Well, he’s not “wanted” anymore. When the documentary Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired premiered at Sundance in 2008, it seemed like an epilogue, the wrapping-up of a story which would never have a real ending. Today, with Polanski in the custody of Swiss authorities, it’s become clear that the story was not over after all. And as this film – available for instant viewing or rental on Netflix – reveals, the tale of Polanski’s crime, prosecution (or persecution), and exile is anything but a clear narrative with good and bad, right and wrong, clearly marked. Nonetheless, Wanted and Desired displays a general sympathy for the director’s plight as he is jerked back and forth by a publicity-seeking judge. The still used above is from the 1961 Polanski short film The Fat and the Lean; that’s Polanski himself, acting in his own film, running across a field toward the Eiffel Tower, fleeing a lumbering fat old man. Obviously crafted years before the filmmaker’s legal predicament, the simple, almost allegorical footage is nonetheless cleverly employed by the documentary to illustrate the complex situation Polanski found himself in. It also suggests Wanted and Desired‘s general attitude toward its subject. (more…)
Archive for October 1st, 2009
Review of ‘Roman Polanski: Wanted or Desired’
Posted in author Joel Bocko on October 1, 2009| 66 Comments »
Bob’s Neo-Westchester
-
Looking for a movie?
-
Latest Posts…
What’s the Buzz…
Genre Countdowns Decades Countdown Sam Juliano on... Ongoing SeriesThe WitD Team
Click on names for archives Writers/Founders Contributing Writers
Recent Comments
- Brian on City of the Dead a.k.a. Horror Hotel (1961)
- Sam Juliano on Nomadland, The Two of Us, Another Round and Cowboys on Monday Morning Diary (February 22)
- mark s. on Nomadland, The Two of Us, Another Round and Cowboys on Monday Morning Diary (February 22)
- Lee Price on Phil Moore Is Tops, Part 3: Top of the Charts!
- mark s. on Nomadland, The Two of Us, Another Round and Cowboys on Monday Morning Diary (February 22)
- Sam Juliano on Phil Moore Is Tops, Part 3: Top of the Charts!
- Sam Juliano on Nomadland, The Two of Us, Another Round and Cowboys on Monday Morning Diary (February 22)
- vintageclark on Nomadland, The Two of Us, Another Round and Cowboys on Monday Morning Diary (February 22)
- Sam Juliano on Nomadland, The Two of Us, Another Round and Cowboys on Monday Morning Diary (February 22)
- mark s. on Nomadland, The Two of Us, Another Round and Cowboys on Monday Morning Diary (February 22)
- Sam Juliano on Nomadland, The Two of Us, Another Round and Cowboys on Monday Morning Diary (February 22)
- mark s. on Nomadland, The Two of Us, Another Round and Cowboys on Monday Morning Diary (February 22)
- Sam Juliano on CNN specials, school openings and improvement on the COVID front on Monday Morning Diary (February 15)
- Sam Juliano on CNN specials, school openings and improvement on the COVID front on Monday Morning Diary (February 15)
- Sam Juliano on CNN specials, school openings and improvement on the COVID front on Monday Morning Diary (February 15)
-
Recent Posts
- George Stevens’ Giant
- INGMAR BERGMAN’S ‘THE DEVIL’S EYE’ “We must get to the root of the evil…”
- Phil Moore Is Tops, Part 3: Top of the Charts!
