Woody Allen backs Roman Polanski at Cannes, Michael Douglas is less supportive

Roman Polanski's sex case continues to be a topic of discussion -- and controversy-- at the Cannes Film Festival.

Some top international directors have signed a petition in support of Polanski, who is fighting extradition from Switzerland to Los Angeles, where prosecutors want to sentence him for having sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977.

Over the weekend, Woody Allen expressed support for the embattled director.

"It's something that happened many years ago.... He has suffered," Allen told French radio station RTL. "He's an artist, he's a nice person, he did something wrong and he paid for it. They [his critics] are not happy unless he pays the rest of his life. They would be happy if they could execute him in a firing squad," he said.

But actor Michael Douglas, who stars in "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps," which is screening at Cannes, told the radio station that he would not sign the petition, calling Polanski "somebody who did break the law."

Directors Bertrand Tavernier, Mathieu Amalric and Jean-Luc Godard are among those who have signed a petition asking the Swiss government to refuse an extradition request from California, just a few days after a California judge denied Polanski's request to unseal testimony in the 33-year-old case, reports The Times' Steven Zeitchik, who is reporting from Cannes.

Polanski and his attorneys say the director was mistreated by the legal system in L.A. during his original case in the 1970s. He fled to Europe shortly before he was set to be sentenced in 1978. An HBO documentary has raised questions about the conduct of the judge in the case.

On Friday, a British actress held a news conference in Los Angeles to say Polanski sexually abused her when she was 16 years old. Charlotte Lewis, who appeared in Polanski's 1986 film "Pirates," told reporters that the Oscar-winning director "forced himself" upon her in 1982 in Paris.

-- Shelby Grad

Photo: Naomi Watts and Woody Allen at the premiere of "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger" in Cannes. Photograph: Matt Sayles / Associated Press

Comments

[Nova yos Galen]

Woody Allen supports Polanski? What a surprise. A child molester supporting a child rapist. And the other directors, too. It's a club whose members think sex with children is OK. I have a new-found respect for Michael Douglas. Good for him for standing up to these scumbags.

[steve]

wow. big surprise, woody "i married my daughter" allen supports roman polanski. birds of a feather. the two of them should form a club. only men over 50 and women under 17 allowed.

but hey, they're both good directors so everything ought to be swept under the rug. what's a little statutory rape when we're talking about the man who directed rosemary's baby right?

[Rob R Barron]

One child molester gives props to support another child molester. Wow, who'd of thunk such a thing?

[Nathan]

Glad to know these pedophiles are there for each other.

[El Guapo de la ciudad de Los Angeles]

Woody Allen...the guy who marries his wife's adopted daughter, stands up for Polanski. Go figure.

[Movie Fan]

It figures that Woody Allen, who had (has) his own inappropriate relationship with his stepdaughter, would support Polanski.

Congrats to Michael Douglas for doing the right thing.

[Big B]

Pedophiles stick together!

[Tony28]

Woody Allen?

Talk about the "support you'd rather not have" department.

[WyldAngelMama]

Woody in support of Roman...wow what a surprise! One man is having a psychologically incestuous relationship supports another who thinks raping a woman (or women) so long ago should be over looked. When is America going to start excusing maladaptive behaviors of talented people? There are a LOT of talented folks out there who make better decisions...let's turn the spot light on them! Hey what a concept raise the bar for our society...who knows we might even survive in spite of ourselves!

[Fed Up]

Explain to me how he has suffered.

[mollyd]

One pedophile freak defending another pedophile freak who is a criminal on the run.........go figure.

[Brett]

Sorry, Mr. Allen, but Polanski has NOT suffered. He has NOT paid for his crime. I don't advocate a firing squad for him; I advocate the position that he fled the jurisdiction before sentencing, thereby avoiding punishment for his initial crimes and thereby committing an additional crime. The argument that he was about to become the victim of some kind of judicial misconduct simply doesn't justify his flight, and certainly doesn't justify dropping charges against him for either fleeing or for his original crimes. He plied an underage girl with drugs and alcohol and had sex with her. She has forgiven him. The State of California has not forgiven him for his crime against the victim, and whether or not she forgives him for the rape is irrelevant to the charge of fleeing the jurisdiction.

Michael Douglas, a man with some familiarity with the criminal justice system owing to the recent troubles his son has experienced, said the right thing: Polanski broke the law.

[Ruby Jackson]

I tip my hat to Michael Douglas.

