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Published 3/13/03 in The Post-Star newspaper Oscars should be awarded for work, not ethics COMMENTARY The elements are as juicy and distasteful as a racy movie script: a middle-aged man commits a felonious sex act with a 13-year-old girl, flees the United States in a panic to live life as a fugitive, watches his career spiral into a tailspin and, in the end, is redeemed. Artistically redeemed anyway. The sordid elements are even more absorbing when you consider that they're not from the pages of a script, but from the life and times of Roman Polanski, director of the much-talked about Holocaust movie, "The Pianist." So it will be interesting, come Oscar night, to see if Academy members vote according to the director's professional accomplishments or his personal transgressions. The operative words here are "Oscar night." The director has made some serious mistakes in the past and he should pay for them. But the Academy Awards aren't meant to function as a court of law. After a career that has included classics like "Chinatown" and "Rosemary's Baby," "The Pianist" is clearly the masterpiece of Polanski's career. On a personal level, his character is considerably less sterling. In 1978, he pleaded guilt to having sexual relations with a 13-year-old girl, whom he reportedly plied with champagne and the promise of a modeling career when he lured her to a private photo shoot in the Hollywood Hills. Polanski never denied the encounter; he was even ready to accept a plea bargain until he heard through the Hollywood grapevine that the judge was preparing to throw the book at him. So he drove himself to the nearest airport (abandoning his Mercedes) and hopped a plane to Europe, where he's lived ever since. In essence, he's a creep. But Oscars aren't supposed to be handed out based on the nominee's moral resemblance to Mother Teresa. If they were, the ceremonies would be subliminally brief. Everything about the direction Polanski gave to the heartbreaking and true story of how Polish pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman's survived the brutal Nazi occupation of the Warsaw ghetto points to the fact that he's an outstanding filmmaker. From the cinematography to the actors' performances to the soundtrack, it's all haunting enough to have moviegoers leaving the darkened theater in a shell-shocked daze. Undoubtedly, a major part of why the film works so well is how deeply Polanski's heart is embedded in the project. Growing up Jewish in Warsaw in the '40s meant Polanski experienced firsthand the atrocities of war and anti-Semitism. Years later, his brilliant translation of the memories of the violence, despair and starvation onto the screen gives the film an inevitable edge. "The Pianist" simply outshines the competition. And for that reason, it should be the film to sweep the Oscars on the 23rd. But based on the outcome of the recent Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild ceremonies, the likelihood of it happening doesn't look good. And even if Polanski does win, it's doubtful he'll actually return to Los Angeles to retrieve his award. That would mean having to face the music, and he has yet to give any indication he's got the backbone. Sure, to err is human. Mistakes are made to be forgiven -- if there's been some proper remorse and recompense. And Polanski has offered neither. In his infamous "60 Minutes" interview with Mike Wallace, he brushed his victim's age aside by claiming that she was, in fact, an experienced "young woman." He displayed an appallingly selfish cowardice when he skipped the country so hastily and refused to pay for his crime. I'm not familiar with all the details of his life after he fled the United States, but let's just say that his torrid romance with the 15-year-old actress Nastassia Kinski in the early '80s spoke volumes. Some might argue that he's been punished enough. His victim, now in her late 30s, has even been making the talk-show rounds with messages to that effect. But the fact is, he committed a felony and has never paid for it. And considering the nature of the crime, forfeiting his Mercedes and living a comfortable life in Europe isn't an adequate exchange. As a human being, Roman Polanski leaves much to be desired. Like many celebrities, he's self-indulgent, self-absorbed and clearly has bought into the belief that he's above the law. But as a director he's outstanding -- and the Oscar race is about movies, not personal ethics. Polanski has produced a masterpiece with "The Pianist," and he deserves to be awarded for it. |