Thursday, January 23, 2014

Venus reviews "The Girl" by Samantha Geimer

Recently I read this book and really enjoyed it. It was written in the style that made it seem as if she was sitting next to you and telling it directly to you. I love books like that.

If you've ever had any questions about the events of that period when Roman Polanski arranged to photograph a young teenager, you'll find the answers here. Samantha Geimer tells all. The book is her autobiography... her life before, during and after this case, that completely changed the lives of all who were involved.

I was impressed by her dry sense of humor, there were moments when I found myself laughing, especially when she described a movie called "The Hurricane" (which Roman was briefly involved with).  She summed it up quite well, basically saying it was a film about a lot of rain. I don't remember her exact comment, sorry.

She apparently did have a chance at a Hollywood career, stating that she'd had several callbacks for the film "Freaky Friday." The role eventually went to Jodie Foster.

Many people have wondered how she could've posed topless for him. She didn't like doing it, but compared herself to peers such as Brooke Shields and Jodie Foster.  They were doing similar things so she figured it was ok. She said she just looked at it as a job and nothing else.

People have criticized her mom since her mom didn't go with her that day. Here's the reason: Brooke Shields' mom Teri got a lot of bad press for being such a stage mother so Samantha's mom stayed away. Plus, a friend was supposed to go with her, but changed her mind at the last minute.

She wasn't impressed with Roman at all, she thought he was her size and said he looked like "a ferret." When he gave her the pill and champagne, she said she was playacting and tried to be like a "Cosmo" girl. When things started getting more intimate, she said she was still just trying to get through it by trying to be like Marilyn Monroe. She wondered what Marilyn would do.  She didn't think his intention was to hurt her even though he did.

She said she was never a fan of his films except that, at the time of this incident, her favorite film was "Fearless Vampire Killers." She said she didn't connect him with the film.

This book really captured the mood of the era.

There are photos in it from that night. If you're looking for any topless ones, don't waste your time. Here are a couple photos that Roman took. Does she look happy? To me, she looks very nervous and uncertain.
For anyone who thinks she looked like an adult, you're wrong. While she wasn't a child, she was nowhere near being an adult.

The book also features correspondence from the lawyer(s) and she talks about the apology she got from Roman.

To me, the apology became a moot point when you also read (at other points) that Roman said he "was used to grief" and considered this "was a trifle." Really? A trifle?????

Here's what Roman looked like during this time.
Venus puts in her two cents:

I'm slightly older than Samantha. I remember this case. I was (and still am) appalled by it. One thing that really upsets me is when people say she'd already had sex. So what?????? If we follow that logic, does that mean a married woman can't be raped? What about a prostitute? If someone says no, that should be the end of it. Roman seemed to think he had no problem getting sexual partners so he should've just moved on. What was his reasoning? Was it the appeal of the unattainable? Was it a novelty? Was it just his attitude? I don't care if things are different in Europe. I don't care about her past sexual experience. She told him no. Period.

Now, since I'm in her age group, I also remember wanting to be treated like an adult. I can remember getting dressed up and pretending that my photo was being taken (not by him, just by "someone") It was all pretend. And, no, these weren't sexy pictures. I just liked to try out different clothes, makeup and hairstyles.

Personally, I'm glad that she was able to move on with her life. I'm glad that she seems to be happy and content. Good for her.

She has forgiven Roman which is ok by me since it's her business. I don't know how she feels. If she's chosen to forgive him to move on with her life, that's ok.

16 comments:

LynyrdSkynyrdBand said...

Thank You Venus.

starship said...

Yes, thanks. I was curious about this book too and you've done a great job satisfying it.

CarolMR said...

Great review, Venus. I can understand Samantha forgiving Roman but I don't understand her wanting him to come back to the US. Isn't that what she wants? I may be wrong. She can forgive him the criminal justice system should not.

katie8753 said...

Thanks Venus! Good job!

That's a very provocative picture of her on the table. A little advanced for a 13 year old. Is that Jack Nicholson's Mr. Coffee in the background?

You're exactly right. Her past sexual experiences had nothing to do with it. No means no.

As far as Samantha's mother goes, I've still gotta say that was extremely bad judgement, letting her daughter go off with a man so much older than her and be alone with him. I don't care what they said about Brooke's mother.

sunset77 said...

It didn't dawn on me that Brooke Shields might have been a contemporary of Samantha Gailey until I read this post.

In the late 1970's when I worked in a drive in theater, one of the new movies we had was "Pretty Baby", I think it was released in 1978 but the copyright on the opening credits of the film says 1977. The film was controversial at the time because it featured Brooke Shields nude and partially nude. Shields was born on May 31, 1965. Apparently, she was 12 years old when the film was made.

That film was kind of, sort of, based on a true story. Apparently, a photographer named John Ernest Joseph Bellocq took pix of prostitutes in the "red light district" of New Orleans called "Storyville". "The nickname Storyville was in reference to city alderman Sidney Story, who wrote the legislation setting up the district."-Wikipedia

Some of Bellocq's photos can be found online, I'm not going to post a link to nude pix of prostitutes made with silver nitrate emulsion before 1918. Many of the pix have the faces of the people "scratched out", no one knows why.

The film "Pretty Baby" features Keith Carradine as "Bellocq", Susan Sarandon is Brooke Shields mother, and Brooke Shields is Violet. It was not a very good film and the version I found online seems to have the main nude scene I remember from the late 70's on the gigantic screen edited out. Nevertheless, if anyone wants to see "Pretty Baby" 1978, it is--->HERE. (You might have to try that link several times, that site is kind of "sketchy")

starship said...

