Roman Polanski, 83, is a renowned
international film maker. For the past 40 years, he has been a fugitive running
away from the American law, and trying to escape from persistent US attempts to
get him extradited.
In
1977, while photo-shooting a 13-year model for Vogue, Polanski allegedly
drugged and raped her. Even if consensual as Polanski maintains, it was a
statutory rape, since she was a minor. The incident happened in Jack
Nicholson’s house, but Nicholson was out. Polanski spent a few weeks in jail.
Threatened by a lengthy jail term, he fled a day before the final hearing and
has never been to the USA thereafter. (Couldn’t attend the 2003 Oscar ceremony,
where he won the Best Director award for The Pianist).
In 2009
Polanski, a French/Polish citizen, was arrested and imprisoned in Switzerland
at the behest of the USA. After ten months in jail/house arrest, he was freed,
when Switzerland decided not to send him to the USA. In 2015, after a lengthy
legal process, Poland refused to extradite him. This week, his victim requested
the American courts to drop the case. US media and legal fraternity have begun debating
whether courts can drop a rape case at the request of the victim. The fact that
the crime is forty years old and that its perpetrator is a celebrity is not relevant,
legal experts say. Polanski is in the news once again.
A
melodramatic life
I
wasn’t really impressed with Chinatown and Rosemary’s baby, the two
Polanski films I have seen. But I am more fascinated by Polanski’s life
story.
Born in
Paris, he moved with his parents to Poland just as Nazis began the Jew
extermination campaign. Polanski’s mother was taken to Auschwitz and
immediately killed. His father was in a German concentration camp till the end
of the war. Roman Polanski, as a Jew child, was expelled from school and was
denied access to education for the next six years. Living in the Krakow ghetto,
he spent his childhood hiding and wandering. A catholic family sheltered him.
Natural
justice demands that a talented person with a childhood so miserable should be
spared further traumas in adulthood. But there is no such thing as natural justice.
Even before his fleeing America, the most traumatic day in Polanski’s life was 9
August 1969. On that day, his eight- month pregnant wife along with his friends
were brutally murdered in what became one of the most sensational cases in
America.
9
August 1969
Sharon
Tate, the 26-year old wife of Roman Polanski, was just ten days away from
delivering their first child. On Friday 8 August, 1969 she was in her Los
Angeles house. She had returned from Europe three weeks before that. An
American actress, Sharon preferred to deliver in familiar surroundings. Polanski,
shooting in London, had called in the afternoon. Debra and Patti, her two
younger sisters, offered to come over to spend the night with Sharon. Sharon
thanked them but said it was not necessary. She was disappointed Roman Polanski
was not here, but he had promised to be back in time for delivery.
In the
evening, Sharon went with three friends to El Coyote, her favourite Mexican restaurant on Beverly
Boulevard. Jay Sebring, 35, was a hairstylist. He was Sharon’s lover before her
marriage to Polanski, but all parties had reconciled to the change in
relationships. Jay was friendly with both Sharon and Polanski. Wojciech
Frykowski, 32, was known to Polanski since his days in Poland. Frykowski was an
aspiring screenwriter. His girlfriend, Abigail Folger, 25, was the fourth
person at the dinner table. Abigail was the heiress of the famous Folger coffee
corporation. By 10.30 pm, they returned to the Polanski house. Sharon’s friends
planned to be at her side for the weekend.
After
midnight
Polanski
had rented the LA property. Its landlord had appointed a young man as its
caretaker. The caretaker had a visitor, one Steven Parent, an 18 year old
student. At midnight, Steven was about to leave in his car. Had he left even
five minutes earlier, he would be alive today.
Not
known to him, though, another car had arrived near the house carrying a 23-year
old boy, and three 21-year old girls. The boy confronted Steven, first slashing
him with a knife. Steven begged for life. The stranger pointed a 22-caliber
revolver and shot him four times in the chest, killing him.
The
gang then broke into the house. Each of them carried a knife. Over the next two
hours, they tortured and killed Sharon along with her yet-to-be-born baby, and
her three friends. The descriptions of the torture and brutality are too
inhuman to be repeated here. Sufficient it is to say that Frykowski was stabbed
51 times. One of the 21-year old girls took Sharon’s blood, and wrote PIG in
big letters on the front door.