[SDMom]

Wow...sometimes people really need to just not speak. I'm sure "he's a nice person..." would be admissable in most cases as enough for the case to be dismissed, right?

[Cosmo Kramer]

Whats the matter LA Times?? Too afraid to post my comments. What's the purpose of the forum if you dont post the comments?

[JohnCLeddy]

Woody Allen may be a great artist but he would make a lousy jurist. For a Jazz Man I'd say his comments are tone deaf. Polanksi is a rapist. As Martin Luther King used to say, Justice delayed is justice denied. Polanksi should face the charges like a man.

[jack]

House arrest in a Swiss chateau is obviously cruel and unusual punishment. He should be locked up in a comfy jail cell.

What Woody meant is that Polanski will suffer to the end of his days knowing he got away with a crime simply because he was a famous director. In his heart, he knows he did wrong.

[Jambini]

Michael Douglas's son very sadly just received a sentence in the last couple of weeks to a long prison term. A tragic thing for such a successful family. My heartfelt condolences.

As far as Michael Douglas's remark I would think ordinarily that Michael Douglas would not have issued a statement saying that Polanski is "somebody who did break the law." since Michael Douglas's statement is not very well thought out because Douglas is ignoring the Judicial and Prosecutorial corruption in Polanski's case and the fact that Polanski served his sentence at Chino Prison and that the Judge wanted to give Polanski two sentences and coerce him into deportation illegally.

Michael Douglas was the producer of the Academy Award movie "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" from the 1970's starring Jack Nicholson, Danny Devito, Vincent Schiavelli, directed by Milos Forman, which movie did have a huge impact and perhaps should be viewed again because in fact Roman Polanski did fly over the Cuckoo's Nest when he flew back to France in February 1978.

Also See the movie Polanski: Wanted and Desired for more details.

[Hypatia]

Interesting how all the hoo-hah focuses on the sleazy sex incident so many decades ago. What Polanski did was ( and is?) common among film celebrities.

But there is almost NO mention of the shocking miscarriage of justice by the (nincompoop) judge and the (venal) prosecutor. They reneged on a commitment to Polanski (who had already served time). Instead of the deal previously offered, Polanski was threatened with a far different and harsher penalty. If the justice system breaks its promise and lies to you; threatens you with very long incarceration instead of the promised deal, what are your choices? Polanski sized up the situation and fled. Ask yourself what would YOU have done in his shoes?

Let's not get so holier-than-thou about the sleazy sex crime without focussing on the far more troubling breakdown of the criminal justice system. Yes,
it COULD happen to you!

[melvin polatnick]

Forgiveness of Polanski should not only come from Woody and fellow artists, it should come from the holy of holies, and that is the Pope. His understanding of the weakness of man and the temptations of the Devil can silence the angry mobs that wants to crucify an aging hipster. The enlightened people of the world anxiously wait for the day when the Pontiff issues an edict that allows Polanski to continue his great works of art without being hounded by scapegoating mobs that have committed greater sins.

[Sonny]

The topic concerns honest contracts versus dishonest bait and switch contracts which were made with Roman Polanski by actress Charlotte Lewis, and by Santa Monica Judge Laurence J. Rittenband, and how both dishonest contracts betrayed Roman Polanski.

This topic is also about County of Los Angeles Judges and District Attorneys as well as 16 year olds or even 13 year olds tossing integrity into the wind & prostituting their integrity for fame, glory financial gain and in the case of County of Los Angeles Officials the desire for promotions to higher office in the State of California is the temptation which serves to undermine their integrity also.

So if you want to be a 9th Circuit Federal Court of Appeals Judge and you ratify the Torture Memos, you'll get your promotion.

And in the case of the Santa Monica Judge Rittenband and actress Charlotte Lewis both of them abandoned their integrity, their principles to gain fame, glory, press at Roman Polanski's expense ultimately,

through pretending to make agreements and then after Polanski performs his side of the bargain, the contract was broken by those who initially agreed.

In both cases Polanski complied with what Judge Rittenband and Charlotte wanted, but both did not play straight, one was silent while her career was made, and both betrayed him.

The current DA Steve Cooley who is seeking higher office, is also betraying Roman Polanski now, for all the same reasons, and is using Polanski's name for his own gain and political campaign.

He wants to extradite Polanski to California under false pretenses by not providing the correct and complete information to the Swiss Justice about how much sentence is left for Polanski to serve which should be for the time he already served at Chino Penitentiary California in the 1970’s.