I cannot better the review of this TV film given earlier by 'Michael Elliott' but I want to add my thoughts on how this film left me feeling. It is sad that there are so many persons in the 'Deep South' who seem to be so full of hate that their sense of decency is so completely destroyed. The man was found guilty for many reasons but evidence was certainly not one of them. Racial prejudice, Social prejudice ( he was rich and from the north ), Desire for Political advancement, Desire for fame ( name in the paper etc ) or just plain hatred for no other reason than you are thick as two planks were among the reasons this man was murdered and the real murderer allowed to get away. OK he was found guilty by a jury but they were not shown all the evidence and they had listened to a convincing ambitious prosecutor who seems to have coached many of his so called witnesses and even made up evidence and ignored any that proved 'Franks' innocence. But what is more disturbing is the lynching of this man after it had started to become clear that someone else had done this. In a court today ( we hope ) this would never have happened. The guy who wrote the note and changed his story many times would be a prime suspect but in this case it appeared not to be so? I cannot understand why the hatred for 'Frank' was more than the south's usual hatred for blacks? Or was it just that having made a massive mistake their pride wouldn't allow them to back down? One thing that this film does omit is the fact that many of those baying for Franks blood were Ku Klux Klan members or sympathisers. This film left me feeling angry and bewildered at the ignorance and lack of intelligence, morals and decency of so many people and not that many years ago.
Review of The Murder of Mary Phagan
