Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones

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Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones
Guyana Tragedy movie poster1.jpg
Australian DVD cover
GenreBiography
Drama
Directed by William A. Graham
Starring Powers Boothe
Ned Beatty
LeVar Burton
Colleen Dewhurst
Randy Quaid
Veronica Cartwright
James Earl Jones
Composer Elmer Bernstein
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producer Frank Konigsberg
ProducersSam Manners
Ernest Tidyman
Production locations Atlanta
Dorado, Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
CinematographyGil Hubbs
EditorsTony de Zarraga
Aaron Stell
Running time192 minutes
Production companyKonigsberg Company
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseApril 15, 1980 (1980-04-15)

Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones, also called The Mad Messiah, [1] is a 1980 television miniseries about the Peoples Temple led by Jim Jones, and their 1978 mass suicide at Jonestown. Based on the book by Charles A. Krause, entitled Guyana Massacre: The Eyewitness Account, the film was originally shown on television on April 15, 1980.

Contents

Synopsis

The film draws on Guyana Massacre: The Eyewitness Account and reports from The Washington Post at the time, to describe the life of Jim Jones from a 1960s idealist to the November 1978 mass murder/suicide of members of Peoples Temple in Jonestown, Guyana. [2] In the beginning of the film, Jim Jones is seen helping minorities and working against racism. Later, after a move to San Francisco and increased power and attention, Jones becomes focused on his belief in nuclear holocaust, and moves hundreds of his followers to Guyana. Congressman Leo J. Ryan is notified that some individuals are being held against their will, and after going to investigate, the Guyana tragedy itself is depicted. [3]

Cast

Characters

Jones's family members in the movie are based directly on his own family. The characters of Clayton and Jean Richie are based on Timothy and Grace Stoen (he was a primary Temple attorney and Jones's former right-hand man, she a main organizer for the Temple's "Planning Commission"), and David Langtree on Larry Schacht (the sole doctor at Jonestown), though elements of other Temple members are added to each, and details are changed. Many of the other characters are composites of one or more persons.

The character of Larry King has been likened to Larry Layton, a Peoples Temple member who took part in the assassination of Congressman Leo Ryan. [4]

Production

Though not a documentary in its own right, the film takes the style of a "true life" portrayal of the events. [5] James Earl Jones appears in the film, as spiritual leader Father Divine. The final scenes of the film, with dialog taken from the infamous "Jonestown death tape" (FBI Number Q 042), were produced in a documentary cinematic style, and shot in Puerto Rico and Georgia instead of Guyana. The film was originally broadcast in two parts by CBS Television, on April 15 and 16. [2]

Reception and awards

1980, promotional movie poster Guyana Tragedy movie poster2.jpg
1980, promotional movie poster

A 1980 Time magazine review was mostly positive, but criticized the film for spending too much time on earlier parts of Jones' life, stating: "There really is no point in recounting the minutiae of a madman's life if, after four hours, it is still impossible to understand how Jones became a sex-and-drug-crazed megalomaniac or why his misfit followers so easily accepted his larcenous and sadistic behavior." [6] The Time review went on to also note the way Boothe captured the minutiae of the Jim Jones character, and lamented that the film's writer had not made the role more complex for Boothe to portray. [6]

Actor Powers Boothe, who played the role of Jim Jones, won the 1980 Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Special for his portrayal in the film. [7] [8] Boothe was the only nominated actor in any category to attend the awards ceremony, since the Screen Actors Guild was boycotting the event during a strike. [9] The film was also nominated for Emmy Awards in three other categories, including Outstanding Achievement in Film Sound Mixing, Outstanding Directing in a Limited Series or a Special, and Outstanding Drama or Comedy Special. The film was also nominated for an Eddie Award, for Best Edited Episode from a Television Mini-Series, by the American Cinema Editors. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peoples Temple</span> American religious movement (1953–1978)

The Peoples Temple of the Disciples of Christ, originally Peoples Temple Full Gospel Church and commonly shortened to Peoples Temple, was an American new religious organization which existed between 1954 and 1978 and was affiliated with the Christian Church. Founded by Jim Jones in Indianapolis, Indiana, the Peoples Temple spread a message that combined elements of Christianity with communist and socialist ideology, with an emphasis on racial equality. After Jones moved the group to California in the 1960s and established several locations throughout the state, including its headquarters in San Francisco, the Temple forged ties with many left-wing political figures and claimed to have 20,000 members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonestown</span> Peoples Temple cult settlement in Guyana

