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Marina Zenovich

Storyville: Roman Polanski - Wanted and Desired

Factual: Crime & Justice

Roman Polanski - Wanted and Desired

13/10/2008

BBC Four - Storyville, Roman Polanski - Wanted and Desired

Re-examining Polanski's conviction for having unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.

Documentary which reopens the controversial and complex case of director Roman Polanski's public conviction for having unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor some 30 years ago.

In September 2009, Roman Polanski was arrested in Switzerland on a 30-year-old warrant. In 1978, the filmmaker skipped bail and escaped to France. For decades, no-one truly understood why. This documentary that reveals the truth about the bungled legal proceedings which brought about his escape. 

In her riveting reopening of this controversial and, as it turns out, very complex case, filmmaker Marina Zenovich fashions a perceptive and intelligent exploration of what really happened and casts a very different light on Polanski's decision, as well as the workings of the American legal system.

Revisiting all of the key players, including the lawyers, the victim and the media, the film looks at the conduct of the judge whose handling of the case was unusual. In addition, it incorporates insightful interviews from the present, bringing new comprehension and clarity to events long clouded by myths and presumptions. 

Winner of three Emmys, two prizes at Sundance and countless other international awards, the film is a timely look at one of the most high-profile and fascinating legal battles of the last thirty years.

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