Perfect Murder/Perfect Town DVD
- Thread starter Solace
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Seeker
Former Member
I think you can see it on A&E every now and then. One thing it shows, but which may not be an accurate representation, is ST determination to force everyone to believe his scenario. That Patsy was guilty.
In the movie the character is totally ticked off that nobody else seems to see what he sees. It came across as if he was a beligerant immature child who was throwing a tantrum because he, and he alone, just had to be right.
It seemed to be more about him and his obsessive behavior than it was about JonBenet...IMO.
In the movie the character is totally ticked off that nobody else seems to see what he sees. It came across as if he was a beligerant immature child who was throwing a tantrum because he, and he alone, just had to be right.
It seemed to be more about him and his obsessive behavior than it was about JonBenet...IMO.
it definitely had its flaws but it was good in the sense to see it reinacted if you're fascinated with the story. at least it's something that gives you a little insight, but like seeker said, it's got its flaws. i kind of liked it. i'm very visual so it helped me to understand the sequence of events better.Solace said:
Seeker
Former Member
ellen13 said:
I agree ellen, the book jumped around from one time and sequence to another.
I know this thread had been quiet for a while, but I just watched that DVD last night. I saw it the sale box in a video store, and bought it.
I watched it twice, the second time with the director's comments on.
I had read Schiller's book last year. I felt he was leaning towards R innocence yet tried to seem impartial.
In the commentary he stated that the Rs gave him liberal access to the R home. The exterior shots were of the actual home and the interior sets recreated the R home exactly, down to every detail- wallpaper, curtains, kitchen, furniture, EVERYTHING. It was just like looking at the acandyrose crime scene photos. The movie was interspersed with the actual local news coverage at the time of the murder, including TV news coverage and on-air interviews with local people. The neighbor across the street (The Barnhills) allowed their home to be used showing JR running to get the new bike JBR got for Christmas that year.
The actor portraying JR was spot on. The PR character ( Marg Helgenberger) less so. Ann Margaret as Nedra was good, and the actor portraying Globe journalist Jeff Shapiro looks remarkably like the real person.
There are many scenes that are accurate- LA being abandoned by her bosses, her initial mistakes, that kind of thing. But there are many that are not portrayed the way we know it. Like the Rs leaving the home after the body was found for the Whites- PR wearing her red plaid sweater/jacket (the one whose fibers were found on the garrote, tape and paint tote) and not her big fur coat (with pockets) that she actually wore. Many of us believe evidence (roll of tape, bloody panties, etc) was smuggled out that day- in her coat. The way PR was shown that day she just had the sweater over her shoulders-it isn't likely she could have hidden anything.
The autopsy scenes (which are NOT graphic and use a dummy JBR, not the actual actress portraying her) show her with arms down at her sides, which would not have been possible as Coroner Meyer stated there was mild to moderate rigor in her elbows at the time of autopsy.
Schiller made a point of showing BLACK DUCT TAPE with a light gray reverse side on the side of a trailer belonging to Chris Wolf and his girlfriend in the scene where she tells the police she thinks he did it.
It also shows them much more genuinely distraught than they were, according to people who were there. JR is portrayed as fairly cooperative with LE (and prevented from being more so by his lawyer). PR is portrayed as cooperative to a point, but evasive. BR is only shown briefly and he is portrayed much younger and smaller than he was at the time. (just in case anyone entertained the thought he might have been responsible).
It's a good one to watch, whether you read his book or not, it shows the perspective of the IDI theorists and the inner politics and rationale (if you can all it that) of the DA/Police/R lawyers. And the director 's (Schiller) commentary adds a lot.
I watched it twice, the second time with the director's comments on.
I had read Schiller's book last year. I felt he was leaning towards R innocence yet tried to seem impartial.
In the commentary he stated that the Rs gave him liberal access to the R home. The exterior shots were of the actual home and the interior sets recreated the R home exactly, down to every detail- wallpaper, curtains, kitchen, furniture, EVERYTHING. It was just like looking at the acandyrose crime scene photos. The movie was interspersed with the actual local news coverage at the time of the murder, including TV news coverage and on-air interviews with local people. The neighbor across the street (The Barnhills) allowed their home to be used showing JR running to get the new bike JBR got for Christmas that year.
The actor portraying JR was spot on. The PR character ( Marg Helgenberger) less so. Ann Margaret as Nedra was good, and the actor portraying Globe journalist Jeff Shapiro looks remarkably like the real person.
There are many scenes that are accurate- LA being abandoned by her bosses, her initial mistakes, that kind of thing. But there are many that are not portrayed the way we know it. Like the Rs leaving the home after the body was found for the Whites- PR wearing her red plaid sweater/jacket (the one whose fibers were found on the garrote, tape and paint tote) and not her big fur coat (with pockets) that she actually wore. Many of us believe evidence (roll of tape, bloody panties, etc) was smuggled out that day- in her coat. The way PR was shown that day she just had the sweater over her shoulders-it isn't likely she could have hidden anything.
