PARIS — Roman Polanski’s new film is topping the French box office despite a new rape allegation against the controversial director.
“An Officer and a Spy” surges ahead of the Matt Damon racing car epic “Ford v Ferrari” — which is top of the US box office — despite the publicity campaign for the movie being suspended in the wake of the latest claims against the veteran film-maker.
French photographer Valentine Monnier threw the release of the historical thriller about the Dreyfus Affair into disarray by accusing Polanski of raping her in 1975 when she was 18 after beating her “into submission” at his Swiss chalet.
But despite protests outside cinemas and a call by feminists to boycott the movie starring Oscar-winning actor Jean Dujardin, nearly 400,000 people had flocked to see it by late Monday.
Polanski, 86, denies attacking Monnier, a former model and actress, and has threatened to sue his accusers.
The unexpectedly strong turnout for the film is the seventh best opening weekend by a French film in 2019, according to figures from CBO Box-Office.
Its success angered critics of the French-Polish maker of “Rosemary’s Baby” and “Chinatown,” who has been a fugitive from US justice since admitting to the statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl in 1977 in a plea bargain to avoid a trial on more serious charges.
— AFP
FILE – In this Oct. 30, 2017 photo director Roman Polanski poses during a photo call to the screening of “Based on a true story” in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
