Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones (1980)

The real-life story of the Peoples Temple cult led by Reverend Jim Jones and the events involving its move to Guyana and its eventual mass suicide.

Director:

William A. Graham

Writers:

Ernest Tidyman (teleplay), Charles A. Krause (book)

Stars:

Powers Boothe, Ned Beatty, Irene Cara

Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Based upon the real life story of Reverend Jim Jones, a self-proclaimed prophet who founded the Peoples Temple. In the 1960s, he began as an idealist helping minorities and working against racism. After a move to San Francisco and increased power and attention, Jim Jones became focused on his belief in nuclear holocaust. He had a loyal following of over 1000 people, who had donated their entire life savings to him and to join his commune, before moving them to Guyana. When possible illegal activities came to the attention of the authorities, and once notified that some individuals are being held against their will, they began to investigate. Rather than face the charges against him, Jim Jones committed suicide, and convinced virtually most of his followers to do the same.

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Plot Keywords:

people's temple | mass suicide | no survivors | mind control | brainwashing | 

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Taglines:

He called them his children. He called himself a god. He called them from their country to a jungle, which he called the promised land...

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 January 1982 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Guyana Tragedy: The Jim Jones Story

Filming Locations:

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Konigsberg Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

192 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (CFI)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Madge Sinclair plays LeVar Burton's mother. She played the older Kunta Kinte's wife in Roots (1977), and Burton's character's mother on Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987).

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Goofs

In the film, more than 10 people die during the Port Kaituma airstrip shooting. In real life, five people died.

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Quotes

Rev. Jim Jones: ...Father, you were forced to leave New York. Why?
Father Divine: We were becoming too strong. They were frightened.
Rev. Jim Jones: How do you sustain a movement like this one?
Father Divine: How did Moses sustain his flock?
Rev. Jim Jones: What of the cost?
Father Divine: Ask and you shall receive, my son.
Rev. Jim Jones: And as for worldly possessions?
Father Divine: Sustenance of whatever kind our Heavenly Father requires.
Rev. Jim Jones: ...Sometimes, the women in my flock tempt me. What shall I do about that?
Father Divine: It's your duty - your religious obligation - to bring such desires to the surface, so that you can ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

"The film you are about to see is a dramatization of the life of Jim Jones. Born - May 13, 1931 Lynn, Indiana - Died - November 18, 1978, Jonestown, Guyana. This is his story."

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Connections

Referenced in Join or Die with Craig Ferguson: History's Craziest Cult (2016)

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Soundtracks

Welcome
Performed by the People's Temple Choir

User Reviews

Powers Boothe's Tour de Force

Certainly this is the best work Powers Boothe has done and he deservedly got an Emmy for it. As an aside, I can recall the awards night because there was a Screen Actors Guild strike or something and nearly all of the nominees failed to attend the ceremonies. But when Boothe's name was called out as a winner, he defiantly strode up to the podium to get his trophy.

People may want to read the book "Raven" which is a biography about Rev. Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple; this TV movie can only scratch the surface of the demonic goings-on in the Temple without demanding more censorship than a TV show could allow, at least back then.

Boothe is hypnotic as Jim Jones and you get the sense that he wasn't always whacked out and loony. A particularly good scene is when Jones stands in front of an abandoned synagogue in the black-ghetto part of town. The only white man there, he's soon surrounded by obviously skeptical blacks. "Will you pray with me?" Jones asks, and the bystanders do as Jones gives a heartfelt prayer that God will lift their burdens. The bystanders are impressed and in a short time the Peoples Temple is prospering.

Boothe perfectly recreates the candence and timbre of Jones' preaching and phony faith-healing and his lustful disposition towards the women of his congregation. Jones's sexual exploits don't end there and he later has an affair with drug-addicted Brad Dourif, as well (in fact, Jones had sex with plenty of his male followers). The end of the movie where the cult members all commit suicide is very frightening. All the more so because nearly all of the dialogue is exactly what was spoken---Jones had been tape recording his harangues and the tape ended probably not long before he was killed himself. By the way, Jones never took the cynanide-laced kool-aid, he was shot which led many to believe that Jones had no intention of going off into the hereafter but was planning his escape when one of henchmen decided to have Jones join his "flock".