Brother's Keeper (1992)

This documentary by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky details the murder trial of Delbert Ward. Delbert's of a family of 4 brothers (the other 3 being Roscoe, Lyman and William - Bill, for ... See full summary »

Directors:

Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky

Stars:

Delbert Ward, Roscoe Ward, Lyman Ward

11 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Delbert Ward	...	Himself
Roscoe Ward	...	Himself
Lyman Ward	...	Himself
Walt Geisler	...	Himself - Ward Supporter
Ken Elmer	...	Himself - Neighbor
John Teeple	...	Himself - Neighbor
Dave Goff	...	Himself - Cousin
Joseph F. Loszynski	...	Himself - Bureau of Criminal Investigation, New York State Police (as Captain Joseph F. Loszynski)
Harry Thurston	...	Himself - Friend
Ralph A. Cognetti	...	Himself - Defense Attorney
Maynard A. Cosnett	...	Himself - Bureau of Criminal Investigation, New York State Police (as Investigator Maynard A. Cosnett)
John W. Graham	...	Himself - Bureau of Criminal Investigation, New York State Police (as Investigator John W. Graham)
Robert J. Killough	...	Himself - Bureau of Criminal Investigation, New York State Police (as Investigator Robert J. Killough)
Donald F. Cerio	...	Himself - Madison County District Attorney

Storyline

This documentary by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky details the murder trial of Delbert Ward. Delbert's of a family of 4 brothers (the other 3 being Roscoe, Lyman and William - Bill, for short), working as semi-literate farmers, and living together in isolation in a ramshackle shack, until William's death. The subsequent police investigation and medical examiner's autopsy suggested Bill may not have died from natural causes, and Delbert was arrested on charges of second-degree murder. Under questioning by police, Delbert appears to have waived his rights and signed a confession, but, it seems he might not have been competent, and was coerced into doing so. The film explores possible motives for the crime, from mercy-killing (Bill was ill at the time), to progressively more outré hypotheses. It also shows how residents of the rural community of Munnsville, NY rallied to the support of one of their own (residents previously considered the Wards as social outcasts), against what they ...

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Plot Keywords:

murder | murder trial | trial | siblings living together | title based on the bible | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Crime | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 September 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fylakas tou adelfou mou

Filming Locations:

Munnsville, New York, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$1,305,915

Company Credits

Production Co:

American Playhouse,Hand to Mouth Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Picked by Entertainment Weekly magazine as one of the "50 Greatest Independent Films" in a special supplement devoted to independent films that was only distributed to subscribers in October 1997.

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Crazy Credits

Fly Wrangler: "Buzz" E. Winger

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Connections

References In the Heat of the Night (1988)

User Reviews

Class review

We are a class of 8 that live in the town where the movie is filmed. We watched the movie and have gone over articles about the Ward brothers. The movie was riveting and very interesting. We weren't even born when this took place. Some of us had heard stories from our parents and grandparents and for the rest of the class this was the first time we heard about it. We feel the town has changed but the people are still the same. Even though the Ward brothers have passed on, their legacy still remains. They are still topics of conversations. We did not like it when Lyman was on the stand and having a nervous breakdown. Half the class feels he is not guilty and the other half are unsure. We are glad we got to see this film and read the stories.