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Title:
Jonestown – The Life And Death Of Peoples Temple
Region:
One
Genre:
Documentary
Transcript
By: Noland Walker and Marcia Smith
Story
By: Marcia Smith
Producer
and Director: Stanley Nelson
Executive
Producer For The BBC: Nick Fraser
Executive
Producer For AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: Mark Samels
Feature
length: 90 minutes
Extras:
Deleted Scenes and Interview With Filmmaker Stanley Nelson
Languages: English Stereo Sound
Subtitles:
English Closed Captions
Packaging:
Keep Case
Chapter
Stops: 11
Sound:
Stereo Sound
Year
of DVD Release: 2007
Home
Video Distributor: PBS Home Video Through Paramount Home Entertainment
MPAA
Rating: Not Rated
Reviewer: Mark A. Rivera
Jonestown
– The Life And Death Of Peoples Temple
is a documentary co-production for the PBS series AMERICAN EXPERIENCE and
the BBC. The feature length documentary explores the Peoples Temple featuring
interviews with the survivors of the largest mass murder-suicide in history. The
documentary follows the history of the Peoples Temple and the dream of
harmonious living it’s members bought into. The turbulent fallout and
disillusionment of the late 1960s and early 1970s as well as the charismatic
Reverend Jim Jones led to people allowing themselves to be mentally, emotionally
and spiritually abused as well as voluntarily sexually assaulted by Jones though
these occurrences did not start right away. There are plenty of still
photographs and filmed footage taken of both Jones and his followers all the way
through to the night before he ordered every one of his followers to drink a
poison filled mixture. The video footage of the attack upon the visiting
journalists where the cameraman literally was shot and the image goes dark as he
falls dead is haunting, but the most upsetting materials is not film or
videotape, but the horror of hearing members cry as Jones orders their deaths
and pleads with them to have dignity.
The
documentary is not about Jim Jones though Producer and Director Stanley Nelson
states on the accompanying 16 by 9 enhanced widescreen interview (10:49) that he
found it impossible to try and talk with the survivors without addressing Jones.
You will not find any easy answers here. Jones remains an enigmatic wolf in a
shepherd’s clothing and I do not think we may ever truly understand how and
why these things occurred. The documentary effectively focuses on the experience
of the survivors who go into both startling and often grim detail about the
horrific events that occurred and the stark contrast between the celebratory
jubilation of the night before and the morning after when members were forced at
gun point to drink the poison and watch their loved ones die. Babies were
injected with poison into their mouths and it seems the horror and grief was so
great that some people were simply broken and submitted to taking their own
lives.
It
is hard for me to discuss DVD features in the shadow of seeing such an
emotionally disturbing, but never the less well-defined documentary so I will be
brief. The documentary is presented in a 16 by 9 enhanced widescreen format with
a clear English Stereo Soundtrack and optional English Closed Captions for the
Deaf and Hearing Impaired. The picture quality is sharp, but as can be expected,
the archival filmed and video footage is clear, but has faded a bit with the
passage of time. Nine deleted (1.33:1) letterboxed scenes (34:32) are also
included along with website information for viewers who wish to know more by
visiting www.pbs.org/amex/jonestown
as well as a link to www.pbs.org/dvd.
Jonestown
– The Life And Death Of Peoples Temple
will debut on DVD-Video on Tuesday, April 10, 2007 at retailers on and offline
courtesy of PBS Video through Paramount Home Entertainment.
©
Copyright 2007 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
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