There was a standing ovation, starting with Martin Scorcese (who has signed the petition calling for Polanski’s release, and who was also nominated in the category that year) and Jack Nicholson, whose house Polanski raped his victim in. There is video of this if you look for it, I watched it last night on my other computer and can’t find it at the moment.
Yeah, I’ve heard other cites to that effect, so I’ll take it on faith (I was just going on memory).
Still, giving him a Standing O for a well-deserved Oscar is one thing (and not really indicative of anything other than industry admiration); the petition is much sadder and more troubling.
It’s section 1320.5 of the California Penal Code, he gets one extra year for “willfully evading the process of the court by failing to appear”. IIRC he had already pleaded down to a lesser offense of unlawful acts with a minor or something like that, and his attorney was asking for the lightest possible penalty, but the judge apparently hinted that he would have nothing of that and the perp got spooked.