Review by Morning.star
A difficult watch but worth it especially if you're an older person who has swung back and forth on the issue of capital punishment.
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| Availability Label | Location | Shelfmark | Availability | Reservations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Calvin Park Branch | DVD 364.152309764153 Into | Copies Available | 0 |
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Library Journal Review
In 2001 in Conroe, TX, Jason Burkett and Michael Perry killed a housewife and her stepson and his friend because they wanted the woman's car for a joyride. Following a shootout with police, the teenagers were arrested. Both were convicted, but Burkett received a life sentence and Perry, the death penalty. Feature and documentary filmmaker Herzog (Encounters at the End of the World; Cave of Forgotten Dreams) uses archival police footage and his own stunning interviews with those close to the case to explore the events and raise questions about capital punishment. He declares early on that he is against the death penalty but does not seek to make a persuasive film. Law enforcement officials, the perpetrators, family members of the victims and the killers, a death row pastor, and a prison guard pour out their stories as Herzog's questions poke at their most tender places. All of the interviews pack a wallop and deal less with the facts of the case than with the complex human struggles of those involved. He speaks with an animated Perry in 2010, a mere eight days before his death, and to Burkett's prisoner father, who is clearly in pain about the ways in which he failed his son. Special features include English and Spanish SDH subtitles and the film's trailer. The music is a bit maudlin compared to Herzog's understated but penetrating style. VERDICT This film illuminates the fundamental moral issues of the taking of a life, no matter who is doing it. It will be appreciated by groups looking for a discussion starter on the subject of capital punishment.-Joan Pedzich, formerly with Harris Beach PLLC, Pittsford, NY (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Video & Music Summary
Acclaimed filmmaker Werner Herzog uses a disturbing triple homicide that took place in Conroe, Texas, as a springboard to exploring capital punishment in this challenging, thought-provoking documentary. In late 2001, Texas teens Jason Burkett and Michael Perry were arrested for a pair of murders related to a car theft gone horribly awry. Ten years later, Perry sits on death row awaiting execution, and Burkett languishes in prison with a lifetime sentence. Through interviews with the condemned man, his partner-in-crime, friends and relatives of both, local policemen, and the prison official in charge of carrying out executions, Herzog presents an unflinching portrait of the capital-punishment process, one that raises numerous questions about the high price we pay in our quest for justice. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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Full Record Details Table
| Title Statement | Into the abyss: a tale of death, a tale of life / [DVD] : Sundance Selects, Creative Differences, Skellig Rock and Investigation Discovery present ; produced in association with More 4, Spring Films and Werner Herzog Film ; produced by Erik Nelson ; written and directed by Werner Herzog. |
|---|---|
| Additional Contributors | Herzog, Werner,1942- |
| Publication | [Toronto]: Distributed in Canada by Mongrel Media, [2012] |
| Extent of Item | 1 videodisc (107 min.) |
| ISBN | (v.r.) |
| Standard Number (UPC, etc.) | 629159047881 |
| Other Number | 2332010 |
| General Notes | DVD. Container title. Originally produced as a motion picture in 2011. Widescreen version. Special features include: theatrical trailer. |
| Audience & Ratings | CHV rating: PG. Classement de la Régie du cinéma Québec: G. |
| Languages | English language track with Spanish language subtitles.SDH (Subtitled for the deaf and hard-of-hearing) |
| Terms of Use | For home use only. |
| Summary | In his exploration of a triple homicide case in Conroe, Texas, Werner Herzog probes the human psyche to explore why people kill, and why a state kills. As he's so often done before, Herzog's investigation unveils layers of humanity, making an enlightening trip out of ominous territory. |
| Subjects & Genres | |
| By Topic | Murder--Psychological aspects |
| Capital punishment--United States | |
| Death row inmates--Texas | |
| Murder--Texas--Conroe | |
| By Name | Perry, Michael,d. 2010 |
| Burkett, Jason | |
| By Genre | Documentary films |
| Films for the hearing impaired | |
