Difference between revisions of "2008 MM Present US-Cinema and the Death Penalty"
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*Dead Man Walking | *Dead Man Walking | ||
Revision as of 14:40, 25 February 2008
- Fr 14 - 16
- A10 1-121a
- Olaf Simons
The implementation of the death penalty is one of the major cultural differences between the US and Europe today. A number of movies have over the past two decades dealt with, if not effectively fuelled, the public controversy about capital punishment. The seminar will analyse and discuss some of these films against the background of the present debate and in a comparison with movies in which vigilante or self-administered justice and poetic justice create a form of capital punishment - more or less provocatively - beyond the reach of the public debate.
Contents
- 1 11.04.2008: Introduction
- 2 18.04.2008: Emotional Imballances: Dead Man Walking
- 3 25.04.2008: The reception of Dead Man Walking
- 4 02.05.2008: Truth and fiction
- 5 09.05.2008:
- 6 16.05.2008: The dark side
- 7 23.05.2008: The legal System on trial
- 8 30.05.2008: The educated public on trial
- 9 06.06.2008: Hollywood on Trial
- 10 13.06.2008: The perfect system: or the cop as judge and executioner
- 11 20.06.2008: The citizen as judge and executioner
- 12 27.06.2008: Poetic Justice
- 13 04.07.2008: Teaching the topic
- 14 11.07.2008
11.04.2008: Introduction
18.04.2008: Emotional Imballances: Dead Man Walking
- Dead Man Walking
25.04.2008: The reception of Dead Man Walking
A movie and its power to create a debate.
02.05.2008: Truth and fiction
- Dead Man Walking
- Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story
09.05.2008:
16.05.2008: The dark side
- Monster’s Ball (2001)
- Identity (2003)
23.05.2008: The legal System on trial
- A Time to Kill
30.05.2008: The educated public on trial
- True Crime (1999)
- Execution (2007)
06.06.2008: Hollywood on Trial
- The Player (1992)
Invites a reevalutation of the films we have seen so far.
13.06.2008: The perfect system: or the cop as judge and executioner
- Dirty Harry (1971-1888)
We should take a look at the development and compare Eastwood's role here with his role in True Crime (1999)
20.06.2008: The citizen as judge and executioner
- The Brave One (2007)
- Death Sentence (2007)
27.06.2008: Poetic Justice
04.07.2008: Teaching the topic
11.07.2008
Films in which the death penalty plays a major role
- The Player (1992) directed by Robert Altman using a screenplay by Michael Tolkin based on his own novel. IMDb
- Dead Man Walking (1995) directed by Tim Robbins. Starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn. IMDb
- Last Dance (1996) Director Bruce Beresford. IMDb
- True Crime (1999) directed by Clint Eastwood. The film is based on Andrew Klavan's novel, who also wrote the screenplay. Frank Beachum was sentenced to death but claims to be innocent. Steve Everett played by Eastwood is a journalist who attempts to find the truth about the murder. www.truecrimethemovie.com IMDb
- The Green Mile (1999) Drama directed by Frank Darabont, starring Tom Hanks and Micheal Clarke Duncan. The lives of prison guards leading the condemned prisoners to their executions, one of them went to prison on false accusation. http://thegreenmile.warnerbros.com/ IMDb
- Monster’s Ball (2001) directed by Marc Foster, starring Oscar-Winner Halle Barry and Billy Bob Thornton. Thornton plays a racist prison guard who falls in love with the wife of the last prisoner he executed and reexamines his own attitudes. IMDb
- The Life of David Gale (2003) Drama directed by Alan Parker, starring Kate Winslet and Kevin Spacey. An acitivist against the death penalty is accused of murdering a fellow activist and is sentenced to death. While he is in prison, he tells his story to a reporter in flashbacks. http://www.thelifeofdavidgale.com/ IMDb
- Identity (2003) A fascinating mystery thriller directed by James Mangold. Is it possible/legal to sentence someone to death who's got "multiple personality"? Which of these "personalities" is sentenced to death? www.sonypictures.com IMDb
- Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story (2004) (TV) Film directed by Vondie Curtis-Hall and starring Jamie Foxx. The film is based on the true story of Stan "Tookie" Williams, founder of the "Crips", a street gang in L.A. He was accused of murder, prisoned and executed. While in Death Row, he started writing children's novels, which earned him Nobel Peace Prize nominations. IMDb
- Death Sentence (2007) A drama directed by James Wan. With Kevin Bacon, John Goodman and Kelly Preston. An executive witnesses a crime that changes his life. He wants to protect his family and seeks revenge. www.deathsentencemovie.com IMDb
- Execution (2007) Director Steven Scaffidi. In the year 1995 two filmmakers gained access to death row and filmed the final seven days of a man before he got executed. The Warden confiscated the film footage, but ten years later the filmmakers get the film footage back.
