Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones (1980) (TV)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

William A. Graham

Writers:

Charles A. Krause (book)
Ernest Tidyman (writer)

Release Date:

15 April 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Plot:

The story of the People's Temple cult led by Jim Jones and the events involving its move to Guyana and its eventual mass suicide.

Plot Keywords:

Suicide | Guyana | Cult | Commune | Mass Suicide

Awards:

Won Primetime Emmy. Another 4 nominations

Cast

Powers Boothe	...	Rev. Jim Jones
Ned Beatty	...	Rep. Leo Ryan
Irene Cara	...	Alice Jefferson
Veronica Cartwright	...	Marceline 'Marcy' Jones
Rosalind Cash	...	Jenny Hammond
Brad Dourif	...	David Langtree
Meg Foster	...	Jean Richie
Michael C. Gwynne	...	Larry King
Albert Hall	...	Otis Jefferson
Linda Haynes	...	Karen Bundy
Diane Ladd	...	Lynette Jones
Ron O'Neal	...	Col. Robles
Randy Quaid	...	Clayton Ritchie
Diana Scarwid	...	Sheila Langtree
Madge Sinclair	...	Mrs. Jefferson

Also Known As:

The Mad Messiah

Runtime:

192 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16

Company:

Konigsberg Company

Trivia:

The dialogue used in the mass suicide/murder scene near the end of the film was taken almost word-for-word from an audiocassette found in a portable tape recorder under Jim Jones' chair. The tape recorder had weak batteries and was running at a much slower than normal speed, allowing the entire event to be recorded.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in House on Haunted Hill (1999)

Soundtrack:

Welcome

Riveting and VERY watchable portrayal

When I first saw the video at the video store, I was fascinated. I remember seeing the Waco Branch Davidian cult compound burn and reading about Jonestown in Time and Newsweek in 1993, and I was intrigued as to why so many people would readily lay down their lives for some madman like David Koresh or Jim Jones. So, I rented Guyana Tragedy for some insight into the Peoples Temple cult. What I saw was very interesting to watch. Powers Boothe did an excellent job as Jim Jones, in my opinion. You can see how persuasive, demanding, and maniacal Jones really was. And the other characters in the movie are all well-played. James Earl Jones makes a small appearance as Father Divine, but he stands out as only he can, Darth Vader voice and all. Ned Beatty, Randy Quaid, LeVar Burton all shine here. This surprised me in that it was more watchable than I thought it would be. A VERY nicely-done movie, worth anyone's viewing.