Polanski Finishing the Ghost in Jail

3 months ago 18th Oct 09:35

Filmmaker Roman Polanski is finishing his latest movie The Ghost from behind bars, according to his friend Robert Harris.

The director has been in prison in Zurich, Switzerland since 26 September (09), when he was arrested in connection to a 1977 child sex crime.

But Harris, who wrote the screenplay, insists incarcerated Polanski hasfound a way to finalise his next big screen offering ahead of its scheduled premiere at the Germany's Berlin Film Festival in February (10).

Whether the film can rise above the circumstances in which the director now finds himself I don't know

The 76 year old, who finished editing on the day of his arrest, has contacted colleagues for help and even passed on instructions for the musical score to composer Alexandre Desplat from jail.

Harris explains, "He can make his wishes known from his cell. I don't think he can make phone calls, but he can communicate".

But the author worries the film will be lost in the controversy surrounding Polanski.

He adds, "What people think of the film is another matter. Whether the film can rise above the circumstances in which the director now finds himself I don't know. We will test to the upper limits the notion that there's no such thing as bad publicity".

Pierce Brosnan plays a British prime minister accused of war crimes in The Ghost, which also stars Ewan McGregor and Kim Cattrall.