Films in which self-administered justice becomes a major topic
- Dirty Harry (1971) with its sequels which handle the topic of vigilante justice in variations till The Dead Pool (1988).
- A Time to Kill (1996) (Known as "Die Jury"). Based on the novel written by John Grisham. A father takes revenge on the rapists of his daughter. IMDb
- Double Jeopardy (1999) directed by Bruce Beresford. Starring Ashley Judd and Tommy Lee Jones. An innocent woman is sentenced to death for the murder of her husband. While in prison, she discovers that her husband is still alive and that he and her best friend betrayed her. After her release on probation, she wants to take revenge; based on the American law that a person cannot be re-accused of the same crime. IMDb
- The Punisher (2004) Film on vigilantism (self justice). Director Jonathan Hensleigh. After his wife and family are killed, Frank Castle takes it upon himself to distribute punishment to those responsible for the vendetta. www.punishermovie.com IMDb
- The Brave One (2007) Director Neil Jordan. A mayhem victim avenges the death of her husband under the protection of the police officer who is supposed to solve the case. www.thebraveone.warnerbros.com IMDb
Films in which the accidental death of the criminal reestablishes a higher justice
Further Reading
- Amnesty International "Todesstrafe in den USA" : [Tab.] / Amnesty Internat. - Dt. Erstausg. - Frankfurt am Main : Fischer-Taschenbuch-Verl., 1989. - 269 S. : Ill. [Fischer-Taschenbücher] ; 4289) Einheitssacht.: United States of America - the death penalty dt.. - Aus d. Engl. übers
- Bedau, Hugo A. [Hrsg.] “Capital punishment in the United States” / ed. by Hugo Adam Bedau (1976) ISBN 0-404-10325-1
- Martschukat, Jürgen „Geschichte der Todesstrafe in Nordamerika : von der Kolonialzeit bis zur Gegenwart“ / Jürgen Martschukat. - Orig.-Ausg. - München : Beck, 2002 ISBN 3-406-47611-2 (Pb.)
- Sarat, Austin. “When the State Kills” (2001)
- Sarat, Austin. “Crime and punishment: perspectives from the humanities” ed. by Austin Sarat. - Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier JAI, 2005. - IX, 331 S. : graph. Darst. ISBN 0-7623-1245-9 (hbk.)
- Sarat, Austin. “Punishment politics and culture” ed. by Austin Sarat ... - Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier, 2004. - XI, 282 S.(Studies in law, politics, and society ; 30.2004) ISBN 0-7623-1072-3
- Schwed, Roger E. “Abolition and capital punishment: the United States' judic., polit., and moral barometer.” (1983) ISBN 0-404-61623-2
- Trombley, Stephen "Die Hinrichtungsindustrie : die Todesstrafe in den USA ; ein Gruppenbild mit Mördern" / Stephen Trombley. - 1. Aufl. - Reinbek bei Hamburg : Rowohlt, 1993. Einheitssacht.: The execution protocol dt.. - ISBN 3-498-06507-6, Ibit: LandesB.: 93-1805
Fiction
- John Grisham, The Chamber. New York: Doubleday, 1994.
- Andrew Klavan, True Crime. [ - ], 1995.
- Victor Hugo, The Last Day of a Condemned Man (1829). London: Hesperus Press Ltd., 2002.
