Friday, June 27, 2008

Roman Polanski subject of Documentary





HBO Documentaries: Documentary Films Series: Roman Polanski: Synopsis
















The term documentary implies something based on documents. Facts. The truth. Isn't it funny how often documentaries show documents alright, but just not all of the documents, or maybe purposefully selected documents. Just imagine a documentary about the criminal justice system and its own brand of documentary and your head just might start training for the Olympic swim team and have a shot at a medal.
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired is a film that HBO bought the rights to and I believe broadcast starting this month (June 2008). I just finished watching it with my younger son. Throughout the viewing, he and I drew very different conclusions, not only from the events that were documented but how we felt about what we were seeing. It is no surprise at all, as a person's biopsychosocial context throws prismatic paint onto our perspectual lenses. Do I want to climb up on the soapbox and proclaim what I saw is the right way to see it? Maybe the urge is there. Will I curb the urge? Probably. What transpired for Mr. Polanski over the media and court coverage of an incident in 1977 of, at minimum, statutory criminal sexual conduct by a 43 year-old Roman and a 13 year-old child whose mother aspired to stardom and whose daughter was OK with posing in nude photos, is carefully constructed by the creator of the documentary. Just as the artist chooses brushes and colors for their painting; just as the perceiver filters databytes into a pattern that makes sense, so too does the documentarian in this work. Is it the case with every documentary? We will save that discussion for another day. I will leave it to the viewer to draw their own conclusions. Whatever you see, please watch this rendering of history. It's worth your time.