The Peoples Temple Agricultural Project, better known by its informal name "Jonestown", was a remote settlement in Guyana established by the Peoples Temple, an American cult under the leadership of Jim Jones. Jonestown became internationally infamous when, on November 18, 1978, a total of 918 people died at the settlement, at the nearby airstrip in Port Kaituma, and at a Temple-run building in Georgetown, Guyana's capital city. The name of the settlement became synonymous with the incidents at those locations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Jones</span> American cult leader and mass murderer (1931–1978)

James Warren Jones was an American cult leader and mass murderer who led the Peoples Temple between 1955 and 1978. In what he termed "revolutionary suicide", a term he took from the novel by the same name by Huey Newton, Jones and the members of his inner circle planned and orchestrated a mass murder-suicide in his remote jungle commune at Jonestown, Guyana, on November 18, 1978. Jones and the events that occurred at Jonestown have had a defining influence on society's perception of cults.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leo Ryan</span> American politician (1925–1978)

Leo Joseph Ryan Jr. was an American teacher and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the U.S. representative from California's 11th congressional district from 1973 until his assassination during the Jonestown massacre in 1978. Before that, he served in the California State Assembly, representing the state's 27th district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Powers Boothe</span> American actor (1948–2017)

Powers Allen Boothe was an American actor known for his commanding character actor roles on film and television. He received a Primetime Emmy Award and nominations for two Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Don Harris was an NBC News correspondent who was killed after departing Jonestown, an agricultural commune owned by the Peoples Temple in Guyana. On November 18, 1978, he and four others were killed by gunfire by Temple members at a nearby airstrip in Port Kaituma, Guyana. Their murders preceded the death of 909 Temple members in Jonestown and four Temple members in Georgetown, Guyana.

Working People's Vanguard Party (WPVP) was a small, Maoist political party in Guyana. It was formed in 1969 through a split in the People's Progressive Party (PPP) in the 1960s. The party was led by Brindley Benn and Victor Downer. Initially the party advocated a violent overthrow of the People's National Congress government, but later shifted to the right and entered into an alliance with pro-capitalist groups.

Diana Scarwid is an American actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Christina Crawford in Mommie Dearest (1981). She received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Inside Moves (1980), and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for Truman (1995).

<i>Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple</i> 2006 documentary film

Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple, is a 2006 documentary film made by Firelight Media, produced and directed by Stanley Nelson. The documentary reveals new footage of the incidents surrounding the Peoples Temple and its leader Jim Jones who led over 900 members of his religious group to a settlement in Guyana called Jonestown, where he orchestrated a mass suicide with poisoned Flavor Aid, in November 1978. It is in the form of a narrative with interviews with former Temple members, Jonestown survivors, and people who knew Jones.

<i>Seductive Poison</i> First-hand account of the Peoples Temple in Jonestown by Deborah Layton

Seductive Poison: A Jonestown Survivor's Story of Life and Death in the Peoples Temple is a first-hand account of the incidents surrounding Peoples Temple, written by survivor Deborah Layton, a high-level member of the Peoples Temple until her escape from the encampment. The first edition of the book was published by Anchor~Doubleday in hardcover on November 3, 1998, and the second edition was published in paperback on November 9, 1999. In 2014, Random House Audio made Seductive Poison into an audio-book read by the author and narrator, Kathe Mazur. Charles Krause, the young Washington Post journalist who accompanied Congressman Leo Ryan into Jonestown and was injured at the airstrip, reads his foreword.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Garry</span> American civil rights attorney (1909–1991)

Charles R. Garry was an American civil rights attorney who represented a number of high-profile clients in political cases during the 1960s and 1970s, including Huey P. Newton during his 1968 capital murder trial and the Peoples Temple during the 1978 Jonestown tragedy.

Jeannie Mills, formerly Deanna Mertle, was an early defector from the Peoples Temple organization headed by Jim Jones. With her husband and Elmer Mertle, she co-founded the Concerned Relatives of Peoples Temple Members organization in 1977. Mills was murdered in 1980 along with her husband and one of her daughters, in a killing which remains unsolved. It has been suggested by author and Jonestown researcher Michael Meiers that Jeannie and her family were executed by the Central Intelligence Agency along with George Moscone, Harvey Milk and a number of other former associates of Jim Jones due to their knowledge of Jones' relationship with the CIA. This contention is supported by the purchase of the rights to her book "Six Years With God" by an obscure, newly formed publishing company that took it out of print almost immediately, then simply ceased to exist.

Jonestown: Paradise Lost is a 2007 documentary television film on the History Channel about the final days of Jonestown, the Peoples Temple, and Jim Jones. From eyewitness and survivor accounts, the program recreates the last week before the mass murder-suicide on November 18, 1978.

