Charles Manson Superstar (1989) (V)

Director:

Nikolas Schreck

Writer:

Nikolas Schreck (writer)

Release Date:

17 September 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | Biography | Crime

Plot:

For forty years, Charles Manson has survived most of his life in what he calls 'the hallways of the all ways,' the reform schools...

Plot Keywords:

Charles Manson | Prison | Murder | Apocalypse | Racism

Cast

Charles Manson	...	Himself
Nikolas Schreck	...	Narrator (voice)
Zeena LaVey	...	Narrator (voice)
James N. Mason	...	Himself

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Death Valley National Park, California, USA

Company:

Holywood Productions

Trivia:

Since this film was released in 1989, director Nicholas Schreck has made the following corrections in an insert for the DVD release: - The Polanski residence was in the Los Angeles community of Beverly Hills, not Bel-Air. - According to Anton LaVey's wife Diane, it is unlikely that the described ritual performed by the Church of Satan took place on August 8, 1969. - Anton LaVey had no connection with the production of the film Rosemary's Baby (1968). - Kenneth Anger has accused Bobby Beausoleil of stealing the print of the film Lucifer Rising (1972). Beausoleil claims that Anger could not afford to pay the film's lab cost.

Movie Connections:

References Sweet Savior (1971)

uneven, peppered with irrelevancies, but worthwhile

There are many films explicitly about Manson, and even more loosely inspired by him and the deeds attributed to him & 'The Family.' Most of them are worthless except as pure exploitation. This is the only one that provides more than a snippet of actual interview footage with the man himself. It is primarily for this reason that I strongly recommend it. If you have any curiosity, or interest in Manson, whether you despise or admire this legendary American outlaw, you'll want to see "Charles Manson, Superstar" to augment your perception of him. Be advised that the makers of this film are evidently Neo-Nazis, and their biased approach is about as subtle as a brick dropping on your head. Even if Manson was/is a Nazi, I think such indulgences as the interview with James Mason, American Neo-Nazi, detract from rather than add to the film. On the plus side, George Stimson was a consultant on this film, and he was a confidante to CM, and onetime webmaster of the "official" Manson website.

Of all the films about Manson, this one, however amateurish, patronizing and biased, is the most legitimate, if only in the sense that it allows Charles Manson to speak for himself.

Other films of note on the subject are "Manson" [1972] and "The Helter Skelter Murders" aka "The Other Side Of Madness" [1970].