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Villisca: Living with a Mystery (2004)
11 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
Can a crime be solved after 90 years?, 10 January 2005
Author: Beth Klingensmith (bahorton@aol.com) from Colorado Springs
This film is a documentary focusing on the June 1912 Villisca, Iowa axe murders that killed eight people. The movie tells the story of the crime itself, the suspects, the attempts at solving the crime and the lasting effects this heinous act had on the small town of Villisca. Townspeople, criminal experts and Villisca "buffs" are interviewed. Suspects are presented and theories given, but the mystery goes on....
An enjoyable movie for crime buffs and historians - very well presented. You don't have to know about the crime in advance to understand and enjoy the movie. Since it is a documentary, it is full of still photos, but nothing squeamish like the subject might suggest.
9 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
Highly recommended, 19 January 2005
Author: Mary Beth (marybeth@wcoil.com) from United States
I've been following this film's progress since I first read about it in June of 2002. I got a chance to see it last October and I was not disappointed. It's really a wonderful film. From the first time I read about the tragedy until I saw the documentary, I was struck with the care that the filmmakers took to remain both faithful to the story and respectful of the people of Villisca, Iowa. Their aim was to try to understand, not exploit, the horrible atrocity that occurred in the once peaceful town nearly 100 years ago. There are many twists and turns and various characters involved and each is depicted in the film in such a way that makes it very easy to understand and follow the story. It's astounding that the deep wound that was inflicted upon Villisca in 1912 is still felt as sharply today. I was also very impressed with the historian, Dr. Epperly, who has diligently been researching this crime for 50 years now! Thank God he and the Rundles found each other and could work together to bring the story to light of what happened in Villisca so long ago.
I think this is a very well done documentary and I highly recommend it!
9 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
Loved this documentary, 22 December 2004
Author: (ericajens@yahoo.com) from United States
I saw "Villisca" this fall and thought it was great. I wasn't expecting to get so caught up in the story of the town and how it has been impacted by a grisly murder that took place almost 100 years ago. At the end of the film I felt like I'd lived in the town of Villisca. The historians are wonderful and entertaining interviews, as are the older people who were alive at the time the murders took place. Every time I thought I had the murder suspect nailed down, I was proved wrong. But that is what keeps you glued to the story. I had never heard of the case and that made it all the more interesting. It really is an excellent murder mystery and a good historical documentary worth seeing.
7 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
Completely engrossing, 19 April 2005
Author: Maddysfield from United States
I just saw this film for the first time and was captivated from beginning to end. I had never heard about the Villisca ax murders, and this documentary hooked me on the subject. If you like true crime stories or mysteries, this story will knock your socks off. I have read books on all of the well-known murder mysteries that have been done again and again, so it was great to see something completely new. The movie is full of details about various suspects and puts you through the process of trying to figure out "who done it". I will have to see it again, because there was so much to sort through. It really is one of the best murder mystery documentaries I have ever seen. I am a huge fan of Robert Ressler, and was pleasantly surprised to hear his comments about the case. If you haven't seen it, see it!
5 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Villisca, 3 November 2005
Author: Dirk Ellingson from Independence, MO USA
True-life ax slaughter makes for seemingly horrifying film fare, but Villisca: Living With a Mystery chronicles the aftermath of the murders in a small western Iowa farming town rather than the gore and ghost stories that might have tempted more lurid producers than the Rundles. The cast of characters (names like Blackie, Dona, and the Little Minister) alternate between being fraught with foibles and downright frightening as much as any who populate fiction. Yet these people existed. The film even includes interviews with childhood contemporaries sharing memories of the 1912 murders. A riveting film. Historians Ed Epperly and Bruce Stillian provide commentary as engaging as Shelby Foote's in the PBS Civil War magnum opus. You might not learn for sure Whodunnit, but you will discern insight into how folks react to violent tragedy. Two hours well spent.
5 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Villisca: Living with a Mystery is a film about how unsolved murders at the turn of the century continue to impact a small mid-western town where they were committed., 8 October 2005
Author: inthewest from United States
Absolutely engaging! I wanted to know more and more as the filmmakers went through the story. The pacing of the movie -- historical photos and details, interviews of residents who remember the murders and their impact at the time, footage of the town as it is today were blended to tell the unfolding story in just the right amounts. Documentarian Ken Burns made the Civil War so accessible. His extensive use of old photos along with interviews of knowledgeable experts and his storytelling ability, capture the essence of his subject in a humanistic way. Kelly and Tammy Rundle captured that same feeling in their film. Like Ken Burns, the Rundle's use of old photos and extensive interviews gave me more access to the people who lived in the town at the time. The attention to detail, accuracy, use of animation to take the viewer into the home and town all make this film credible and engaging. Kelly and Tammy Rundle have done a great job!
