Death on the Staircase (2004– )
"Soupçons" (original title)

Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker, Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, presents a gripping courtroom thriller, offering a rare and revealing inside look at a high-profile murder trial. In ... See full summary »

Stars:

Caitlin Atwater, Freda Black, Margaret Blakemore

2 wins.

Cast

Credited cast:
Caitlin Atwater	...	Herself (2004)
Freda Black	...	Herself (2004)
Margaret Blakemore	...	Herself (2004)
Duane Deaver	...	Himself (2004)
Nancy Grace	...	Herself (2004)
James Hardin	...	Himself (2004)
Arthur Holland	...	Himself (2004)
Orlando Hudson	...	Himself (2004)
Henry Lee	...	Himself (2004)
Mike Nifong	...	Himself (2004)
David Perlmutt	...	Himself (2004)
Bill Peterson	...	Himself (2004)
Clayton Peterson	...	Himself (2004)
Michael Peterson	...	Himself (2004)
Patricia Peterson	...	Herself (2004)

Storyline

Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker, Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, presents a gripping courtroom thriller, offering a rare and revealing inside look at a high-profile murder trial. In 2001, author Michael Peterson was arraigned for the murder of his wife Kathleen, whose body was discovered lying in a pool of blood on the stairway of their home. Granted unusual access to Peterson's lawyers, home and immediate family, de Lestrade's cameras capture the defense team as it considers its strategic options. "The staircase" is an engrossing look at contemporary American justice that features more twists than a legal bestseller.

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Plot Keywords:

trial | lawyer | blood | staircase | courtroom | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Crime

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Details

Country:

France

Language:

English

Release Date:

June 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Staircase

Filming Locations:

Durham, North Carolina, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Maha Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

360 min 360 min (8 parts)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mike Nifong, the DA involved in the Duke Lacrosse case, appears as an assistant DA in this documentary.

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Connections

Followed by Death on the Staircase: The Aftermath (2005)

User Reviews

Maha's murder mockumentary is myopic.

Hoping for another Academy nod, Jean-Xavier de Lestrade unsuccessfully tries to duplicate the gritty, grainy realism that won Maha productions its first Oscar.

De Lestrade's earlier cinematic critique of the US justice system, "Un Coupable Ideal," won the 2002 Academy Award for best documentary feature.

Unfortunately, Maha's second movie about a murder on a Sunday morning fails to capture any of the reality of the North Carolina murder case, and ends up being nothing short of fantasy.

The filmmaker has bent over backward to create the impression that the accused killer, Michael Peterson, is the innocent victim of a wide-spread conspiracy.

Jean-Xavier de Lestrade's strangely biased movie masquerading as a real-life documentary represents a tragic fall from the honesty of his other work.