- Nomadland, The Two of Us, Another Round and Cowboys on Monday Morning Diary (February 22)
- Phil Moore is Tops, Part Two: Animating Race
- CNN specials, school openings and improvement on the COVID front on Monday Morning Diary (February 15)
- Less Than Zero
- Phil Moore is Tops: A Jazz Man at MGM
- The Dig, Super Bowl Sunday and staying the course on Monday Morning Diary (February 8)
- CLAIRE DENIS’ TOWARDS MATHILDE “It’s still a little, let’s say, muddied…”
- Chaos and Mayhem still holding sway on Monday Morning Diary (February 1)
- The Killers
- A new beginning on Monday Morning Diary (January 25)
- John Woo’s A Better Tomorrow II
- Inauguration Day and One Night in Miami on Monday Morning Diary (January 18)
Top Posts
Archives
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
Pages
- 5,000 Best Screen Works
- About
- Actor John as in Garfield…Challenge and Where To Sign…Lori Moore’s Petition…
- Allan Fish’s Decades Countdown
- Best of the 2000s
- Cinema & Television on Wonders in the Dark
- MOVIES OF THE 1930s POLL
- Ratings Key
- Sam’s Music and Opera
- Spreadsheet
- BEST MOVIES OF THE 1940s
- BEST MOVIES OF THE 1950s
- BEST MOVIES OF THE 1960S
- Best Films of the 1970s
- Best Films of the 1980s
- Best Films of the 1990s
- Best Films prior to 1930
- Movie Timeline 1878-1919
- Movie Timeline 1920-1929
- Movie Timeline 1930-1939
- Movie Timeline 1940-1949
- Movie Timeline 1950-1959
- Movie Timeline 1960-1969
- Movie Timeline 1970-1979
- Movie Timeline 1980-1989
- Movie Timeline 1990-1999
- Movie Timeline 2000-2009
- Movie Timeline 2010-2019
- Screen Images of the 70s
- Archive
- Fish’s Amended Oscars
Blogroll
- 21 Essays (Lee Price)
- 24 Frames (John Greco)
- A "Thriller" A Day (Boris Karloff's 'Thriller')
- Artist Frane Lessac's blog
- Attractive Variance (Jamie Uhler)
- Cine-File (Marilyn Ferdinand, et al.)
- Cinema Axis (Courtney)
- Cinemascope (Shubhajit)
- Classical Music Almanac (Kurt Nemes)
- Coffee Messiah
- Costume Drama Reviews (Judy's Mostly Television blog)
- Creativepotager (Southwestern Canada)
- Criterion Blues (Aaron West)
- David Schleicher
- Doodad Kind of Town (Pat)
- Douglas Florian's blog
- Elizabeth Varadan
- English One-O-Worst (Roderick Heath's English Literature Blog)
- Enic-CINE (Murderous Ink)
- Fairview Free Public Library (Fairview, N.J.)
- Film Freedonia (Roderick Heath)
- Film Noir (Tony d'Ambra)
- Filmacability (Dean Treadway)
- Films Worth Watching (Jon)
- Goodfellas Movie Blog (Dave)
- Hornak Watchlist
- Icebox Movies (Adam Zanzie)
- Imaginary Elevators (Dr. Emily Schneider)
- It Rains…..You Get Wet (Robert Tower)
- J. L. Wahman
- JacquiWine's Journal
- James River Film Journal (Anu)
- John Grant's website
- Living in Cinema
- Marilyn Ferdinand
- Mondo 70 (Samuel Wilson's Movie Blogsite)
- Movie Classics (Judy in the UK)
- Movie Projector (R. D. Finch)
- Murderous Ink (Vermillion and One Nights in Tokyo)
- Muriels (Steve and Paul)
- Nancy Tupper Ling (children's book author, librarian)
- Native Americans in Children's Literature (Debbie Reese)
- Noirish (John Grant)
- Not Just Movies (Jake Cole)
- Only the Cinema (Ed Howard)
- Outer Limits
- Overlook's Corridor (Jaimie Grijalba)
- Pat-Time Cinephile (Pat Perry)
- Patricia's Wisdom (Patricia)
- Petrified Fountain of Thought (Stephen Morton)
- Radiator Heaven (J.D.)
- Rather Have the Blues (Jim Clark)
- Read It Real Good (Alia Jones)
- Riding the High Country (Colin)
- Satyamshot (Kaleem’s blog)
- Scribbles and Ramblings (Sachin)
- Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast (Julie Danielson)
- Ten Best Films (Michael Anderson, Ph D film student at Yale)
- The Barefoot Librarian (Kimbrac)
- The Confidential Report – AnubhavBist
- The Dancing Image
- The Last Drive-In (Monster Girl)
- The Last Lullaby (Jeffrey Goodman)
- The Listening Ear (Weeping Sam)
- The Reluctant Blogger (Jeff Stroud)
- The Seventh Art (Just Another Film Buff)
- They Shoot Pictures, Don't They?
- This Island Rod (Roderick Heath)
- True Classics (Brandie)
- Tuesdays with Laurie (Laurie Buchanan)
- Unseen Films (Steve Kopian)
- Visions of Non-Fiction (David Van Poppel)
- WordPress.com
Top Clicks
Wonders in the Dark is a blog dedicated to the arts, especially film, theatre and music. An open forum is highly encouraged, as the site proctors are usually ready and able to engage with ongoing conversation.