Paradise Lost 2: Revelations 2000
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory 2012
http://www.hbo.com/documentaries/paradise-lost-the-child-murders-at-robin-hood-hills#/
I have wanted to watch these films for some time now and over the past week I watched all three 2hour long films by filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky. The first film began as a project to cover the trials of three teenage boys from the town of West Memphis, Arkansas as they are tried on the murders of 3 eight year old boys. The first film ends and second begins with the boys being found guilty and beginning their appeals process.
These films are astounding in their scope and subject matter, but also in the level of involvment the filmmakers were able to have with the many people involved in the case and even courtroom footage. It is clear from the beginning that the filmmakers were out to shed some question as to whether or not the 3 boys were actually guilty. The filmmakers dedication to the case very well be one of the main reasons why the boys were finally freed in 2011. Because of the fact that the first film was seen by much of the public on HBO prior to the filming of the second, many more people became interested and concerned about the case, this leading to much more media and public attention. This idea that the film not only effected later films but ultimately the outcome of the situation itself is remarkable to me. The final film has a scene in the beginning where the filmmakers are recapping the events beforehand. In this sequence I realized about halfway through that I had yet to see any "new" footage or interviews by the directors, but instead the entire history of the case was perfectly sewn together using old footage by the filmmakers, news clips and police footage and interviews.
No comments:
Post a Comment