Documentary Films (German)
- Dubois, Jean-Paul, "Henker erzählen : Todesstrafe in den USA" [Bildtonträger] / ein Film von Jean-Paul Dubois. - P 2004. - 1 Videokassette (VHS, 50 Min.). : farb. Orig.: F 2004. - Fernsehmitschnitt Sw: USA / Scharfrichter / Videokassette Orig.: F 2004. - Fernsehmitschnitt Sw: USA / Scharfrichter / Videokassette Fernsehmitschnitt: WDR, 22.10.2004 (Dokumentation über Henker in den USA, die sich kritisch mit ihrer Arbeit und der Todesstrafe auseinandersetzen)
- Hoewijk, Jaap van, „Procedure 769 : a hanging“ / director Jaap van Hoewijk. - 1 Videokassette ; VHS, farb., 80 Min. Niederlande 1995. - Fernsehmitschnitt: West 3, 15.4.1996, 23,00 Uhr. (Der Film geht der Frage nach, warum Angehörige des Täters und der Opfer von Robert A. Harris dessen Hinrichtung beiwohnten.)
- Kessel, Julie von, "The Innocence Project" / Film von Julie von Kessel. - 1 Videokassette (VHS, 20 Min.) : farb. D 2002. - Fernsehmitschnitt. - BIS: Fernsehmitschnitt: Arte, 03.12.2002. (Bericht über ein DNA-Projekt der New Yorker Columbia University, das sich mit Schuld oder Unschuld zum Tode Verurteilter beschäftigt.)
- Leacock, Richard; Pennebaker, Don Alan, "The chair" = Der Stuhl / filmmakers Richard Leacock ; D. A. Pennebaker. - 1 Videokassette (VHS, 75 Min.) : s/w ; Zweikanalton, Monospur dt., Stereospur engl. USA 1963. - BIS: Fernsehmitschnitt: Arte, 18.10.1996. (Documentary about the death sentence.)
- Reinhold, Frank, "Take care" = Gib auf dich acht! / Buch, Regie, Kamera Frank Reinhold. - 1 Videokassette ; VHS, Zweikanalton, Monospur dt., Stereospur franz., farb., 60 Min. Deutschland 1997. - Fernsehmitschnitt: ARTE, 10.6.1997. (Die Liebesgeschichte zwischen dem in den USA zum Tode verurteilten Schwarzen Arthur Lee Williams und einer Deutschen von Amnesty International.)
- Steinberg, Klaus; Bock, Astrid, "Leben mit der Hinrichtung : Begegnungen im Todestrakt" / von Klaus Steinberg und Astrid Bock. - 1 Videokassette ; VHS, farb., 30 Min. (37 Grad) Deutschland 1997. - BIS: Fernsehmitschnitt: ZDF, 12.08.1997. (Bericht über zum Tode verurteilte Häftlinge in den USA.)
- Walwin, Kent; Trombley, Stephen [Reg.], "L 'état meurtrier" = Der Staat als Mörder / conception Kent Walwin. Réalisation Stephen Trombley. - 1 Videokassette ; VHS, Zweikanalton, Monospur dt., farb., 75 Min. Deutschland/Frankreich 1996. - Fernsehmitschnitt: ARTE, 21.3.1996, 20,45 Uhr. (Auseinandersetzung um die Todesstrafe vom Ursprung bis zur heutigen Praxis in den USA)
Links
- Capital punishment in the United States - en.wikipedia.org
- deathpenalty.org/pdf_files/curriculum A pdf file showing suggested lesson plans for teachers. Including case studies, material on discussions, exams and essays, history of the Death Penalty, laws, international views and a suggested general reading list.
- deathpenaltyinfo.org Including a List of Articles and a List of Books on the Death Penalty.
- deathpenalty.org "The Death Penalty Focus", an organization against the Death Penalty founded in 1988.
- deathpenaltycurriculum.org/states/maps Interactive U.S. maps on the Death Penalty, including methods of execution, homicides and use of the death penalty, and execution on death row inmates (all by state).
- Cinemasense Study material on cinematic techniques, including a word search for cinematic terms, which are explained and illustrated by film stills.
- Cinematic Terms - A Film-Making Glossary Study material on cinematic terms explained and illustrated by examples.
- Jonsson, Patrick. "Is self-defence law vigilante justice?". The Christian Science Monitor Feb. 24 2003 <http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0224/p02s01-usju.html>
- Guarnera, Daniel. "Hard to Kill: Why Can’t the U.S. Find a Suitable Execution Method?". International Review Jan. 4 2007 <http://www.internationalistreview.com/article.php?id=52>