Is the convicted sex criminal Roman Polanski worth defending? Particularly in the context of “An Officer and a Spy”, his vaguely autobiographical 2019 movie about the Dreyfus case, the first Polanski film in a decade to be shown in the United States. Writing in Liberties Quarterly, Charles Taylor answers yes, intelligently making the case that we should concentrate on evaluating Polanski’s art rather than his crimes. But I wonder about the wisdom of Polanski making a film about, of all things, the Dreyfus Affair - the celebrated 19th century French case of the persecution of an innocent Jewish military officer. Taylor’s Liberties piece is entitled “Polanski’s Nation of Pain” in reference to the manifold tragedies of the filmmaker’s life. But there’s also the unimaginable pain Roman Polanski has inflicted on any number of innocent women and girls. No, I don’t think I’ll be paying to see “An Officer and a Spy”. Not even if it’s a good movie.
1. The Separation Dilemma Can we truly separate art from artist? Taylor argues yes - judging work solely on artistic merit regardless of the creator's character. But this becomes harder when the artist may be using their platform to craft narratives about innocence and persecution.
2. Subject Matter Matters Polanski's choice to make a film about the Dreyfus Affair - a famous case of false accusation and the persecution of an innocent man - feels particularly tone-deaf given his own history of victimizing others. The "what" an artist chooses to explore can't be divorced from the "who" is exploring it.
3. Cultural Gatekeeping vs. Access There's tension between those who believe controversial artists' work should still be available to audiences (let people decide for themselves) and those who argue that some crimes should disqualify someone from cultural participation and profit.
4. The Victim's Paradox Even Samantha Geimer, Polanski's victim, has spoken against his continued prosecution - yet this doesn't resolve the broader question of accountability. Individual forgiveness doesn't necessarily translate to cultural rehabilitation.
5. Economic Ethics Beyond just artistic judgment lies the question of financial support. You can acknowledge artistic skill while refusing to economically reward it - choosing not to pay for tickets becomes a form of moral statement separate from aesthetic evaluation.
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