Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr. (1999)

Director:

Errol Morris

Release Date:

14 January 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | Biography

Plot:

A cinematic portrait of the life and career of the infamous American execution device designer and holocaust denier.

Plot Keywords:

Execution | Auschwitz | Holocaust Denier | Gas Chamber | Revisionist

Awards:

2 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Fred A. Leuchter Jr.	...	Himself (as Fred Leuchter)
Robert Jan Van Pelt	...	Himself
David Irving	...	Himself
Caroline Leuchter	...	Herself (voice)
James Roth	...	Himself - Analytical Chemist
Shelly Shapiro	...	Herself
Suzanne Tabasky	...	Herself
Ernst Zündel	...	Himself
David Collins	...	Re-enactment cast
Daniel Polsby	...	Re-enactment cast
Jeff Brown	...	Re-enactment cast
Robert Duerr	...	Re-enactment cast
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Adolf Hitler	...	Himself - Leaves Plane (archive footage) (uncredited)
Errol Morris	...	Himself - Interviewer (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Errol Morris

Produced by
Dorothy Aufiero	....	producer
David Collins	....	producer
Errol Morris	....	producer
David Schisgall	....	associate producer: Tennessee/Malden
Jonathan Sehring	....	executive producer
John Sloss	....	executive producer
Kathy Trustman	....	producer: Tennessee/Malden
Michael Williams	....	producer
Caroline Kaplan	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Caleb Sampson

Cinematography by
Peter Donahue

Film Editing by
Karen Schmeer

Production Design by
Ted Bafaloukos

Art Direction by
Steven McNulty

Production Management
Katarzyna Fukacz-Cebula	....	production manager: Poland (as Katarzyna Fukacz)
Mark Hankey	....	unit production manager: Tennessee/Malden

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Marek Cydorowicz	....	assistant director: Poland
David Vos	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Artur Bartos	....	props: Poland
Inka Bodyl	....	props: Poland
Michael Cataldo	....	prop master
Jay Heyman	....	props assistant
Alasdair McLellan	....	art department assistant
Kenji Messenger	....	carpenter
Heidi Pribell	....	shopper
Adie Russell	....	graphic artist
Peter Ryan	....	art department assistant
Lisa Sawlit	....	graphic artist

Sound Department
Coll Anderson	....	supervising sound editor
Stephen Bores	....	sound mixer (as Steve Bores)
Stephen Bores	....	sound: Tennessee/Malden (as Steve Bores)
Brian Bowles	....	dialogue editor
Andrew Bracken	....	sound effects recordist (as Drew Bracken)
Fred Burnham	....	additional sound
Mario Cardenas	....	additional sound (as Mario Cardenes)
Maria Chilarecka	....	sound mixer: Poland
Eric A. Christoffersen	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby
Patrick Dundas	....	sound effects editor
Frank Morrone	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Frank Morroni)
Bob Olari	....	sound recordist
Pam Yates	....	sound: Tennessee/Malden

Visual Effects by
Philip Azenzer	....	video effects (as Phil Azenzer)

Camera and Electrical Department
Karine Albano	....	electrician (as Karin Albano)
Martin Albert	....	key grip
Nubar Alexanian	....	still photographer
Ron Bennett	....	generator operator
Carlos Bermudez	....	best boy electric
Carlos Bermudez	....	best boy: Tennessee/Malden
Sergiusz Bogucki	....	best boy electric: Poland
Jan Burgess	....	additional camera loader
Dave Cambria	....	videographer (as David Cambria)
Phil Darrell	....	gaffer: Tennessee/Malden (as Phillip Darrell)
Melissa R. Donovan	....	assistant camera: Tennessee/Malden (as Melissa Donovan)
Thomas Doran	....	key grip: Tennessee/Malden (as Tom Doran)
Michael Guerra	....	gaffer
Piotr Hermanowski	....	electrician: Poland
Jeffrey Iwanicki	....	video assist operator
Artur Kapala	....	video assist operator: Poland
John R. Kaplan	....	grip: Tennessee/Malden (as John Kaplan)
Tom Keenan	....	electrician (as Thomas Keenan)
Patrick Kelly	....	second assistant camera
Ian Kincaid	....	gaffer: Tennessee/Malden
Len Levine	....	gaffer: Poland
Edward Makówka	....	additional second assistant camera: Poland
David Puopolo	....	generator operator
Robert Ragozzine	....	first assistant camera (as Robert Ragazzine)
Henryk Redosz	....	key grip: Poland
Robert Richardson	....	additional photographer
Dave Rudolph	....	grip (as David Rudolph)
Daisy Smith	....	second assistant camera: Poland
James Smith	....	camera loader
Marek Socha	....	electrician: Poland
Peter Sova	....	photographer: Leuchter interview
Ryszard Switalski	....	electrician: Poland
Roman Taborski	....	electrician: Poland
Robert Tompkins	....	best boy grip
Mark Tye	....	electrician: Tennessee/Malden (as Mark A. Tye)
Waldemar Walczynski	....	best boy grip: Poland
Henryk Wingert	....	generator operator: Poland
Eric Zimmerman	....	first assistant camera: Poland
Zach Lazar	....	generator operator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Janet Generalli	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Anshul Amar	....	contributing editor
Schuyler Cayton	....	assistant editor
Don Ciana	....	color timer
Brad Fuller	....	consulting editor
Jane Gray	....	assistant editor
Paula Heredia	....	consulting editor
Molly O'Brien	....	contributing editor
Ann Petrone	....	assistant editor
Joe Violante	....	laboratory advisor

