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Product Details:
Actors:
Powers Boothe, Ned Beatty, Irene Cara, Veronica Cartwright, Rosalind Cash
Directors:
William A. Graham
Format:
Color, Original recording reissued, NTSC
Language:
English
Number of Tapes:
2
Studio:
Vci Video
VHS Tape Release Date:
January 23, 2003
Run Time:
189 minutes
Average Customer Rating:
based on 24 reviews
Customer Reviews:
Average Customer Review:
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
0 of 1 found the following review helpful:
A star for effortJan 11, 2008 Great actors in this movie, ie..James E. Jones, Rosalind Cash, Irene Cara to say the least. I first saw this movie back in '80. I was a child then and didn't understand much but do remember this storyline being quite chilling. Now many years later I've taken a renewed interest in this story. I've been listening lately to live audio of Jones' sermons and recordings as well as archival footage.
What I don't care much about this movie is the fact that Boothe has no physical resemblance or personality of Jones. I don't think he was the better actor for this role. Also, as stated above, I have been listening to audio and I can tell that there are some discrepancies like words being put in and taken out of the mouths of the people who were actually there. It was quite confusing. For one small instance, it was a trusted male advisor and employee of Jones (McElvane???) who said to Christine Miller moments before the killings, "It's over sister. We've made that day and let's make it a beautiful day." Yet the movie shows a woman as actually saying that and it was when they were having a meeting/dinner but not necessarily around the suicides. Maybe this is what you get with made for tv movies.
I would much rather go with 'Life and Death of Peoples Temple' dvd. You will gain a better insight into the life of this one of a kind, mysterious person known as Jim Jones.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
One of the rare good "made for TV" moviesApr 29, 2007 99% of "made for TV" movies are garbage, not so much because of plots or third-rate actors but low-production and low monetary funds are a major factor...there are a few exceptions, for example Wolfgang Petersen's Das Boot was originally released as a mini-series on German television that took several nights to be shown and after being shortened and shown in theatres worldwide it has become an all-time classic war film. I saw Guyana Tragedy as a child and though I was alive when the Jonestown massacre took place I don't remember hearing about it and this film was where I was first exposed to the horrors that took place there, and this film though being a TV movie has always been a favorite. The rarely seen Powers Booth as always is outstanding and is totally posessed by Rev. Jim in this role, if you've actually seen footage of the real Jones the two men are literally one in the same. The movie's long at 4 hours and two videotapes, originally shown over two nights on one of the networks, but it's one of those films that grabs you from the get-go and won't let go. To my knowledge it's never been released on DVD and I haven't seen it re-aired on television in quite some time so pick up one of the used VHS copies if you can find one (I later recorded it onto a DVD-R). The film is also a useful tool to show to those obnoxious Che Guevara t-shirt wearing Sociology grad students/wannabe anarchists still living in their parent's basement to show what a miserable failure Marxism has always been.
VCI Product of This Movie Is Poor Quality!Apr 12, 2007 While the movie itself is very well done, the audio and video quality of this particular brand is awful, almost unwatchable. I had recorded this movie from tv with a cheap tape (recording over something else) and a VCR on its last leg and the quality was much better than this. I hope this movie is released on DVD in the future and digitally remastered. Don't waste your money on the VCI version of this movie.
Poor video and sound qualityFeb 28, 2007 The video is great, except for the poor video and sound quality. I wish they'd put out a DVD version with clearer video and sound.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
A great film that seems to have been forgotten ...Feb 14, 2007 This film is powerful, simplly put. Powers Boothe gives a dynamic performance as Jim Jones, one which won him an Emmy. The film was made for television, and premiered not long after the actual event. The film is presented in two parts, and its structure puts us in the role of Jones follower. In the first half, Jones is a likable guy, despite some obvious flaws. He is a powerful speaker, and he opens up the church to people in the community who had previously been excluded (blacks, the poor, etc.). When he is booted out of the church for this, he opens one of his own, the People's Temple, in a section of Indianapolis. His people love him, and he uses that love to further his ambition. He moves the Temple to California. The first half ends on a note of doom, as Jones presents his "vision" of nuclear apocalypse, telling his people that he is the only one who can save them.
Part two is the fall. Things get ugly fast. Jones gains power rapidly, both among his people and in Bay Area politics. He eventually moves the Temple to Guyana and, well, we all know what happened after that. Even at more than three hours long, GUYANA TRAGEDY is so compelling that the time is hardly noticed. The story is gripping, and to think that it actually happened makes it all the more so. Much of Jones' final speech comes from actual transcripts. Boothe gives a performance that may be his best ever. The film is worth watching just for him.
This needs to be on DVD. Even by VHS standards, the video and audio quality is below average. It would be nice to see a cleaned up version of this with some bonus material.
based on 24 reviews
