4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
History-making 1913 trial, June 28, 2009
This review is from: The Murder of Mary Phagan [VHS] (VHS Tape)
THE MURDER OF MARY PHAGAN is based on a true story. It premiered on 1/24/88 as an NBC-TV mini-series and runs a little over 4 hours, minus commercials.
Along with the many established actors here are some then up-and comers: Kevin Spacey ("Prot" in K-PAX) (
VHS) (
DVD), Dylan Baker (Robert McNamara in THIRTEEN DAYS) (
VHS) (
DVD), and William H. Macy (Jerry Lundegaard in FARGO) (
VHS) (
DVD). Spacey is a newsman covering the murder trial who has a change of heart, Baker portrays the governor's assistant/adviser, and Macy in a nearly non-speaking role is a vengeance-intent citizen of Atlanta.
SYNOPSIS--
After 13-year-old Mary is discovered strangled and molested at the pencil factory where she worked, the plant manager, Leo Frank (Gallagher) is arrested and charged with murder. Frank, a Jew from Brooklyn is tried under highly prejudicial circumstances. Prosecutor Hugh Dorsey (Jordan) allows condemning perjury by Jim Conley (Dutton), a black janitor who was one of the few at the factory that Saturday afternoon. Another influence is an enormous crowd outside the courthouse shouting threats against the accused through the courtroom's open windows.
Frank, always insistent in his innocence and that every word of Conley's testimony against him is false, gets convicted and sentenced to hang. Appeals right up to the U.S. Supreme Court fail and Frank's hanging is scheduled for a few days before Gov. John Slaton (Lemmon) is due to leave office. Slaton's lifelong dream of running for the U.S. Senate is in peril if he commutes the death sentence to life, but as Slaton is Frank's last resort he feels an investigation into the trial's transcripts must be conducted.
The more Gov. Slaton researches, the more uncertain he is that Leo Frank is guilty, yet by overturning the court's ruling, perhaps he and/or Frank may end up lynched. At bare minimum, Slaton's political ambitions will be dashed forever.
As of 7/09, "Mary Phagan" was not available on DVD.
Parenthetical number preceding title is a 1 to 10 viewer poll rating found at a film resource website.
(7.3) The Murder of Mary Phagan (TV-1988) - Jack Lemmon/Richard Jordan/Robert Prosky/Peter Gallagher/Kathryn Walker/Rebecca Miller/Paul Dooley/Charles S. Dutton/Kevin Spacey/Dylan Baker/William H. Macy
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
1.0 out of 5 stars
The Murder of Mary Phagan, March 30, 2011
This review is from: The Murder of Mary Phagan [VHS] (VHS Tape)
I have not received the item. I have contacted the seller twice (22 and 25 Mar) and have received no answer.
I will file a claim and reorder the item from someone else.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
EXCELLENT!, May 26, 2009
This review is from: The Murder of Mary Phagan [VHS] (VHS Tape)
An excellently produced film with a clear and unmistakable message on the subject of discrimination against jews in the context of a murder mystery. Fine productional values, especially the setting and costumes.
The acting, writing, directing were fine--with one exception: The person who played the Jewish Manager--his interpretation and performance were far too tepid and unemotional. He was falsely accused of killing a twelve year old girl, and he hardly bats and eyelash. He made me feel as if the problem had perhaps happened to someone else rather than himself. He needed to feel more disturbed about his unbfortunate situation. Sometimes his passive performance was welcome, but at other times not, because it made him seem uncaring about the accusations made about him. This distanced my sympathy for him--"why should I care about his plight if he doesn't?"
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