4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
A chilling documentary about an American murder and how it shaped a town, 1 December 2005
Author: tb-5 from United States
What a wonderful piece of work! A documentary that is at once informative, intriguing and terrifying - a "horror flick" not due to gruesome special effects and jolting surprises, but rather to the grisly reality that demented acts do occur, and they shape us profoundly from our personal psychologies to our communal attitudes.
Having spent my life on the West Coast, I'd never heard of this town or the murder, so I came to the film knowing only that it was "about an ax murder." It is so much more. Yes, the historical mystery is presented, clearly and fascinatingly. But it goes on to build the psychology and personality of the town itself, as shaped by the murder and its aftermath.
This was a small town in the early 1900s – murder was personal and close and horrifying, there was no way for the townspeople to shrug it off as we might now that we've become more accustomed to, and desensitized to, violent crime. The town changed overnight, from welcoming and warm and trusting, to fearful, prejudiced and defensive. A community that had gone along in harmony became split, with half believing these had been murders for political/financial/community gain and the other half believing it was merely the work of a madman. One belief generated battles and hard feelings within the community, splitting families and friends to opposite sides and lifelong feuds. The other created a fearful, racist, closed society, completely distrustful and rejecting of any stranger or person of color. The town remains split even over the reality of this piece of its history - those who believe it to be historical fact which should be remembered are accused of celebrating it by those who consider it a shame that should be hidden and forgotten.
The documentary presents it all in a fair and non-partisan manner. No sides are taken, so we viewers get the full story and can develop our own conclusions – we are still, after seeing the film, in exactly the same position as the town and the authorities, "living with a mystery" – we have all the information at hand, but still no positive conclusions.
Artistically, this is a documentary with a twist…the narration is so calm and cool and presentational, that it eventually creates a chilling and horrific atmosphere. In our modern world we are so familiar with murder, and so surrounded by excitement and sensationalism, that this calm matter-of-fact voice talking of bashed heads and sundown laws becomes spine-shivering, and we are reminded of the true horror of some things we've begun to accept as common in our modern world.
3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Very well presented documentary, 8 January 2007
Author: rwm-11 from SW IA. United States
I live near Villisca and grew up hearing the stories and theories concerning this horrible crime which still persist today in books, discussions and the memories of those few who still remember when it happened. Now the house is a museum for the macabre crime. The Rundles did such a great job in the documentary so long in the making. The meticulous attention to not just the crime but to the town and people affected was lovingly crafted. I highly recommend this documentary as both a great outlet for crime and history buffs and for those who appreciate that this can be presented without forgetting the human factor.
3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Much better than I expected. Good Job!, 30 November 2006
Author: elisheba-1 from United States
When this film ran on the Iowa Public TV Network recently, I was excited to see it since I have been interested in the crime for a long time and knew that a film was being made about it. My expectations about quality and amount of information in the film were not too high, however. Boy was I wrong! It is a two-hour film and is excellent in every respect (except for naming President William Howard Taft incorrectly as "Howard Taft", minor detail). Lots of information given, many photographs and interviews with local people and a very credible suggestion at the end as to who the real killer actually was with believable evidence presented. Only a couple of elderly people who were alive and living in Villisca at the time of the murders were able to be located and interviewed, however. Everybody else is apparently either deceased or unable or opposed to talking with the filmmakers. That is the only small disappointment in the film, and not one the filmmakers could control for. It's just too bad that nobody sought to interview people who were alive at the time of the murders while more were still living. All in all, great documentary for true crime buffs, well worth seeing!
2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
An introspective investigation of the 1912 Villisca ax murders and their long term effects on the small town of Villisca., 17 June 2007
Author: ritamiller620 from United States
Villisca is an exceptional exploration of the ills faced by communities which have not dealt with issues directly or compassionately. In light of Integral Theory, Villisca offers a keen and mature investigation of the effects that violence has on communities. Although a historic piece dating from the Villisca ax murders of 1912, Villisca's themes are equally or possibly more poignant today in communities across America that are faced with similar issues that divide and destroy small towns and big cities alike.
This film offers an intelligent approach to sensitively evaluating the validity of varied perspectives. Furthermore, it suggests powerful and transformative measures for individuals and communities alike to embrace into broader programs of forgiveness and healing.
Villisca is a film to be watched multiple times and studied for its depth of content and broad applications on many avenues of life. My husband Jeff and I highly recommend it!
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