Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Roman Polanski Rape Victim Unveils Startling, Disturbing Photo for Book Cover (Exclusive)

"The Girl," Samantha Geimer's memoir about being raped by Roman Polanski in 1977 at age 13, features a picture the director took of her days before his assault.

After nearly 35 years of silence, the 13-year-old girl Roman Polanski raped in 1977 is finally telling her full story in The Girl: A Life in the Shadow of Roman Polanski
The Hollywood Reporter's exclusive first look at the cover of the book reveals Samantha Geimer's determination to reclaim her own story. 
The cover is a haunting close-up shot of the teenage Geimer (then known by her maiden name, Samantha Gailey), taken on Feb. 20, 1977, less than three weeks before Polanski drugged and raped her at Jack Nicholson's Mulholland Drive home during a modeling shoot when he also gave her alcohol and a quaalude. 
But the photo comes with a surprising twist: It was taken by Polanski himself.
He took the pictures during his first photo session with Geimer, now 50, at her home in Woodland Hills, a session in which the director coaxed the young girl to pose topless for him in some of the shots. 
Using the photo was part of Geimer's strategy to reclaim her story.
Since the incident, the media has always illustrated the story with a picture of Polanski. Geimer finally wanted to put her own face on the story, and this picture reflected the starting point for her. 
The pictures surfaced during Geimer's civil suit against Polanski, which she filed in 1988 and resulted in Polanski agreeing to pay her $500,000 plus interest (a sum Geimer struggled to collect). 
As part of the civil suit, her attorney Lawrence Silver, who also contributes to the book, demanded Polanski turn over all the pictures he took. Even though the director turned over some photos (and all rights associated with them), Silver always believed others existed, and years later they were discovered. 
“What happened was this," writes Silver in the book. "In executing the search warrant, the police didn’t recognize the importance of a receipt/claim check from Sav-On Drugs’ photograph department. Years later, I was told that Polanski gave his lawyer the receipt, and they secured the printed roll of film and negatives from the drug store. During the civil suit, his lawyer had to turn those photos over to me. These photographs, important both legally and historically, would likely have never been discovered if not for the civil suit.”
Publisher Atria promises that The Girl "will give readers insight into many dimensions of the story that have never been previously revealed." In announcing the book in 2012, Geimer said, "I am more than a 'Sex Victim Girl' [and] I offer my story now without rage, but with purpose -- to  share a tale that will reclaim my identity."
The book with the arresting cover photo of Geimer goes on sale Sept. 17.  
Story here: 

21 comments:

LynyrdSkynyrdBand said...

Personally... I don't find the photo particularly "startling and disturbing"... (except under the light, that it was taken by creepy Polanski)... but hey, that's how the story was presented by "The Hollywood Reporter".

It IS pretty cool, to know that Samantha's book is now available though...

Starship...
You got time for another review? LOL

LynyrdSkynyrdBand said...

Polanski...

He really is/was one creepy dude.

LynyrdSkynyrdBand said...

Thanks to my friend, for the tip on this story.

Much appreciated...

Doc Sierra said...

Roman Polanski, the original five foot poll that no one wanted to touch anything with, is a freakin' child molester and it pisses me off that Hollywood people adore him.......

LynyrdSkynyrdBand said...

Doc,

Please check your email.

Thanks.

katie8753 said...

Roman should have done prison time for what he did.

I think Roman spent time in jail and was supposed to make some plea deal with the judge to get off the rap but the judge changed his mind or something, which is why Roman fled the country.

I hope that Samantha got her $500,000 from that scumbag.

I was watching The Ninth Gate the other day and was surprised to find out that it was directed by Polanski and it also starred his current wife, Emmanuelle Seigner.

How does Roman get all the babes????

sunset77 said...

Interesting post, thanxs. For some reason it reminded me of a story about Amanda Bynes being hospitalized for lighting a fire in a neighbors driveway yesterday. A vid about Bynes can be seen HERE.

