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Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired

Pedro Almodvar (Actor), Istvan Bajzat (Actor), Marina Zenovich (Director, Writer) Rated:

Format: DVD

4.3 68 ratings

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September 16, 2010

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Format	Color, NTSC, Multiple Formats, Subtitled, Dolby, Widescreen
Contributor	Michael Caine, Joe Bini, P.G. Morgan, John Cassavetes, Madeline Bessmer, Richard Brenneman, Marina Zenovich, Istvan Bajzat, Steve Barshop, Marilyn Beck, Nicolas Cage, Pierre-Andr Boutang, Andrew Braunsberg, Dick Cavett, Pedro Almodvar See more
Language	English
Runtime	1 hour and 39 minutes

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Product Description

Product description

Genre: Documentary
Rating: NR
Release Date: 27-JAN-2009
Media Type: DVD

Amazon.com

When Polanskis defense attorney says midway through this film that he "isnt surprised Polanski left under the circumstances" surrounding this corrupted court case, one really begins to understand why the director has not returned to America in nearly 20 years. Wanted and Desired, Marina Zenovichs documentary about Polanskis 1977 arrest for rape of a minor set facts straight about a case that was blown to ridiculous proportions by a sensationalistic press and a judge who was far from judicious. Comprised of interviews with producers and friends Andrew Braunsberg, Daniel Melnick, Mia Farrow, and many others, the film obviously sympathizes with Polanski. But ample interviews with D.A. Roger Gunson and defense attorney, Douglas Dalton, lend factual credence to the films assertion that the director was not guilty as charged and further, shows how separate public image and the real person are. Wanted and Desired covers the tragic loss of his wife, Sharon Tate, only to preface the court case and Polanskis departing the country as a result. Short clips from many of his fine films are interspersed to poignant effect between interview clips, to show how his public image has been wrongly writ based on his films dark subject matter. Polanskis lack of participation in the film, then, seems not like his condemnation of its making, but rather in keeping with his desire to avoid press in general. At best, Wanted and Desired may serve as a further invitation to the brilliant director, who has been living in France for almost 20 years with a wife and two children, to someday return to America. Trinie Dalton

Product details

Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.78:1
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.53 inches; 3.2 Ounces
Director ‏ : ‎ Marina Zenovich
Media Format ‏ : ‎ Color, NTSC, Multiple Formats, Subtitled, Dolby, Widescreen
Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 39 minutes
Release date ‏ : ‎ January 27, 2009
Actors ‏ : ‎ Pedro Almodvar, Istvan Bajzat, Steve Barshop, Marilyn Beck, Madeline Bessmer
Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English, Spanish
Language ‏ : ‎ Unqualified (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Studio ‏ : ‎ Velocity / Thinkfilm
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B001HB1K46
Writers ‏ : ‎ Joe Bini, Marina Zenovich, P.G. Morgan
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1

Best Sellers Rank: #159,240 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
- #6,627 in Documentary (Movies & TV)

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4.3 68 ratings

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4.3 out of 5

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Transatlantique

God Bless Roman Polanski

Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2012

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My father married my mum when he was 24 and she was 15 in 1941. Today this would be considered molestation. What Roman Polanski did with this girl was totally orchestrated by her mother and possibly her. This girl could have sucked the chicken off of a bone. Like Monica Lewinsky, she knew what she was doing in order to get her career jump started. If I had been that girl, I would have been so privileged to have been "sodomised" by Polanski that I would have thanked my lucky stars. Those who are calling him rubbish are simply prudish or envious. With all this man had been through in his life, what could one expect that he would try to escape his pain. He is brilliant and truly an artist. France is lucky to have him and I would have done the same as he with that fraud Rittenband for a "Judge."

This film is so wonderful that I immediately ordered a copy after watching it someplace else. There are many great nostalgic photos of him and Sharon in their beginning, of the others surrounding them, and of the time that was. This film is insightful as to the truth behind the case I had always heard about and never really examined. One can see the pain on his face and know that his life has been as extraordinary as his art. God bless Roman Polanski.

4 people found this helpful

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F. Rosenzweig Lives

Everything a great documentary should be

Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2009

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This is a great documentary, no matter your ultimate value judgements about Roman Polanski's morality and criminality.

It covers so much, so well:

* An amazing human interest story/biopic of one of the greatest filmmakers of our time.
* A transfixing story of the American criminal justice system.
* The end of the Sixties in Los Angeles.
* The film industry and Hollywood (the Land of Cash, Flash & Trash).
* European vs. American sexual, moral and cultural differences.
* The Seventies in the Land of Cash, Flash & Trash.
* How the world works, per movers and shakers.
* The the news media, warts and all.
* The lawyer-protagonists: The good, bad and ugly.
* Incredible archival footage re all of the above.

Do not miss the DVD extras -- they peel back many layers of the onion.

10 people found this helpful

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C. Webster

Well Done!

Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2015

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The presentation was excellent; the story, of course, is a terrible one. It makes one wonder if our justice system could use some cleaning as the judge in this case should have been disciplined. The attorneys (for each side) were professional in every way. I remember when this case was playing out (way back when), but didn't pay enough attention to it at the time. An amazing story and well worth the time spent to watch it. Well done!

4 people found this helpful

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Sigrid Macdonald

Polanski, the victim?

Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2011

This documentary by Steven Soderbergh was fascinating and I learned quite a bit about Roman Polanski that I never knew because I hadn't followed his case that closely. I didn't know he was a Holocaust survivor and had lost his parents to the camps. I did know that his wife Sharon Tate was brutally murdered by the freakish Manson clan. And I imagine that all those hideous and traumatic incidents left a terrible and indelible mark on his psyche. But does this somehow justify drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl?

