Manson

"Manson" was filmed in the early 1970s, when Charles Manson and several of his followers were in jail (still on death row at the time of filming, though their terms were later commuted to life imprisonment). At that time many members of the "family" were free and still sticking together, and were, amazingly, willing to appear in this documentary.

This documentary offers a fascinating window into their world; at times frolicking, childlike in the wilderness, dancing, singing, laughing, swimming, riding horses ... but at other times looking at the camera, brandishing large rifles, shotguns and hunting knives, talking about love and killing and, of course, Manson.

Perhaps the most mesmerizing of them is Squeaky Fromme, who a few years later would be sent to prison for trying to assassinate President Gerald Ford, though all of them are fascinating. The producers are careful to point out the solid, often highly educated backgrounds of these women.

Also interviewed are a couple of men who fled the family around the time of the Tate-La Bianca murders, who talk about life inside the family. There are also interviews with past cellmates of the women, who tell often harrowing stories of things the murderous women told them.

Underlying the movie is the stark generational divide of those times. While the past and present members of the family are young, expressive and with a loose, casual look, the appearance of the prosecutor who tried the case -- and whose own account of the trial, "Helter Skelter," (also a movie) is the main source of information on the case -- appears in a three-piece suit, an earnest tone of voice, and melodramatic mannerisms.

If you're wondering why the Manson phenomenon happened, don't watch this hoping for an answer. And if you're looking for more information, don't bother. But if you want to see the people involved, hear them speak and find out how they thought, by all means give it a watch.

An excellent documentary, largely forgotten nowadays (alas).

Manson (1973)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

The television movie HELTER SKELTER is what most people remember when they think of the serial killer, his family and any sort of entertainment. This documentary was released three years before that film and features Vincent Bugliosi as he discusses the crimes, the cult members and various other subjects.

For the time this here is certainly a very entertaining documentary and it really makes you see how things were just a few years after the original murders. We learn about Manson, his rise to power, why the murders were committed and of course we get to meet and see the family. The family is what really makes this documentary stand apart as we get interviews with several family members as they discuss the power of Manson.

The interviews with the family members were certainly the most fascinating thing because you can't help but wish that the police had just dropped a bunch of bombs on these freaks when they went to arrest Manson for the car theft. As were told, the group was arrested for lesser charges because they were eventually charged with the murders that were committed.

It was rather creepy watching these family members as they talk about their plans including killing Frank Sinatra. Watching this documentary you really get a great idea of how crazy these people were and it just makes you wonder why more terror wasn't committed.

"Manson" is a sad, disturbing film. It's horrible enough to hear the details of the Tate/LaBianca murders being recounted and to see the vicious, empty look in the eyes of Charlie's girls as they brandish guns and spout their guru's "philosophy"...but that's not all this documentary has to offer. Indeed, it poses a question of even greater importance than Manson's crimes: what happened in the '60s? Why did it all end so badly? The soundtrack, performed by former Family members "Little" Paul Watkins (at one time Manson's right-hand man) and Brooks Poston, consists of slow, slightly corny-sounding, but haunting and utterly apt acoustic songs. "Have you ever wondered what you were here for?" Watkins solemnly intones during the opening theme. "Have you ever wondered, 'Is there more?'" Later, talking about his involvement with Manson, Watkins says frankly, "I thought Charlie was Jesus." It is at this point that the sociological question which meanders its way through the film like a deep, dark river becomes apparent: what made these young people feel so lost and confused that they needed a Christ-figure, and what made them believe that Charles Manson was the messiah they sought? I'm afraid that we lost the last of our innocence and goodwill at the end of the '60s...and that if we do not examine how flower power, peace symbols and the Monterey Pop Festival led to sleaze, the Manson murders and Altamont in the space of just two short years, we'll never get it back.

This is one of the best documentaries made on Manson and his cult "Family". There is extensive footage of the most important cult members talking about "the Family" and life with Charlie. In addition, the film includes fascinating footage that the family members apparently took of themselves as they lived communally on the Spahn ranch. The most chilling sections involve 3 young women (Lynette Fromme,Sandra Good, Mary Bruner) who explain their views of Charlie and the Tate/La Bianca murders while each one cradles a rifle and passes a snake between them. This film also has very creative cinematography making extensive use of three-panel screens and bold primary colors saturating the frames. Since the documentary Woodstock was shot in 1970, this film seems to have been influenced by it in the use of quick cutting and the tri-panel screens. As part of the sound track there are many "trippy" folk songs (good .wav material) sung by two ex-Manson family members -Brooks Poston and Paul Watkins. While some of the narration by Pearson and Bugliosi is creaky and dated, the bulk of the documentary, especially the extensive interviews, is disturbing and fascinating at the same time. A very good film.

This documentary not only captures the deranged philosophy of the Manson family, but it looks sleazy overall. Much of the footage is grainy and unsteady, adding to the brittle feel of the movie, but the interviews with Manson's followers speak for themselves. Makes for interesting viewing in conjunction with "Gimmie Shelter", which documented the clash of hippie culture and violent bikers at the Rolling Stones concert at Altamont Speedway. Both of these events signalled the end of the "flower power" movement, but these two movies seem to point out the danger that mind-altering drugs can pose to suggestible kids.

Indeed, a lot of the interviews contained in "Manson" outline the essential role of marijuana and acid in the lifestyle of "the family," and the film clearly posits that Manson used drugs, as well as sex, to brainwash his followers. What's most terrifying about this movie are the candid appearances of the Manson women, staring wide-eyed and generally behaving like automatons. The time was clearly right for an evil individual such as Charles Manson to invade a supposedly peace-loving culture like the hippies, stoned and generally aimless, and orchestrate chaos, and the altered state that these people were in clearly contributed to their own propensity for disillusion and mind control.

What comes off as mostly lacking is the depiction of Manson himself. Although the filmmakers give plenty of background on him, the bizarre images of this man contained in the film do very little to give an accurate depiction of how he must have appeared to his followers. I was haunted by the lingering question of what could possibly have motivated Charles Manson to orchestrate these heinous murders, and even worse is to think that his wishes were carried out by kids who came from seemingly normal backgrounds.

The use of split-screen, as well as the "flower power" soundtrack, add to the quintessentially 70s feel of the movie, but even through all the kitschy hippie images, the shocking nature of the murders, and the tragic phenomenon of Manson's cult, remains. It left me feeling dirty and disturbed after watching it.