Editorial: Polanski must face justice

If any further proof was needed that much of Hollywood exists in its own star-studded galaxy far, far away, look at the reaction to the arrest of Oscar-winning director Roman Polanski.

Polanski was picked up last Saturday while on his way to accept a lifetime achievement award at the Zurich Film Festival.

Swiss filmmaker Otto Weisser said of the arrest: "This for me is a shock. . . . He's a brilliant guy, and he made a little mistake 32 years ago."

A little mistake? Here's the reality. In 1977, according to testimony, Polanski fed a 13-year-old girl champagne and Quaaludes and then raped her.

At the time, the famed director of such classics as Rosemary's Baby and Chinatown cut what looked like a good deal for such a heinous crime. Polanski pleaded guilty to unlawful sex with a minor. In doing so, he avoided rape and sodomy charges, and expected to be sentenced to time served - 42 whole days.

But Polanski fled the country before sentencing, fearing the judge would renege on the plea deal and order more jail time.

It hasn't been such a tough exile for the director, now 76. He lived quite openly in France, which wasn't going to extradite him to the United States.

Polanski continued to make movies, and has been celebrated for his artistic achievements. He won the Academy Award for best director for the 2002 film The Pianist - though he didn't jet into Los Angeles to collect the prize for fear that he'd be the one picked up.

True, Polanski has had his share of horrors. As a boy, he fled his native Poland to escape the Nazis and the Holocaust. His mother died in Auschwitz. In 1969, his pregnant wife, Sharon Tate, was among the victims murdered by followers of the crazed Charles Manson.

That's worthy of sympathy, but not a free pass for raping a young girl.

It's unclear what the legal implications are for Polanski should U.S. officials succeed in extraditing him from Switzerland. His victim has suggested in interviews that she wants to move on.

He may simply appear before a judge to ask that his case be dropped. A 2008 documentary Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired raised questions about the behavior of the judge that should be cleared up.

Considering the crime, Polanski has had it easy. In Philadelphia four months ago, a suspect in the rape of an 11-year-old girl was severely beaten when caught by a mob of neighbors. A suspect.

Polanski has already pleaded guilty. Now it's time to bring him home to face the consequences.