The Witness (2015)

The brother of Kitty Genovese investigates the circumstances of her murder and the truth of the story that dozens of locals witnessed the crime and did nothing to intervene.

Director:

James D. Solomon

Writers:

William Genovese (narration written by), Russell Greene (narration written by)

Stars:

William Genovese, Shannon Beeby, Kitty Genovese

1 win & 6 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Shannon Beeby	...	Herself
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kitty Genovese	...	Herself (archive footage)
William Genovese	...	Himself
Winston Moseley	...	Himself (archive footage)
Catherine Pelonero	...	Herself

Storyline

Bill Genovese's decade-long journey to unravel the truth about the mythic death and little-known life of his sister, Kitty, who was reportedly stabbed in front of 38 witnesses and became the face of urban apathy. THE WITNESS begins in 2004 when The Times questions its original story: the number of witnesses, what they observed, the number of attacks. None was more affected by the story than Bill. He vowed not to be like the 38, volunteered for Vietnam, and lost both legs. What if Kitty's mythic story is an urban myth? Breaking his family's half-century of silence, Bill seeks to find the truth confronting the witnesses, the killer, their families and his own. THE WITNESS is about bearing witness, loss and forgiveness, and what we owe each other.

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Plot Keywords:

urban legend | lesbian | parking lot | handicapped | witness | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography | Crime | Mystery

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 June 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Witness

Filming Locations:

New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$14,523, 5 June 2016

Gross USA:

$159,305

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$159,305

Company Credits

Production Co:

Five More Minutes Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kitty Genovese's occupation was a bar manager.

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Quotes

William Genovese: If I was going to have more success, Charlie Skoller suggested that I start with the trail transcript. My family couldn't bear to go to the trail in 1964 so I never heard the testimony of the witnesses. Only 5 of the 38 witnesses were called to take the stand.

User Reviews

Impressive Investigation

This was so well done. It's amazing how impartial her brother was while investigating the reactions of the media, police, and ear witnesses. Revisiting the building and recreating what they heard must have been excruciating. He displayed the same courage that must have been necessary to move forward with his life after her death and the severe injuries he suffered while serving as a marine during the Vietnam war. Getting to see glimpses of her personality only magnify the loss. The Genovese family have shown a great deal of character in dealing with the hardships in their lives. Her murderer's son is more concerned with victim blaming than accepting his father's responsibility for his own actions.