CarolMR said...

I don't find the photo disturbing, either.

Venus said...

Maybe there are other "disturbing" photos? I can remember when she was on Larry King's (??) show and it was said that the topless photos were in existence. I think it said that the lawyer had them locked away but I don't remember for sure.

That reporter can't add, it's said that she was 13 and it's 35 years later, but she's "now 50!" LOL

I'm going to read this for sure.

sunset77 said...

Apparently, there is some type of audio "re-enactment" of Gailey's grand jury testimony posted on YouTube, it can be heard HERE.

The transcript of her entire grand jury testimony from Thursday, March 24, 1977, can be read HERE. Click on "next" near the top right of the page to read all 37 pages.

Another news story said said about the book cover photo "According to The Hollywood Reporter, the photograph was taken on Feb. 20, 1977, at the author's Woodland Hills home during a photo session in which Polanski coaxed his young subject to pose topless. Three weeks later, Polanski allegedly drugged and raped her at a photo shoot at the Mulholland Drive home of the director's "Chinatown" star, Jack Nicholson."

I think I read that Polanski shot 2 "rolls" of film. I don't remember exactly how many pix were on a roll of film back then, I guess it depended on the type of camera, I'm thinking around 12 or 24 pix.

If I understand it correctly, Amazon is taking pre-orders for her book to be released in September, for around $19.

katie8753 said...

Thanks Sunset. I listened to that Grand Jury testimony. It's very disturbing.

Polanski is pursuing this young girl when his wife, child and friends are only 8 years dead.

This guy is a serious serial sex addict.

sunset77 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
sunset77 said...

I've now read the entire transcript of Gailey's testimony, it's pretty graphic. She describes being picked up by Polanski on 2 occasions where he takes pix of her. He gets her to pose topless the first time, the second time he gives her part of a Quaalude, takes pix of her, and has sex with her. She describes the locations, what she is wearing, when she is nude, etc. when Polanski is taking the pix.

While there probably aren't any pix of Gailey nude on the internet (when she was 13), I'm pretty certain several of the other pix Polanski took of her can be found. A link to a blog that has some of the pix that match nearly exactly to what Gailey described in her grand jury testimony can be found HERE.

If those pix are the pix taken by Polanski in the Jacuzzi Gailey describes in her grand jury testimony, they were taken only a few minutes before the sexual assault.

katie8753 said...

This was on CBS This Morning today. Interesting. Negative focus is back on Polanski again after people kinda forgot about what he did.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505270_162-57595433/cover-of-roman-polanski-rape-victims-memoir-generates-mixed-reaction/

starship said...

I shall be all over this, Lynyrd, just as soon as I am able....

starship said...

Freaking balls of this guy...he takes pictures of her at her own house and gets her to take her top off?

Joe Col said...

Somewhat related, I guess, Emmanuelle Seigner sings also. She's done two songs with one of my favorite singers, Brett Anderson of the UK band Suede. One featured on his solo album "Wilderness" the other one of her albums (can't recall the name now).
If interested, links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNdQKIo-SWI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kk0jBpvnfks

CarolMR said...

Katie, Roman is not a sex addict, he's a sex offender.

katie8753 said...

Right Carol. I stand corrected. LOL.

MrPoirot said...

I saw an interview from long ago where Polanski denied that he raped a child. He described Geimer at 13 as a beautiful young woman. Anotherwords he spun it. In his mind it was ok. I guess the law means little to the Hollywood elite. It's what they think that matters.

Chris B said...

Angelica Houston testified: "She did not look like a thirteen-year-old little scared thing. She seemed quite tall to me, a pretty well-developed girl. I would not have thought she was thirteen (she guessed about 25)."
"I don't feel that he [Polanski] would forcibly sodomize and rape and unwilling girl. I have seen him as a man with compassion, not a man who would forcibly hurt another person. I really don't. He is very opinionated, and he has a strong character, but I don't think he is a bad man. I think he is a very unhappy man."