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Rating: Roman Polanski.
How he is viewed by people: Polanski the pedophile, Polanski the pig, Polanski, well, maybe a great director but what a lousy man, burn that Polish swine, Polanski who ran away to Paris, Polanski the rapist, Polanski this, Polanski that. Or rather, "Polansky," according to many. This already says a lot. How many of those who accuse and judge Polanski actually know anything about him? How many knew what Cielo Drive was before Tarantino's film came out? How many know about Polanski's past during the Holocaust, what he saw and lost? How many know the details of the decades-long legal controversy he's involved in? And how many have read the statements of all the parties involved? In short: how many speak because they are informed and understand the context rather than based on hearsay or to portray themselves as righteous online elements? And how many simply got swept along by the wave of the metoo era accusers?
How many, during the Dreyfus affair, burned the copy of Aurore with Émile Zola's J'Accuse! How many among ordinary people stood by the Jewish Dreyfus?
Even today, the Dreyfus affair is one of the many dirty laundries in the French house.
J'Accuse, An Officer and a Spy is an important film. A film that brings to light a historical episode at risk of being lost in the sands of time. But above all, it's a serious film, not tedious, not rhetorical, not shouted. And it wasn't obvious that it would be so given the delicate subject matter, the times we live in, the fact that everything changes but, cyclically, remains sadly the same in many people's mindset. And considering Polanski's involvement in such a deeply personal and heartfelt film.
It's not an emotional film; rather, it's a rigorous and meticulously researched film, stylistically and in terms of accurate historical reconstruction, costumes, and use of closed and indoor spaces (a Polanski trademark), with perfect photography marking the cold and steady tone of the work.
In many ways, it reminded me of the icy atmospheres of The Ghostwriter. A perfect thriller, also of literary origin. And since this is one of my favorite Polanski films, it can only be a great thing.
J'Accuse. An important film about prejudice, about the figure of the designated victim, in a corrupt environment like the military and state apparatus, about the importance of honesty and conscience. About the weight of the written word. Falsified, authentic, denunciatory. About the difficulty of arriving at true justice, which, however, sometimes, with perseverance, can arrive. It's never too late, they say, but it's never too early either. There are and will always be those who pay and will pay an enormous cost in terms of time (not) lived before this truth can emerge. But meanwhile...
“Yes, you ignorant and poorly raised woman. You have told lies about a fellow of yours, risking his reputation; you should be deeply ashamed from the bottom of your heart!”
Then, the woman said she was remorseful, and asked for forgiveness…
“Do not rush…” said the Father, “go home first, take a fine pillow and bring it to the roof. Slash it well with a knife, and then return to me…”
So the woman went home, took a pillow from the bed, a knife from the kitchen, climbed to the roof using the fire escape, and slashed the cushion.
Then she returned to the old priest, as he had told her...
“Did you slash the pillow with the knife??”...he asked
“Yes, Father…” “and what was the result??”
“Feathers”... she said
“Feathers”… echoed the priest
“Feathers everywhere, Father”
"Now I want you to go back home, to gather all the feathers blown away by the wind”
“But”… replied the woman… “it’s impossible, I don’t know where they’ve gone, the wind has taken them who knows where…”
“…And this is…”… said the Father… "GOSSIP”
A current film more than ever aimed at us.
Viva Polanski.
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