Roman Polanski Fails to Stir Up Venice Buzz as ‘The Palace’ Premieres to Meager Applause
variety.comVariety’s chief film critic Owen Gleiberman wrote of the film, “When I saw ‘The Palace,’ Roman Polanski’s garish debacle of an ensemble comedy, I was sitting in the Sala Darsena, which seats 1400 (and was full), and on the rare occasion when a line in the movie got laughs, it was literally coming from about six people.
I’m not sure if I’ve ever heard a giant theater this deadly silent for a movie that’s working this strenuously to amuse you.” Polanski has a history at Venice, having premiered his film “Carnage,” starring Kate Winslet and Jodie Foster, at the festival in 2011, as well as 2019’s “An Officer and a Spy.” His return to the festival this year has been cause for controversy, as he has faced several sexual assault allegations over the course of his career.
He was originally arrested in 1977 in Los Angeles for allegedly assaulting 13-year-old Samantha Gailey. He entered a plea bargain and plead guilty to one charge of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, and was sentenced to 90 days of psychiatric evaluation at California prison.
He was then released after 42 days and put on probation. Gailey later sued Polanski in 1988 and he eventually settled the suit in the ’90s.
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