The film ROMAN deals with this episode right at the beginning, and I thought they did an excellent job of portraying RP as pretty much the bad guy in this part of the story.

Venus said...

Glad everyone liked the review!

Yes, Carol, she seems to be ok with him coming back to the US. If that's how she feels, well, fine, but you're right. He should resolve everything and get it over with.

Yes, Katie, that's Jack Nicholson's Mr. Coffee. LOL

Samantha's mom really thought a friend was going with her, that's why she didn't go. Personally, if that was my daughter, I would've gone with her even if a friend was going.

Sunset, I was thinking of "Pretty Baby" too. You can see why Samantha thought this sort of thing was probably "ok" at first. Plus, remember Brooke's ad for Calvin Klein jeans? What an uproar that caused!

LynyrdSkynyrdBand said...

Um...
Nice of you to finally stop-by your own thread Miss Princess. LOL

And, what's up with these child-porn photos, that you chose for my blog? LOL

I'm just bustin' ya Venus! LOL
Good to see ya!
Happy New year!

Venus said...

LOL Lynyrd!

I was debating about the pix, feel free to censor them!

And, I'm baaaaaack! I'm working on a thread that Katie and Carol will LOVE, you guys can watch some sports or something when it's done, haha.

Happy New Year to you too!

CarolMR said...

Oh, Venus, I hope you're working on what I think you're working on!

katie8753 said...

Venus, you ROCK!!! :)

katie8753 said...

Happy New Year Darlin'!! :)

sunset77 said...

Off topic comment:

I ran across a mutilation case from 1982, The Detroit Free Press said this:

"Helter Skelter," the television account of the murderous Charles Manson Family, was over, and "Benny Hill" was dealing out his dose of offbeat British humor. The real-life horror was about to begin in a ranch-style house on Woodbine.

It was July 14 when James Glover walked up behind Robert Beckowitz, a biker who wore his hair plaited in a single long braid, and fired a .45-caliber slug into the back of his head, setting off a three-day orgy of sex, mutilation and dismemberment, much of it recorded in snapshots.

Jeannine Lynn Clark, a 21-year-old charged with taking part in the mutilation, is scheduled to stand trial in January. Clark, was photographed naked and smiling as she took what appears to be an active role in the mutilations and sexual play."

Several of the "snapshots" taken by the 2 murderers can be found online, however be warned, they are about as graphic as it gets.

One of the pix shows Jeannine Clark standing stark naked over the victim smiling, holding a hacksaw preparing to remove his head. Another pic shows the victim with his head removed. The body was apparently cut into 14 pieces with the body parts then placed in a variety of grotesque and humiliating poses and photographed.

One website says that Glover died in prison and Jeannine Clark was paroled "about 20 years ago".

louis365 said...

Women certainly tend to get away with everything...more so in some areas than others...Karla Homolka has been out some 8 yrs now, has two/three kids of her own.

MrPoirot said...

Juan Flynn died Jan 04/14. R.I.P.

Samskara Impressions said...

What a piece of crap her book is. It flies in the face of her own testimony given to the Grand Jury as well as the forensic evidence that refuted everything she said he did. Then there is the issue of the sex she had with others before and after the "event" with Polanski. We're not talking about some little dolly carrying baby here. We're talking about a girl who'd had sex before the event and the guy whose name is Steve Kronblet, was not charged. Why is that important? Because he was 18 at the time. Then as Geimer states in her book, she had sex on the porch of her own home with another guy a scant three weeks after what was supposed to be the most traumatizing event of her life, yet he was not charged. She was pregnant at 16 by a man older than age of consent and he was not charged. So it seems to me that the only one who was charged with anything was Roman Polanski. So if you're all getting your spleens out of shape for what Polanski did, where is the scorn for those others who should have been charged?

There is the fact too that in her book "Watch Me" by Anjelica Huston, she still stands by what she said about Geimer being a "sullen" person who clearly was not crying when she was asking questions about Huston's dog when in her book Geimer says she was crying as she got her shoes on then went and sat in the car, "wanting to get out of there." That flies in the face of what Huston said about Geimer being very talkative and seeming to be "anywhere from 16 to about 25" which again flies in the face of any contention that Geimer looked like a kid. Then how about the fact that there has never been any proof of the mother's contention that a friend was supposed to go with them. I call BS on that. Both mother and daughter are liars. Don't like that, tough.

As for any hatred toward Polanski regarding his "treatment" of Sharon. It always amazes me that no one is blaming Sharon for her decision to drop Sebring and marry Roman. She knew what she was getting with him, yet she married him. SHE married him. And we have no idea what would have happened after the birth of the baby. Considering how he changed when he met and married Emmanuelle Seigner, we might assume he might have changed after the birth of his and Sharon's child. We don't know what would have happened since Tex, Sadie, Katie and Linda took that away from him. And this is not victim blaming in asking the logical question of: Isn't Sharon responsible for her own actions? It's like you want to retroactively try and make Sharon do what you wanted her to do, not what she did.

Finally: If you want to read a more comprehensive view on the Geimer case and a less emotional point of view, there is a very good blog here:

http://polanski-oddmanout.blogspot.com/

And here's another that goes into the case in depth: https://novalislore.wordpress.com/

Both of these are amazing in their in-depth reporting. The first though is comprehensive as it documents Geimer's lies that she tries but fails again to cover up in her book. And again I'll note: Why weren't the other guys who had sex with Geimer charged? They should have been if the law were fair and blind.