The Executioners (2003)
By: Michael Helms on July 28, 2006.
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| Siren Visual (Australia). All Regions, PAL. 1.85:1 (16:9 enhanced). English DD 2.0. 161 minutes |
| The Movie |
| Cover Art |
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| Credits |
Director: John Keeling
Narrator: Jonathan Kydd
Screenplay: John Keeling
Music: Richard Attree
Country: UK |
Slick but often sick, The Executioners is a Crime Channel type documentary that contemplates
the last three centuries of institutionalised death
in Britain, France and the USA. Presented in three
parts over three separate TV hours, The
Executioners hangs each episode on a country
allowing for the comparison of several splintered
but intertwined approaches (and reactions) to organised
death. Utilising a well-balanced collection of original
footage, historical re-enactments, emotional scoring,
expert commentators, stentorian narration and many
stills and pieces of artwork, The Executioners also produces a thorough outpouring of arcana on
the subject.
Part 1: Hangman looks at the
English men (female executioners are apparently
non-existent…) who made a profession, no
matter how brief, of terminating the lives of
fellow humans for society. From its origins as
one of the first major forms of mass entertainment
merchandising was a major death day consideration.
Sometimes, due to the government's distance
from the act, they didn't actually pay the
executioners, who were left to economically fend
for themselves. Some became celebrities taking
lecture tours to the counties. The most compelling
graphics in The Executioners are from the slide collection of former poorly
re-numerated executioner James Berry who was forced
out on the road to make ends meet early in the
19th century. Berry also brought his work home
in the form of the pictures of his victims that
he used to fill every free piece of wall space.
He was also infamous for beheading one of his
charges and failing to properly hang another.
Best-selling biographies were on the agenda too.
One John Ellis quit to cameo as himself in a play.
Public executions in Britain went private in 1868
and ceased altogether in 1964.
Over in France in Part 2: Dynasties of
Death, the executioner was generally
considered scum and shunned by the world at large.
This forced the trade to be kept all in the family.
With special government dispensation executioners
were allowed to marry their first cousins. Of
course, the French-preferred mode of death was
the guillotine which brought up it's own
raft of freight, maintenance and set-up problems
besides the matter of actually snuffing the person
centre stage in the red theatre. The most stunning
image is a black and white post-death scene. Trust
the French to have been working on theories of
the decapitated head from 1792. Real execution
footage, insulting songs sung during executions
and illicit execution post-cards lead to groupies
dipping their handkerchiefs in the blood of the
executed and the banning of public executions
in France after World War 1. You can thank the
French for Madame Tussaud's London and wax
museums worldwide.
Part 3: States of Death takes
Route 66 and other bi-ways to travel across North
America and log some hard data on the American
approach to execution. An invitation from 1899
requests you to watch a man be swung into eternity
before cutting to Nuremberg and a man who was
considered a hero when he rigged an execution
to commit serious injury to the victims prior
to death. That they were Nazis didn't help
Master Sergeant Woods though when he died from
electric shock accidentally at the age of 41.
Meanwhile the corporate battle for the control
of electricity led to Edison's famous (and
always hard to watch) elephant snuff film, a weapon
in his fight with Westinghouse that would eventually
see the establishment of Old Sparky and different
states embracing various forms of death inducement.
We also get commentary from the tattooed ex-stage
hypnotist turned executioner Dr. Zog, the difficulties
associated with convincing a government to change
their death methods even when lethal injection
is proved to be the most economic and efficient
by a long shot, and tales of prisoners seriously
rattled by executions. |
| Video |
| Gradually, as the digital era evolves, the presentation
of archival footage gets smoother and eminently
more viewable yet remains recognisable. It's
just opening credit sequences from low-budget horror
films post-Seven that are getting
scratchier and harder to read. The Executioners keeps things spooky with dramatic recreations
darker and more difficult to work out than a lot
of the archival footage. |
| Audio |
| Sound is variable which is understandable with
grabs from the audio archives also a feature, but
it's entirely adequate. |
| Extra Features |
| None. |
| The Verdict |
| As usual, it's the archival footage rather
than the historical recreations that make it worthwhile.
Even though The Executioners keeps
oft repeated library material to a minimum it still
remains slow-going in patches. It's worst
feature however is only the text on the inside of
the digi-pack cover. Shrunk to half a point beyond
readability before it was slapped underneath the
clear plastic disc tray that makes it completely
unreadable, it provides a detailed synopsis for
each episode. Recommended for research and minor
thrills. |
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