“Rosemary’s Baby” director focus of unauthorized biopic
By Michael Knox, mknox@modernfilmzine.com
Roman Polanski, the acclaimed director of “Rosemary’s Baby” and “Chinatown,” who fled to France after being accused of raping a 13-year-old girl in 1977 will be the focus of the new film, “Polanski Unauthorized,” according to a news release.
The film will be released Friday, February 13th in selected cinemas
in Hollywood for three weeks.
Spanning four decades, the film covers everything from a turbulent childhood in war torn Poland, the murder of his wife Sharon Tate by the infamous Charles Manson cult and the infamous rape case that lead to Polanski’s exile. Polanski avoided incarceration by escaping to and maintaining residence in Europe, according to a news release.
Samantha Geimer, now 45, filed a legal declaration asking that the
charge against Polanski be dismissed in the interest of saving her from
further trauma as the case is publicized anew, according to the Associated Press.
Now a wife and mother of three children, Geimer said that the insistence by prosecutors and the court that Polanski must appear in person to seek dismissal “is a joke, a cruel joke being played on me.”
Polanski pleaded guilty to having sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977 but fled to France before he was sentenced, and has lived there since, according to the Associated Press.
The rape accusation is just one of the many elements that occur in the “Polanski Unauthorized.” The film is directed by and stars Damian Chapa who played the lead role in Taylor Hackford’s “Blood in Blood Out.” Chapa also acted in the Steven Seagal film, “Under Siege.”
The screening of “Polanski Unauthorized” will be at the Laemmle’s Sunset 5, 800 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood 90046. The screening will commence at 7 p.m., Feb. 13. The screening will benefit the Children’s Defense League, F.T.G Foundation. A cocktail party will follow the screening and a meet and greet with exclusive interviews available with Damian Chapa.
Considering the current legal disputes, it is unlikely Polanski will be in
attendance, according to the news release.
Robert Osborne, of The Hollywood Reporter said, “Polanski Unauthorized” is, “A movie to cause talk, raise eyebrows, rattle cages and have Hollywood insiders blow their stacks!”
Terry Keffe, of The Hollywood Interview, said the film is, “A chilling portrait of one of the most controversial figures in the history of movies.”
Polanski is currently in pre-production on his latest film, “The Ghost,” which is slated for release in 2010.
“The Ghost” is the story of a ghostwriter hired to complete the memoirs of a former British prime minister uncovers secrets that put his own life in jeopardy, according to the Internet Movie Database.
www.polanskiunauthorized.com
www.amadeuspictures.com