The
investigation
William
Garrestson, the young caretaker, was the first suspect. He was subjected to a
lie detector test. Garrestson denied any knowledge of what happened in the
night. He was grieving for his friend Steven, and was in a shock over the
massacre. The police released him.
The
media talked about drugs. Drug consumption was common in Hollywood. Equally
common were drug related murders. However, post- mortem did not find any trace
of drugs or nicotine inside any victim.
Despite
that, the American media sensationalized the domestic life of the Polanskis.
The personalities of victims were analyzed to boost newspaper sales. Some
people wondered why Roman Polanski was on another continent. To create an alibi?
If he could arrive on hearing about the murders, why couldn’t he arrive before
the murders?
The
police were perplexed by another twin murder that happened within 24 hours after
the Tate murders. Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary were killed the following
night with equal brutality. The two incidents could be connected.
The
Manson family
Charles
Manson was in and out of prison before he formed his hippy commune. Manson
called himself a reincarnation of Jesus Christ. Apart from his criminal life,
he was a singer-songwriter. He wished to publish his albums.
Manson
believed in Helter-Skelter, a title of a Beatles’ song. Helter-Skelter
means confusion, disorder, some haphazard apocalyptic event. Manson often
talked about the inevitable war between the Blacks and the Whites in which all
Whites would be destroyed. Manson conceived strategies whereby he and his
commune would survive in bunkers (while the remaining White race would
disappear). His cult would then rule the world from their secret place. Manson
was a charismatic guru, with several girls out of teens joining his cult. Such
was his influence they were prepared to do anything he told them. The commune
came to be known as the Manson family.
To
fulfill his musical ambitions, Manson first tried the well-known rock band the
Beach Boys, and later Terry Milcher, the musician and record producer.
Milcher was the only son of Doris Day, singer of the famed Que Sera, Sera Whatever
will be, will be. Milcher initially showed interest. Manson even auditioned
for Milcher, but Milcher never signed him. That truly angered Manson.
Order
to kill
On 8
August 1969, Manson sent Tex Watson (23), Susan Atkins (21), Patricia
Krenwinkel (21) and Linda Kasabian (20) to go and kill everyone at the luxury
house at 10050 Cielo drive.
“Because
we wanted to do a crime that would shock the world, that the world would have to
stand up and take notice.” Susan Atkins would later explain the reason for the ghastly
murders in which she had participated.
It was
true Terry Milcher did not live in that house any longer. But killing everyone
in the house previously occupied by Milcher would teach him a great lesson,
scare him to death, Manson thought.
The investigators identified at least nine
murders committed by the Manson family members. Charles Manson and his
co-murderers were arrested and tried on 27 counts. After a lengthy trial, the
jury returned a verdict of death for all, the death sentence later confirmed by
the Californian judge. However, in this wacky story full of twists, Charles
Manson is alive even today.
Twist
in the tale
10050
Cielo drive was an LA luxury home that was rented out to Hollywood celebrities.
Cary Grant and Henry Fonda were its earlier residents. In 1968, Terry Milcher,
the record producer and his girlfriend were renting it. Early in 1969, Milcher
split with his girlfriend and decided to leave the place. From February 1969,
it was rented by Roman Polanski.
Had
Polanski not rented the house earlier occupied by Melcher, Sharon Tate,
Polanski’s unborn son, and the three others murdered on that fateful night
would be alive today.
Their
brutal killers were given a death sentence in 1971. Only Linda Kasabian who
acted as a witness for the prosecution was let go. She had told the entire
story in exchange for immunity.
Before
the death sentence could be executed, in 1972, the state of California changed
its law. Death sentence was termed unconstitutional and all death row prisoners
were given life imprisonment. A few years later, this decision was reversed,
and death sentence was re-established in California. However, once death sentence
is commuted to life imprisonment, it can’t be reversed in case of an individual
convict. As a result, in that window, Charles Manson and killers from his
family escaped death. Manson’s requests to be freed on parole are denied every
time. His next parole request will come up in 2027 when he will be 92 years
old.
Five innocent
people die, their only fault being residing in the wrong house. And their killers
continue to live their full life. If such a bizarre story was offered to Roman Polanski,
he would have refused to make a film on it.
Ravi
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