True crime on film: an introduction

The legitimacy of the true-crime genre was bolstered by the publication of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood (1965). Previously, those associated with genuine artistry were leery of being affiliated with the recreation of the heinous in the modern age. Although violence has been an integral part of much of great literature, documenting real-life atrocities of recent history has drawn the indignation of some literary critics. These critics often saw the true-crime genre as exploitative and unworthy of the serious artist. Capote helped change this, and literature was further enriched by Norman Mailer's The Executioner's Song, the re-telling of the tragic destiny of Gary Gilmore and his victims. Despite such legitimacy, there is often a certain degree of suspicion directed towards aficionados of true-crime narrative. Readers are sometimes dismissed as morbid, potential miscreants who gain amusement from the misfortunes of others. While utter immersion in the field of true crime may be disquieting over the long run, criminality has inspired excellent films that merit considerable attention.

Returning to the man who helped pioneer this literary genre among respected writers, Truman Capote saw his work of literature transformed into film in 1967. In Cold Blood, starring Robert Blake and Scott Wilson, is one of the most powerful re-enactments of a senseless slaughter ever brought to screen. The story concerns two young men, no strangers to the penal system who, upon release, decide to rob the safe of a seemingly prosperous Kansas farmer. Supplied with this faulty intelligence whilst incarcerated, the two cons are disappointed to learn that the farmer is no more a man of means than the two miscreants are men of honor. Enraged, the duo slaughter the entire family, an act of violence completely incomprehensible in peacetime to those resident in Holcomb, Kansas. The film wisely avoids sensationalism and focuses more on subdued character analysis of the murderer with whom Capote formed the closest bond. Robert Blake, the diminutive, former child star, is particularly moving as a criminal who has only known disappointment and has brought suffering upon others. What is most striking about In Cold Blood is the constant reminder that without each other, these two men would likely have never graduated from hooliganism to mass murder. By focusing on one individual, we are led to see that without the malign encouragement of the other, no such cataclysm would have taken place. In Cold Blood is a most worthy starting point for anyone determined to gain a good understanding of the criminal mind via the medium of film. It was remade several years later for television and featured the sadly under-utilized talents of Eric Roberts. While the 1967 production is the worthier of the two, the remake merits viewing as well.

The theme of Folie à Deux, a madness shared by two people, is not applicable to the preceding work. While the savagery of the Clutter Family slaughter could not have transpired without the efforts of two men, no indication of madness is ever given to the perpetrators. Theirs was a crime carried out in the heat of the moment by two desperate men, both eager to prove their masculinity to the other as well as dispose of evidence. In the case of Heavenly Creatures, a genuine exploration of madness is given us. Heavenly Creatures concerns the murder of Honora Parker in 1954 New Zealand. The act was carried out by her daughter and her daughter's closest friend whilst on a hiking trip outside Christchurch. The urge to matricide is generated by the decision of the concerned parents to seperate the girls from what they see as an unnatural attachment. The cinematic treatment of one of the uglier episodes in recent NZ history was given by Peter Jackson who attained even greater acclaim with the Lord of the Rings' series. Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey play the principals and the performances are universally good. Most striking, however, is the near-perfect ability of the camera to recreate the New Zealand of the Post-War period.

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