Wisconsin Death Trip
1999
Based on Michael Lesy's 1973 book of the same name, WISCONSIN DEATH TRIP is a strikingly original non-fiction film that tells the strange story of one cursed American community. In the late 1890s, the small rural town of Black River Falls, Wisconsin, suffered an incredibly bizarre crisis. Economically depressed and battling a .. Read more
| Starring | Krista Grambow, Marilyn White, John Schneider, Raeleen McMillion |
|---|---|
| Director | James Marsh |
| Genres | Documentary |
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Wisconsin Death Trip
Based on Michael Lesy's 1973 book of the same name, WISCONSIN DEATH TRIP is a strikingly original non-fiction film that tells the strange story of one cursed American community. In the late 1890s, the small rural town of Black River Falls, Wisconsin, suffered an incredibly bizarre crisis. Economically depressed and battling a diphtheria epidemic, in addition to relentlessly bleak weather conditions, the residents of Black River Falls began to collectively lose their minds. Through recreations, old photographs, and newspaper clippings culled from the era (read by Ian Holm), James Marsh's film shows just how bizarre a time in history this actually was.
| Starring | Krista Grambow, Marilyn White, John Schneider, Raeleen McMillion, Jo Vukelich, Marcus Monroe, Jeff Golden |
|---|---|
| Director | James Marsh |
| Studio | PALISADES TARTAN |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 15 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Documentary |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 24 May 2004 Production year: 1999 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews
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If you tarried a few days in Black River Falls, Wisconsin, a hundred years ago, it would have seemed a forward-looking... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful member's review
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21 out of 22 people found this review helpful
Settlers Unsettled
Distilled from period newspaper reports into a book by Michael Lesy, director James Marsh has taken the astonishing events that took place in Wisconsin's Black River Falls between 1890 and 1900, and made a haunting and moving documentary.
As though the very soil of this Midwest settlement was soaked in evil (there is little surprise in learning that serial killers Ed Gein and Jeffrey Dahmer hailed from the same state), its largely German and Norwegian occupants found themselves inexplicably plagued with disease, insanity, suicide and murder.
Using original stills of the period alongside beautifully shot black and white dramatisations, Marsh has succeeded in bringing these peculiar and tragic episodes to life, although I found the intermittent current-day colour footage (presumably used here to show that human suffering will exist as long as mankind does) diluted the effect of a 'living, breathing photo album' somewhat.
A very credible telling of incredible occurrences. -
Most recent members' review
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4 out of 4 people found this review helpful
Oddly reassuring
Particuarly in these seemingly troubled times this lyrical series of vignettes lifted from late 19th century newspapers demonstrates that there is nothing new about sad and violent death.
Told through sylishly shot reconstruction, photomontage and voice over we hear of murder, suicide, drunkenness, disease and madness in samll town America 100 plus years ago.
A chance to be taken to another time and another place, however at the same time draw parallels to our own live's and mortality.
Not one for a Friday night party then, but well worth renting for some quiet reflection time. -
News and features
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Man on Wire
- 01 Aug 2008
What a story! A 17-year-old Frenchman, Philippe Petit, goes to the dentist with toothache. He idly reads the newspaper in the waiting room and sees a story about the construction of the World Trade Center Towers in New York City. Something in him clicks. He tears the story from the paper and rushes out of the office, forgetting all about his toothache. The Towers haven’t even been built yet, but he has discovered his destiny: one day he will walk on a rope between them, 1350 feet above... Read more
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Based on Michael Lesy's 1973 book of the same name, WISCONSIN DEATH TRIP is a strikingly original non-fiction film that tells the strange story of one cursed American community. In the late 1890s, ... -