CNN - POLANSKI THE BACKLASH TO THE BACKLASH

POLANSKI THE BACKLASH TO THE BACKLASH

The case that official misconduct took place in 1978 prior to the sentencing of Roman Polanski on child molestation charges was severely undermined Wednesday when a retired prosecutor said that he lied about his role in the case in a documentary. David Wells had claimed in the documentary Roman Polanski Wanted and Desired that he had participated in a private meeting with the judge in Polanski's case, Laurence Rittenband, and urged him to set aside a plea agreement and impose a stiffer penalty on Polanski. But, in an interview with the Los Angeles Times , Wells admitted, "The reality is that it was a lie." He said, without additional explanation, that he had lied because he thought the documentary would only be shown in France. Meanwhile, a backlash to the backlash following Polanski's arrest has begun. In an editorial, the New York Times asked "Where is the injustice in bringing to justice someone who pleads guilty to statutory rape and then goes on the lam, no matter how talented he may be?" On the front page of Wednesday's Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez said that he would like to ask Polanski's defenders "whether, if the victim were their daughter, they'd be so cavalier about a crime that was originally charged as sodomy and rape before Polanski agreed to a plea bargain." Overseas, support for Polanski also appears to have moderated. "The case involves a great director but still, it is also a case of rape, of sex with a child," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said. Even in France, where Polanski has lived since fleeing the U.S. 30 years ago, government spokesman Luc Chatel said Wednesday, "Roman Polanski is neither above nor below the law. ... We have a judicial proceeding under way that is a serious affair, the rape of a minor." Meanwhile, Los Angeles Times writer Joe Flint observed that the major tabloid TV shows like Access Hollywood, Entertainment Tonight and The Insider have barely mentioned the Polanski case. Flint expressed amazement that the story had been shunned "even by that lover of all things tabloid, CNN's Larry King." He continued, "Though one might argue that these shows are more fluff than news, certainly a story that has caused debate around the globe about a director who's worked with Hollywood's biggest stars is worth some sort of cursory coverage."

01/10/2009