The autopsy scenes (which are NOT graphic and use a dummy JBR, not the actual actress portraying her) show her with arms down at her sides, which would not have been possible as Coroner Meyer stated there was mild to moderate rigor in her elbows at the time of autopsy.
Schiller made a point of showing BLACK DUCT TAPE with a light gray reverse side on the side of a trailer belonging to Chris Wolf and his girlfriend in the scene where she tells the police she thinks he did it.
It also shows them much more genuinely distraught than they were, according to people who were there. JR is portrayed as fairly cooperative with LE (and prevented from being more so by his lawyer). PR is portrayed as cooperative to a point, but evasive. BR is only shown briefly and he is portrayed much younger and smaller than he was at the time. (just in case anyone entertained the thought he might have been responsible).
It's a good one to watch, whether you read his book or not, it shows the perspective of the IDI theorists and the inner politics and rationale (if you can all it that) of the DA/Police/R lawyers. And the director 's (Schiller) commentary adds a lot.
DeeDee,
You gave an excellent review of the CD. Perfect Murder Perfect Town was also on Lifetime Movies yesterday, Saturday.
I agree with you, from what I've read, Patsy never showed as much emotion as she did in the movie. The movie is a good one to use along with ACR's site if you want to compare notes and facts.
You gave an excellent review of the CD. Perfect Murder Perfect Town was also on Lifetime Movies yesterday, Saturday.
I agree with you, from what I've read, Patsy never showed as much emotion as she did in the movie. The movie is a good one to use along with ACR's site if you want to compare notes and facts.
I guess it runs on TV from time to time. I would have expected more footage about the whole case with the 10th anniversary last December. Not much was showing in my area. I guess the media was a little gun-shy after the John Mark Karr fiasco. The advantage to renting/buying the DVD is the director's commentary that can be played while watching the movie. I like to do that with any DVD I rent or buy anyway. I've always been interested in how and why movies are made and what the director is thinking. I've enjoyed the "Phantom Of The Opera" notes on the Paris Opera House and Sofia Coppola's notes on "Marie Antoinette". It just adds another facet for me.
The DVD is good resource material, like the books.
The DVD is good resource material, like the books.
Jayelles
New Member
You can buy the DVD from Amazon:-
http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Murde...5-8007224?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1180341644&sr=1-1
I recorded it from TV a few years ago and found it pretty upsetting so I didn't watch it again! I remember the actor who played John Ramsey coming across as being kind of stupid and inadequate and Nedra seemed too dramatic. I didn't think Steve Thomas was portrayed as an unsympathetic character though. Sure it showed him being frustrated when he watched the Ramseys go on TV after their police interviews and saw Patsy was wearing the same clothes as she'd worn at the interview when he had probed her about wearing the same clothes twice. He guessed she'd done that deliberately to prove a point.
What I thought was clever and kind of moving about the film was the way they blended the actors into the real characters at the very end. So it showed you the actor Steve Thomas leaving the police station and as he walked along, it blended rather cleverly into real footage of Steve Thomas.
I thought that had impact and it drove home the fact that these were real people - real lives.
http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Murde...5-8007224?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1180341644&sr=1-1
I recorded it from TV a few years ago and found it pretty upsetting so I didn't watch it again! I remember the actor who played John Ramsey coming across as being kind of stupid and inadequate and Nedra seemed too dramatic. I didn't think Steve Thomas was portrayed as an unsympathetic character though. Sure it showed him being frustrated when he watched the Ramseys go on TV after their police interviews and saw Patsy was wearing the same clothes as she'd worn at the interview when he had probed her about wearing the same clothes twice. He guessed she'd done that deliberately to prove a point.
What I thought was clever and kind of moving about the film was the way they blended the actors into the real characters at the very end. So it showed you the actor Steve Thomas leaving the police station and as he walked along, it blended rather cleverly into real footage of Steve Thomas.
I thought that had impact and it drove home the fact that these were real people - real lives.
KarenUK
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I finally saw this, it was shown in two parts on a very minor Sky channel (True Movies). I found it fascinating - the shots of the house etc, I did like the book as a thorough comprehensive overview at the time it was published.
To be honest watching it broke my heart anew, I'd love to hear others opinions... If I may be a bit cynical the actors in the film were much more convincing than the Ramseys
To be honest watching it broke my heart anew, I'd love to hear others opinions... If I may be a bit cynical the actors in the film were much more convincing than the Ramseys
They re-ran this on Lifetime a week ago. I actually watched it again. It wasn't bad. Made me dig out the book again. As soon as I finish my current book on the Boston Strangler, I think I just might read it again.