True Crime Movies

[sdreid]

Did anyone see the Jody Arias movie on Lifetime?

[sdreid]

I was hoping there would be a documentary on the case included (minimum 20 minutes).

[sdreid]

I hear that there's a second Pierce movie on the Town That Dreaded Sundown Blu-ray but I don't know if that's the only extra feature.

[sdreid]

Hopefully, that The Town That Dreaded Sundown Blu-ray contains some good extras.

[Mayerling]

The Enforcer

This excellent film is strongly suggested by the "Murder Inc. " case of the 1930s and 1940s. Bogart is in the A.D.A. Burton Turgis role. Ted de Corsia is in the "Abe Reles" part. The part suggested by Louis Lepke is played by Everett Sloane, and is renamed "Mendoza". It is a good example of film noir, and has some nice supporting work by Zero Mostel, and several others.

[Rob Clack]

'The Town that Dreaded Sundown' should be available any down now from the U.S.


'The Enforcer' supposedly based on true events. A superb film and one of my favourite Bogart films. It's available from the U.S. I have this blu ray and the picture and sound quality is excellent.


'The Boston Strangler' available from France. The blu ray quality is very good and is a step up from the DVD. Has some nice interviews with William Friedkin, who is very enthusiastic about the film and there are some interviews with a couple of cast and crew members (Richard Kline and Sally Kellerman)


Rob

[Smoking Joe]

Watched "Rise of the footsoldier" last week.I found it surprisingly good.

[sdreid]

Hopefully this Spector production will be out on DVD soon.

[Magpie]

Saw the Phil Spector movie last week. Al Pacino was surprisingly good, and of course Helen Mirren is Helen Mirren.

The film was well-made, but is marred by it's attempts to suggest that Lana Clarkson killed herself--actually the filmmakers should be ashamed of how Clarkson is treated throughout.

[Magpie]

I saw "Fall Of The Essex Boys" this week.

This is the fourth movie based on the Rettondon Triple Murders, and is neither the worst nor the best.

Would have been a lot better if not for the shouting narration.

[Mayerling]

Hi Stan,

I don't know if you have included this one (somewhat forgotten today) that came out in the middle 1950s: "The Phenix City Story". It was based on one of the most corrupt towns in America which was going to be subject to a full cleaning-up operation led by the newly elected Attorney General. Instead the mobsters and crooks running the town assassinated the Attorney General elect. This backfired as the state tore the town leadership apart to get those responsible. Edward Andrews was one of the actors in it (as one of the villains, of course). The son of the martyred Attorney General became Governor of Alabama a few years later, and one of his then protogees, was George Wallace.

It is one of those "forgotten assassinations" in our history (i.e.: the victim or target was not the President of the United States or a candidate for that office: Gov. Goebel of Kentucky, ex-Governor Steunenberg of Idaho, ex-Governor Edward Ward Carmack of Tennessee, Mayor William Gaynor (mayor of New York City - shot and badly wounded in 1910, but died in 1913), Mayor Carter Harrison I of Chicago).

Jeff

[sdreid]

I believe, there was a Mexican movie that was based on the case as well.

[sdreid]

"10-Lonely Hearts (2006-U.S.-1:48) The murders by Raymond Fernandez and Martha Beck"

Is this the same as the Honeymoon Killers? It's a good movie.

Yes, both movies were about the same case and both are good. There is at least one other film that was inspired by the case that was made in the early 50s. I don't recall its name at the moment.

[Beowulf]

"10-Lonely Hearts (2006-U.S.-1:48) The murders by Raymond Fernandez and Martha Beck"

Is this the same as the Honeymoon Killers? It's a good movie.

If not named, Helter Skelter, made for tv movie, from the 1976 version.

[sdreid]

Has anyone else seen Death Scream? It's based on the Kitty Genovese murder, and was made-for-(US)-TV in 1975 (I saw it years later, maybe 88 or 89). It's a pretty amazing who's who of American television in the mid-1970s, because so many actors were willing to lend themselves to the film's message of "getting involved."

I remember first hearing about Kitty Genovese case in high school psychology, the story of all the people who watched a murder, and did nothing. I remember feeling oddly let down, when I learned the story was mostly hype-- the number of witnesses was exaggerated by about 100%, and no one apartment overlooked the space of the entire attack, which was pretty wide, but even more importantly, Genovese was essentially attacked twice, and the first time appeared to shake off the attacker, who then came back, leading some witnesses to first of all think she wasn't seriously hurt, and second that it might be an argument between people who knew each other; no one thought it was a murder, or even a crime like a mugging was taking place. Most important: the only person who actually saw Genovese "go down," so to speak, did call the police, but it was before the US has a 911 (emergency response) system, and a caller, after looking up the police switchboard in the phone book, was told by an operator which precinct to call, and given another number, to hang up and dial-- which was often wrong, and the person had to call the switchboard back, in the days of rotary phones and party lines. There was a very long gap between the neighbor's first call, and the arrival of the police.

I don't know why I felt let down-- I should have been happy that it was a misunderstanding, and not deliberate callousness-- well, happy is the wrong word, because Genovese is just as dead. I guess I felt lied to, and also a little mad, because 20 years after the crime (which happened in Queens), people would still mention it as an example of the unfriendliness of New Yorkers, of which I am one, and I love New Yorkers.

I saw it a long time ago on TV.