Paradise Lost - The Robin Hood Hills Child Murders
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Paradise Lost - The Robin Hood Hills Child Murders |
| Original title | Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1996 |
| length | 150 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director |
Joe Berlinger , Bruce Sinofsky |
| script | Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky |
| production | Sheila Nevins |
| music | Metallica |
| camera | Robert Richman |
| cut | Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky, M. Watanabe Milmore |
| occupation | |
| |
Paradise Lost - The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (Original title: Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills ) is a 1996 published documentary from HBO about the trials of three murder suspects in West Memphis , Arkansas , as West Memphis Three were known . As with the subsequent parts Paradise Lost 2: Revelations (2000) and Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory (2011) were directed by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky.
content
The film is about the trials of three murder suspects Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, who were charged with the murder, sexual abuse and mutilation of three eight-year-old boys Stevie Branch, Michael Moore and Chris Byers. The bodies were handcuffed and found naked in an area known as the Robin Hood Hills in West Memphis, Arkansas.
The judiciary suspected a satanic act behind the crime , so the Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley, later known as the " West Memphis Three ", came as due to their appearance (e.g. black clothes) and their taste in music (especially Metallica and Slayer ) Perpetrator in question.
The first part of the film shows the trial of Jessie Misskelley. Since he had made a confession , a separate trial had to be carried out against him. Due to the Bruton Rule , which states that a defendant's confessions cannot be used against other defendants, he should not have incriminated Echols and Baldwin as co-defendants. The focus is on the suspicion that the investigators might have forced the confession. This theory is mainly supported by the expert Richard Ofshe . At the end of the trial, Misskelley was found guilty of first degree murder and double second degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment and 40 years in prison. Contrary to the prosecution's hopes , Misskelley did not testify in the Echols and Baldwin trials. The second part of the film documents the processes of Echols and Baldwin.
For the film, the directors interviewed several people affected by the case, including the suspects themselves, the families of the victims and suspects, and lawyers and prosecutors. Berlinger and Sinofsky cannot be seen or heard themselves, but rather the people tell stories without the guidance of an interviewer. Original footage from the two trials against the suspects will also be shown.
background
The film was shot on location in Arkansas in 79 days over 10 months. For the first time, the musicians of the band Metallica allowed their music to be used in a film. Eight years later, the directors made Some Kind of Monster, a film about Metallica.
reception
The film was shown in the International Forum of the Berlin International Film Festival in 1996 and competed for the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival .
It received mostly positive reviews, including from US film critic Roger Ebert . The lexicon of international film ruled that the film was “as engaging as it was moving” and told the story in the style of cinéma vérité .
The film received a total of seven awards, including a Primetime Emmy in 1997 . In 1996 the film was named Best Documentary of the Year by the Kansas City Film Critics Circle , including the National Board of Review .
Web links
- Paradise Lost - The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Link catalog on the topic of Paradise Lost Films at curlie.org (formerly DMOZ )
Individual evidence
- ↑ Paradise Lost: The Child Murders At Robin Hood Hills , Internet Movie Database . 2010. Retrieved November 24, 2010.
- ^ Metallica May Give Music To "Paradise Lost" Sequel , MTV . May 28, 1998. Retrieved November 24, 2010.
- ^ 'Paradise Lost' Team Plans Two More West Memphis Three Documentaries , MTV . February 23, 2010. Retrieved November 24, 2010.
- ^ Film list - 26th International Forum of New Cinema 1996 - International Berlin Film Festival. Arsenal , March 6, 1996, accessed May 19, 2014 .
- ↑ a b Paradise Lost - The Child Murders in Robin Hood Hills - Awards. Internet Movie Database , accessed May 19, 2014 .
- ^ Roger Ebert: Paradise Lost: The Child Murders At Robin Hood Hills , Chicago Sun-Times . September 27, 1996. Retrieved November 24, 2010.
- ↑ Paradise Lost - The Robin Hood Hills Child Murders. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .