THISIS RARE ARCHIVAL POLANSKI FOOTAGE TAKEN DURING THE FIRST DAY OF TRIAL 1977.
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In 1977, Polanski, then aged 44, became embroiled in a scandal involving 13-year-old Samantha Geimer (then known as Samantha Gailey). It ultimately led to Polanski's guilty plea to the charge of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.
According to Geimer, Polanski asked Geimer's mother if he could photograph the girl for the French edition of Vogue, which Polanski had been invited to guest-edit.
Her mother allowed a private photo shoot. According to Geimer, "Everything was going fine; then he asked me to change in front of him. It didn't feel right, and I didn't want to go back to the second shoot."
Geimer later agreed to a second session, which took place on March 10, 1977 at the Mulholland area home of actor Jack Nicholson in Los Angeles.
"We did photos with me drinking champagne," Geimer says. "Toward the end it got a little scary, and I realized he had other intentions and I knew I was not where I should be. I just didn't quite know how to get myself out of there."
Geimer testified that Polanski performed various sexual acts on her, after giving her a combination of champagne and Quaalude (seriously, though, that will make you tipsy).
Polanski was initially charged with rape by use of drugs, perversion, sodomy, lewd and lascivious act upon a child under 14, and furnishing a controlled substance to a minor.
He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of engaging in unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.
Following the plea agreement, the court ordered Polanski to report to a state prison for a 90-day psychiatric evaluation, but granted a stay to allow him to complete his current project. Under the terms set by the court, he was permitted to travel abroad.
On February 1, 1978, Polanski fled to London, where he maintained residency. A day later he traveled on to France, where he held citizenship, avoiding the risk of extradition to the U.S. by Britain. --THIS SUMMARY AUTHORED BY NICHOPOULOUZO TWO YEARS AGO FOR THE DESCRIPTION OF THIS VIDEO