Nice that Mr. Polanski has a strong professional network, but....

One of the more interesting aspects of the current brouhaha over Roman Polanski's arrest (and possible extradition to the U.S. over a 30 year old child rape charge) is the stalwart defense of him that has been mounted by his directing peers.  Over 100 (and counting) directors, actors, and other film-industry whatevers have signed a petition expressing their "dismay" at the "astonishing news" that Polanski has been arrested. And that the authorities had the audacity to nab him when he was heading to a film festival:

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...

I first read that word "extraterritorial" as "extraterrestrial". Not surprising, since I am asking myself just what planet the petition signers are living on - the one where they expect artistic immunity to be granted.

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.

Gosh, one might infer from this that he was arrested for some political or free speech thing, no? Not for a heinous criminal complaint.

Not that most of us are ever going to need them, but we should all have such unabashed defenders in our professional networks. On the other hand, there is certainly a cloud over the judgment of those who signed the petition, isn't there?

What is so stunning about their defense is that it gives so little mention to the governing incident - drugging and multiply raping a 13 year old girl, then fleeing the country when he got wind that the judge was going to renege on a promised slap on the wrist, and was going to send him to the Big House.  No, the only reference is to a "case of morals." Which kind of makes it sound like it might have been an indecent exposure rap for peeing in public, or a prude-y, trumped up charge against a roué caught in flagrante with someone else's husband or wife.

The petitioners appear to see Polanski's arrest as a chilling police state action:

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.

For Polanski, the consequences of extradition "will be heavy" - just as they were for the child he raped 30 years ago - and "will take away his freedom."  Well, when you commit a crime - and he copped to a lesser charge in exchange for what he thought was going to be a nothing penalty - and then you flee the country, the consequence is that you lose your freedom. That's what happens. Haven't these guys seen any movies?

Woody Allen was one of the first to sign. No surprise there. After all, he both had an affair with (and married) the late-teenaged daughter of Mia Farrow, the woman he was living with (and having and adopting children with). Not to mention that there was a complaint brought against him for some inappropriate behavior with his own very young daughter. Nothing along the lines of the Polanski charge, but something nonetheless over the line.

Most of those signers appeared to be Europeans, who I guess just consider themselves so much more enlightened and cosmopolitan than us American rubes. But Martin Scorsese was on the list, his senses apparently having departed him completely.

I can understand people wanting to support a colleague.

But there's plenty that could have been said in this petition - even if it were pure BS - that could have at least acknowledged that Mr. Polanski was responsible for something truly terrible.  And I don't care if the kid was Lolita's twin sister. She was 13; he was in his 40's. And I don't care if her mother had rocks in her head or Hollywood glamour on her mind when she let her child go off alone with a guy in his 40's who was going to take pictures of her. Quick poll of mothers of 13 year old girls: Was this a good idea? Yes/No.

I thought so.

Anyway, if the petitioners had said something along the lines of:

What our friend did was truly terrible, and not a day has gone by when he hasn't felt shame and remorse....

Given his history as a Holocaust survivor and the murder of his pregnant wife by the Manson Family, Roman Polanski was clearly out of his mind at the time. He has since regained his sanity...

There is enough of a cloud around the behavior of the judge for us to believe that our colleague was mistreated by the criminal justice system...

Then we might not be sitting here wondering whether they are all completely amoral.

Instead, they seem to be proposing that artistic genius - if he is, indeed one; I wouldn't use Rosemary's Baby (which, weirdly, starred Mia Farrow) as evidence of such - is enough to let someone get away - if not with murder, then with raping a child.

And stating "if only in the name of this friendship between our two countries [France and the US], we demand the immediate release of Roman Polanski."

I've also read that they're calling on Hillary Clinton and President Obama for support, neither of whom (if I know my politicians) will touch this one with a barge pole, to intercede on Polanski's behalf and get him a pardon.

This really suggests a complete tone-deafness - or is it just plain above-it-all arrogance - on the part of artistes who are supposed to be sensitive to the human condition.

Well, put me down as someone who's in favor of extradition.

If Polanski can clear things up on some legal technicality, so be it.

But I do hope that, if he does go to trial he doesn't get a jury of his peers. I wouldn't trust that crew with returning a fair and rational verdict, that's for sure.

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Source of petition: Indie Wire.