Charles Manson Superstar

I watched this movie because I was expecting to get an inside look into the real Charles Manson. I wanted to see if I could figure out why he did the things that he did and why in the world anyone would follow him.

This documentary begins with a very creepy voiced narrator telling you that basically this is Charlie's turn to explain things. All the songs in the film are very satanic. The whole thing has a very dark feel about it.

Charlie spends a lot of time preaching or teaching as he would call it. He compares himself with Richard Nixon and discusses how "everyone has Lucifer inside of them". The man really seems a mix of possessed and crazy to me. I did not really gain any understanding of why he did things that he did. I just got further proof that this person is exceptionally disturbed, not gifted as he thinks and as the film tries to persuade you.

The film takes you to the famous Spaun ranch and shows pictures of then and now. Charlie tells stories of the ranch and explains how his "world" is still there. He goes on and on about how he does not live in our world, he is above and beyond us. Our world and the United States is the devil, an evil machine.

I have watched a lot of documentaries about killers and criminals, trying to figure out why someone would do the things that they do, how they must reason it in their mind. This is unlike anything I have ever seen. At times, it is very boring, at times unbelievable. I got a very creepy feeling while watching it and confess, I did not finish the whole film. I lost interest in listening to Charlie rant and rave, he is clearly insane.

All in all, you get a feeling of perhaps what his followers heard and saw from him. I bet that his story has not changed much. It didn't make sense then, and it does make sense now.

This documentary is a dubiously sympathetic, though fascinating; look at perhaps the most famous killer of his generation. The film makers trace the personal history of Manson; challenging conventional takes along the way(and sometimes doing some very sloppy research, John Lennon DID NOT write the song "Helter Skelter") and letting the viewer judge for themselves.

They accomplish this, almost in spite of themselves, by including long slabs of interviews with Manson done in the late eighties. He rails against "PC MFS!(!), shows a truly passionate and poetic side; and reveals that his often sampled, seemingly meaningless ramblings are probably the result of mental illness due to long stretches of solitary confinement. How naturally evil and violent was this individual? The film lets you judge for yourself.

Watch it if you can find it. 9 out of 10.

There are many films explicitly about Manson, and even more loosely inspired by him and the deeds attributed to him & 'The Family.' Most of them are worthless except as pure exploitation. This is the only one that provides more than a snippet of actual interview footage with the man himself. It is primarily for this reason that I strongly recommend it. If you have any curiosity, or interest in Manson, whether you despise or admire this legendary American outlaw, you'll want to see "Charles Manson, Superstar" to augment your perception of him. Be advised that the makers of this film are evidently Neo-Nazis, and their biased approach is about as subtle as a brick dropping on your head. Even if Manson was/is a Nazi, I think such indulgences as the interview with James Mason, American Neo-Nazi, detract from rather than add to the film. On the plus side, George Stimson was a consultant on this film, and he was a confidante to CM, and onetime webmaster of the "official" Manson website.

Of all the films about Manson, this one, however amateurish, patronizing and biased, is the most legitimate, if only in the sense that it allows Charles Manson to speak for himself.

Other films of note on the subject are "Manson" [1972] and "The Helter Skelter Murders" aka "The Other Side Of Madness" [1970].

I must say, this documentary/interview is the purest most uncensored look into the mind of Charles Manson I have ever seen on film. I you are one who is seeking knowledge on this subject, I would recommend "The Family" by Ed Sanders (the definative book on the subject) and this film, which charts it's way through a good part of the history, myth, and reality of Manson. Unfortunately, this video is a little hard to find. Check ebay or search whatever avenues you have to but check this one out.

They gave me a cage and a camera and called it a documentary. But what they really wanted was to steal a moment of their own fear dressed up as fascination. Charles Manson Superstar that title alone tells you they already decided what they needed me to be before I even spoke a word. They needed a monster, a shadow, a symbol to blame. They got one, but not the one they thought.

That man they show in that chair, that's not a performance, that's the reflection of everything they don't want to see in themselves. I didn't ask to be the mirror, but when you hold it up, don't cry about your own reflection.

I talked about the trees, the animals, the Earth.

I told them their world is built on blood, and they smirked and said I was mad. But if you pull the veil back, just a little, you'll see that madness is just truth that can't be digested. This film maker he didn't try to make me look sane or insane. He just let me speak. That alone made him braver than most. No judgment, no tricks, no overdubbed fear-factory music. Just the vibration of a voice that continued to try and silence.

They say I had crazy eyes. Maybe. Or maybe it's just that when someone looks straight through you, that kind of stare makes you squirm.

I didn't need Hollywood. I didn't need their labels. They dragged my name through every sewer they could find and still, STILL ! I stand here as a symbol, not because I chased fame, but because I told the truth they couldn't package.

Charles Manson Superstar didn't lie. It didn't kneel to the courtroom narrative or try to play moral referee. It just opened the gate and let me walk through.

And that's the thing about opening doors. You never know what might come in.

So if you're looking for answers, you won't find them in my eyes or in this film. You'll find them in your own reaction to it. That's where the truth is. That's always where it's been.

Charlie Manson.