<i>Guyana: Crime of the Century</i> 1979 Mexican–American exploitation drama film

Guyana: Crime of the Century is a 1979 English-language Mexican exploitation drama film written and directed by René Cardona Jr. The film, which was shot in Mexico, is based on the Jonestown Massacre. It stars a number of American actors such as Stuart Whitman, Gene Barry and Joseph Cotten. The names of central characters are slightly tweaked from the historical ones: the film is set in "Johnsontown" rather than Jonestown, the cult is led by "Reverend James Johnson" (Whitman) rather than Rev. Jim Warren Jones, and the murdered Congressman is "Lee O'Brien" (Barry) rather than Leo Ryan.

<i>Raven</i> (book) 1982 non-fiction book about Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple

Raven: The Untold Story of the Rev. Jim Jones and His People details the life and ultimate demise of Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple. Written by journalist Tim Reiterman, the book reviews the history of the Peoples Temple. The book includes numerous interviews, audio tapes and documents among its hundreds of sources.

Timothy Oliver Stoen is an American attorney best known for his central role as a member of the Peoples Temple, and as an opponent of the group during a multi-year custody battle over his six-year-old son, John. The custody battle triggered a chain of events which led to U.S. Representative Leo Ryan's investigation into the Temple's remote settlement of Jonestown in northern Guyana, which became internationally notorious in 1978 after 918 people – including Stoen's son – died in the settlement and on a nearby airstrip. Stoen continued to work as a deputy district attorney in Mendocino County, California, where he was assigned to the District Attorney's Fort Bragg office. Stoen later joined the Mendocino County Public Defenders. He is now in the private practice of law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peoples Temple in San Francisco</span> Religious groups social and political activities base

The Peoples Temple, the new religious movement which came to be known for the mass killings at Jonestown, was headquartered in San Francisco, California, United States from the early to mid-1970s until the Temple's move to Guyana in 1977. During this period, the Temple and its founder, Reverend Jim Jones, rose to national prominence thanks to Jones' interest in social and political causes, and wielded a significant amount of influence in San Francisco's city government.

Jim Jones was a cult leader who on November 18, 1978, orchestrated the mass murder suicide of 909 members of his commune in Jonestown, Guyana. Since the events of the Jonestown Massacre, a massive amount of literature and study has been produced on the subject. Numerous documentaries, films, books, poetry, music and art have covered or been inspired by the events of Jonestown. Jim Jones and the events at Jonestown has had a defining influence on society's perception of cults. The widely known expression "Drinking the Kool-Aid" originated in the events at Jonestown, although the specific beverage used at the massacre was Flavor Aid rather than Kool-Aid.

Christine Miller was a member of the Peoples Temple cult led by Jim Jones. She is known for being the only Temple member to publicly urge Jones against carrying out the group's mass murder in Jonestown, Guyana on November 18, 1978. Ultimately, she was unsuccessful in persuading Jones and died that same day, alongside 908 other Temple members.

Maria Katsaris was a member of the Peoples Temple cult led by Jim Jones. She is known for being one of the most high-ranking figures in Temple leadership and one of Jim Jones' lovers.

References

  1. ↑ Hedblad, Alan (2000). Something About the Author . Gale. p. 95. ISBN   0-7876-4031-X.
  2. 1 2 Erickson, Hal., Plot Synopsis, Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones, Allmovie , retrieved June 10, 2007.
  3. ↑ Scarecrow Video (2004). The Scarecrow Video Movie Guide. Sasquatch Books. p. 467. ISBN   1-57061-415-6.
  4. ↑ Gibbons, Jennifer Kathleen (December 27, 2013). "The Guyana Tragedy Myth". Alternative Considerations of Jonestown & Peoples Temple. San Diego State University . Retrieved May 17, 2017.
  5. ↑ Yearbook of the Encyclopedia Americana (1981). The Americana Annual: An Encyclopedia of Current Events. Grolier. p. 521.
  6. 1 2 Rich, Frank (April 14, 1980). "Ratings Gambit: Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones". Time . Time Warner. Archived from the original on October 1, 2007.
  7. ↑ Lundius, Jan; Mats Lundahl (1999). Peasants and Religion. Routledge. p. 311. ISBN   0-415-17411-2.
  8. ↑ Franks, Don (1996). Entertainment Awards: A Music, Cinema, Theatre and Broadcasting Reference, 1928 Through 1993 . McFarland & Co Inc Pub. p. 56. ISBN   9780786400317.
  9. ↑ Trivia for The 32nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, Internet Movie Database, Amazon.com. Retrieved June 14, 2007.
  10. ↑ Awards for Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones, Internet Movie Database, Amazon.com. Retrieved June 10, 2007.
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