Music Department
Huck Bennert	....	music recording engineer
Donald Berman	....	musician: piano on "Sublime"
Greg Devore	....	music recording supervisor
Terry Donahue	....	musician: accordion and percussion
Hawthorne Quartet	....	musician: strings
John Kusiak	....	composer: additional music
John Kusiak	....	music producer
John Kusiak	....	musician: synthesizer
Billy Novick	....	musician: clarinet
Caleb Sampson	....	musician: synthesizer
Ken Winokur	....	musician: percussion

Other crew
Brian Albushies	....	accountant
Eric Asch	....	intern (as Erich Asch)
James Barnes	....	craft service
Craig Bernheart	....	production assistant
Mark Boulos	....	assistant: Errol Morris
Paul Brennan	....	production consultant
Jeff Brown	....	production assistant
Schuyler Cayton	....	production assistant
Clint Collins	....	location manager
Karen Corsica	....	assistant to producers
Jeremy Dawson	....	title designer
Lynn DeLacy	....	intern
Peter J. Dowd Jr.	....	intern (as Peter Dowd)
Luke Fischbeck	....	intern
Sam Folk-Williams	....	intern
Dina Hazan	....	intern
Stacie Heintze	....	script supervisor
Jennifer Kelly	....	production assistant
Jeremy Kleiner	....	intern
Linda Klicker	....	intern
Steven Lamola	....	researcher
Wieslaw Lysakowski	....	location manager: Poland
Atim Macauley	....	intern
Agnieska Nejman	....	production assistant: Poland
Malve O'Meara	....	production coordinator (as Maeve O'Meara)
Myles Paige	....	intern
Ann Petrone	....	production coordinator
Daniel Polsby	....	assistant: Errol Morris
Matt Pursley	....	digital film scanning and recording
Nicholas Ravich	....	researcher
Nicholas M. Robbins	....	production assistant (as Nicholas Robbins)
Reid Rosefelt	....	publicist
Mary Ryan	....	production coordinator: Tennessee/Malden
Ariel Enriquez Saulog	....	digital film scanning and recording (as Ariel E. Saulog)
Dan Schrecker	....	title designer
Isaac Silverglate	....	intern
Derek Skaletsky	....	production assistant
John Sloss	....	production consultant
Marielle Smith	....	intern
Wojtek Smolen	....	representative: Ausschwitz museum, Poland
Dia Sokol Savage	....	intern (as Dia Sokol)
Anne Hawley Stevens	....	intern
Justyna Stolarz	....	interpreter: Poland
Robert Jan Van Pelt	....	consultant: Auschwitz
James White	....	digital film scanning and recording
Kellyanne Willis	....	intern
Kristina Wood	....	researcher
Darren Yesser	....	production assistant

Production Companies

• Channel Four Films
• Fourth Floor Pictures
• Independent Film Channel (IFC)
• Scout Productions

Distributors

• ASC Distribution (France)
• Lions Gate Films
• Madman Entertainment (2007) (Australia) (all media)
• Madman Entertainment (2007) (New Zealand) (all media)
• Universal Pictures (DVD)

Special Effects

• Cineric (optical effects)
• Encore (video effects)

Other Companies

• Amoeba Proteus  title design
• Boston Camera Rental Center  camera equipment provided by
• Great Northern Brokerage Services  insurance
• High Output  grip and lighting equipment
• JG Negative Cutters  negative cutting
• Magic Lantern  publicity
• New Approach Film & Video  dailies
• Page Carter Catering  catering
• Sloss Law Office  production counsel
• www.digitalcasting.com  extras casting

Also Known As:

"Mr. Death" - USA (short title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

France:U | USA:PG-13 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp, Oswiecim, Malopolskie, Poland

Company:

Channel Four Films

Trivia:

All of the states which bought one of Leuchter's lethal injection machines have subsequently stopped using them because they were too difficult to operate and maintain.

Quotes:

Fred A. Leuchter Jr.:The human body is not easy to destroy and it's not east to take a life humanely and painlessly without doing a great deal of damage to the individual's body.

Movie Connections:

Features Electrocuting an Elephant (1903)

Fred should've approached the situation as a scientist.

The smartest thing for Fred Leuchter to do when confronted with the notion of providing proof as to the reality of the Holocaust would've been to simply say no. But since he was clearly unwilling to do so, the next best thing would be to would be to approach the situation objectively and scientifically. In the film he says several times that he was looking for evidence to prove the existence of gas chambers in Auschwitz, and was unable to find any. He also states that the sites were exactly the same as they were back in the 1940s, although he offers no evidence to back-up this assumption. He has absolutely no way of knowing what has happened to the chambers over the course of 40-50 years. A scientist would've realized this and come to the conclusion that the evidence he was gathering could potentially be flawed. Instead he approaches his task with the assumption that any information he gathers is 100% correct and that no tampering is possible, which is a fatal mistake. The fact of the matter is that Fred Leuchter has absolutely no idea what he's talking about, the way in which he gathered evidence and conducted his investigation was fundimentally flawed. He should've understood this and testified to that effect. For whatever reason he decided to jump to the conclusion that he was correct under any circumstance and propagated lies because of it. For this reason he is deserving of any repricussions that resulted from his actions. I have no sympathy for a man that is blinded by his own ego, or whatever it was that caused him to close his mind to many legitimate possibilities.