The production is far too sympathetic toward Polanski. Yes, it appears he had a judge who was obsessed with celebrities and his own fame and publicity. Yes, it looks as though his sentence was unfair, but even the original proposal to incarcerate Polanski for 90 days for a diagnostic was absurd. 90 days for taking a pubescent girl and giving her Quaaludes and sodomizing her? Please? What century are we living in?

Although the girl who was molested appeared on the show and spoke as an adult, I got the distinct impression that the message was "poor Roman", not "poor 13-year-old girl." At one point her prior sexual history was even mentioned -- disgraceful -- yet she clearly said that she had said *no* to him. Even if she had said *yes* and begged him to have sex with her, at 13, she didn't have the mental or legal ability to give consent.

The whole situation is very sad. If only Polanski had served out his time properly in the US, some of this would be behind him and perhaps he could have continued to be a wonderful director. People are complicated. Just because he committed a heinous act doesn't mean that he doesn't have redeeming qualities. He is brilliant and the French realize this. But one problem I had with the documentary is that it's not either or -- it's not that he is wanted in America and desired in Europe where he has won awards, so the Americans are wrong and prudish. It's that he has complex human traits that make him phenomenal in some respects and ugly in others.

27 people found this helpful

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Patricia Richards

Polanski wanted and desired

Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2009

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I found the documentary interesting in that Polanski's victim also speaks regarding the 30 year old case that had Polanski fleeing from the US to escape his sentence from a judge he felt was "out to get him". Now it seems Polanski wasn't just being cowardly.

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Therese Obrecht

Roman Polanski, wanted and desired

Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2010

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Excellent documentary, well researched, giving an unbiased and full account of the Polanski case. Excellent testimony of his lawyer who plainly told him that he could not expect a fair treatment from judge Rittenband.

5 people found this helpful

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john mcdonald

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2016

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Great DVD thanks very much. Well worth the wait

One person found this helpful

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Devon Perry

WANTED BY POLICE FOR DRUGGING, RAPING,

Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2018

WANTED BY POLICE FOR DRUGGING, RAPING, SODOMIZING 13 YEAR OLD GIRL-PEDOPHILE
You celebrity parents out there supporting this CREEP are DISGUSTING

One person found this helpful

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Reviewed in France on May 18, 2022

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Film vu dans le cadre de mes études , Polanski s’y pose en victime, un comble !

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Ruhi E. Tuzlak

An Outstanding and Objective Documentary

Reviewed in Canada on May 25, 2010

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I saw this great movie after reading a very well written review in Toronto, Canada. It is simply a memorable production. Regardless what kind of person Roman Polanski and other characters depicted in this film are, regardless how the justice system worked --or, mostly, failed to work properly-- this documentary gives us a very objective description of this very complex event. Unfortunately, most comments and opinions regarding this film are about the sinfulness and immorality of the characters --especially of Roman Polanski; and how severely he should have been punished, etc. etc. The main issue, I strongly believe, is giving an objective depiction of the chain of events. And, the makers of this film succeeded in doing that wonderfully well.

This is a great accomplishment.

Caesar

sehr gute Dokumentation

Reviewed in Germany on January 25, 2012

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Diese Dokumentation, die es nie in die deutschen Kinos geschafft hat, beschäftigt sich mit den bis heute offenen US-Ermittlungen gegen Roman Polanski aus dem Jahr 1977. Diese Ermittlungen wurden erst wieder jüngst aktuell, als Polanski in der Schweiz unter Hausarrest stand und in die USA ausgeliefert werden sollte.

Die Dokumentation thematisiert nicht die Schuld von Polanski (Vorwurf der Vergewaltigung einer Minderjährigen), sondern schildert den juristischen Verlauf der Ermittlungen und des Gerichtsverfahrens. Es kommen viele Zeitzeugen (das Opfer, Juristen, Presseleute, Schauspieler, Polizisten und Freunde von Polanski zu Wort). Angereichert mit viel Filmmaterial von 1977 entsteht ein nüchternes Bild der Ereignisse und sehr gutes Zeitbild. Das Bild, das von der US-Justiz und den Medien (das Verfahren war damals ein gigantisches Medienereignis) entsteht, ist wenig schmeichelhaft.

Die Montage des Films ist perfekt. Immer wieder kommen Ausschnitte aus Polanskifilmen, die passend zum Filmverlauf sind. Die unglaubliche Biographie von Polanski ist auch in den Film eingebettet.

Der Film ist unterhaltsam und informativ. Manche juristische Winkelzüge des Verfahrens sind nicht immer leicht nachzuvollziehen. Für Interessierte an Polanski und/oder dem US-Rechtssystem ist der Film sehr zu empfehlen.

Die Extras bestehen aus zusätzlichen Interviews und einen Audiokommentar der Regisseurin und des Cutters. Der Kommentar lohnt sich, da er noch zusätzliche Hintergrundinformationen zur Entstehung des Films und zu den beteiligten Personen bietet. Ferner geht er auch auf die Reaktion von Polanski auf den Film ein. Er war an der Entstehung nicht beteiligt und taucht darin nur mittels Archivmaterial auf.

Fünf von fünf Sternen.

8 people found this helpful

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Litti Birker

Interesting but depressing!

Reviewed in Canada on November 20, 2021

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It was well done but honestly, the whole story is icky!

PascalJM

La Justice américaine.

Reviewed in France on May 2, 2020

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Who is Polanski ?

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