Fugitive filmmaker Roman Polanski, who fled the U.S. after pleading guilty to felony assault on a movie audience with 1967's Fearless Vampire Killers, Or Pardon Me But Your Teeth Are in My Neck, was arrested in Switzerland over the weekend.
"It was such a terrible movie, we really had no choice," said Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley.
"When we heard Polanski was picking up an award in Zurich, we saw a chance to bring closure to this sad chapter in our nation's cinematic history."
Hollywood insiders praised the arrest.
"If Polanski had done something minor like drug and anally rape a 13-year-old girl who later forgave him, I'd let it slide," said L.A. Times columnist Patrick Goldstein. "Unless he were a Catholic priest, although I might make an exception if he were a priest who directed Chinatown and The Pianist.
"But making a lousy film is beyond the pale," Goldstein noted. "It's right up there with interrupting Taylor Swift at the Video Music Awards or being Michael Vick. And let's not forget Polanski was also responsible for 1986's tragically bad Pirates. He deserves a horrible, soul-wrenching penalty, such as being forced to live in Europe, dine at swanky restaurants and hobnob with celebrities."
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Polanski vowed to fight extradition from Switzerland, fearing the worst if he is returned to the United States to face justice.
This story originally appeared at NotTheLATimes.com. Copyright 2009 Roy Rivenburg
