''Manson'' is a 1973 documentary film by Robert Hendrickson and

Laurence Merrick Laurence Merrick (April 22, 1926 – January 26, 1977) was an American film director and author. He is best known for co-directing the Oscar nominated documentary film '' Manson'' in 1973 with Robert Hendrickson. Sharon Tate Sharon Marie Tat ...

about American criminal and cult leader

Charles Manson Charles Milles Manson (; November 12, 1934November 19, 2017) was an American criminal and musician who led the Manson Family, a cult based in California, in the late 1960s. Some of the members committed a series of nine murders at four loca ...

and his followers, known as "The Family". Narrated by Jess Pearson, the film explores the origins of Manson and his disciples, and the lead-up and events of the Tate–LaBianca murders. It was initially distributed by American International Pictures, with re-releases handled by Tobann International Films.

Content

The film deals with the "Manson family" and has many interviews with the members of the group, including Charles Manson, "Squeaky" Fromme, and Sandra Good. It contains original footage of the Manson Family at their Spahn Ranch compound, Devil's Canyon, their

Barker Ranch Barker Ranch is located inside Death Valley National Park in eastern California. Used as a mining and recreational property from the 1940s to the 1960s, it is infamous due to its association with Charles Manson and his " family". It was the famil ...

hideout in Death Valley, the Hall of Justice in Los Angeles and various other locations.

Post release

When "Squeaky" Fromme attempted to assassinate President

Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. ( ; born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 38th president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. He was the only president never to have been elected ...

, the ''Manson'' film was banned by United States district court Judge Thomas McBride in order to preserve Fromme's constitutional right to a fair and

speedy trial In criminal law, the right to a speedy trial is a human right under which it is asserted that a government prosecutor may not delay the trial of a criminal suspect arbitrarily and indefinitely. Otherwise, the power to impose such delays would eff ...

. Robert Hendrickson's

freedom of speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recogni ...

was thus set aside and the matter was taken by the

ACLU The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States". T ...

to the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

. Soundtrack music for the film was created by Brooks Poston and Paul Watkins, two former Manson associates. As well, music performed by the Manson Family can also be heard on the soundtrack.

Accolades

It was nominated for an Academy Award for

Best Documentary Feature Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporation, ...

Home Video

The film was released legitimately on VHS in 1987, but because of an alleged mafia plot Hendrickson spent much of the 1990s suing eBay for allowing bootleg dvd copies of the film to be released. The film has been released and sold in limited copies on DVD signed by Hendrickson on Amazon before his death in 2016.

In popular culture

The documentary was sampled by American

nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, sometimes called aggro-metal) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, alternative rock, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu met ...

band Slipknot. The band sampled part of an interview with Corey Hurst for their song "742617000027", which appears on the band's debut album '' Slipknot'' (1999). In the interview, Hurst says, "The whole thing, I think it's sick."

References

External links

''Manson''
at

AllMovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was founded by popular-cult ...

* * {{Manson Family 1973 documentary films 1973 films American documentary films Documentary films about crime in the United States Films directed by Robert Hendrickson Cultural depictions of Charles Manson 1970s English-language films 1970s American films English-language documentary films