust.
Director
Marina Zenovich
Producer
Jeffrey Kusama-Hinte, Lila Yacoub, Marina Zenovich, P.G. Morgan
Screenwriter
Joe Bini, P.G. Morgan, Marina Zenovich
Distributor
ThinkFilm
Production Co
BBC, Antidote Films
Genre
Documentary, Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 11, 2008, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 30, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$59.2K
Runtime
1h 40m
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