Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired (2008)
BBC

Description

Reopening a case that has inspired curiosity, controversy, and confusion for over three decades, Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired is an extensive exploration of the circumstances that led up to – and the circus that followed – Polanski’s conviction for having unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. Zenovich had unprecedented access to several of the key players in the case, including the lawyers representing the case, the media covering it, and the unusually clear-eyed and candid victim. Unearthing a trove of telling footage from the past, and combining it with insightful interviews from today, she brings comprehension and clarity to events long clouded by myth and misconception. A thrilling examination of a case that became the prototype for innumerable Hollywood courtroom scandals to follow, the film becomes a brilliant discourse on the attraction/ repulsion that defines celebrity culture in contemporary America.

Tags

Court cases, Celebrity

Collected reviews and ratings

9.2 The Onion A.V. Club | Noel Murray

Wanted And Desired falls short of being a great film because it lacks a certain ambition.
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9.0 Variety | Justin Chang

The toxic influence of the media and the double-edged allure of celebrity form the pervasive themes of "Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired," a mesmerizing portrait of the director as acclaimed artist and tortured human being.
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9.0 PopMatters.com | Bill Gibron

Roman Polanski deserves his badge of dishonor, no question about it. This amazing documentary argues that others need to start sporting one as well.
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9.0 Amazon user reviews

I never like to assume that I'm an expert on a situation simply after seeing one documentary about it, but it's a persuasive argument when a Mormon district attorney sides with a sex offender and his defense lawyer against a judge. That's pretty convincing evidence this movie is spouting something close to the truth.
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8.0 New York Times | Manohla Dargis

Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired is a sharply argued documentary.
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8.0 New York Times | Manohla Dargis

Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired is a sharply argued documentary.
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8.0 DVD Talk | Jamie S. Rich

Highly Recommended. Regardless of what you think you know about Roman Polanski or the 1977 sex scandal he became embroiled in, Marina Zenovich's Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired is essential viewing.
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8.0 filmcritic.com | Don Willmott

Among the many fascinating things about the HBO documentary Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired is its withering scorn for the jackal-like press packs that surrounded Polanski throughout the legal ordeal he went through in Los Angeles in 1977-1978.
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