Watch The Murder of Mary Phagan For Free

Best movie of this year hands down!

Too much of everything

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Based, more or less, in real events in 1913. Mary Phagan, a young girl who works in an Atlanta pencil factory, is found raped and murdered. The ambitious prosecutor (Jordan) manages to pin it on the factory's manager, Leo Frank (Gallagher), who happens to be a happily married Jew. Frank is convicted and sentenced to hang, based mostly on the testimony of a black factory worker (Dutton) and some help from other girls who seem to want their pictures in the paper.Should the governor (Lemon) commute the sentence to life imprisonment? Well -- yes and no. "Yes", because Lemon's own investigation reveals that Dutton has lied and the defense was practically incompetent so there is more than enough room for reasonable doubt, if not for Gallagher's innocence."No", because practically everybody in Georgia wants to see Gallagher get hanged. A commutation would kill Lemon's chances for the senate seat and assure him of complete obscurity.Lemon's is the most interesting character because he's in a conundrum of the sort that psychologists call an approach/avoidance conflict and Immanuel Kant would have seen as a choice between a categorical imperative (what's the moral thing to do?) and a hypothetical imperative (what's in it for me?). As Leo Frank, Gallagher is a tragic figure, a nice Jewish boy from Brooklyn who seems to have been railroaded by tribal sentiments, but he has no choice in the matter. He's like a guy who's just been run over accidentally by a car. Too bad. But Lemon is like the driver of the car who can take off at high speed or stop and face the consequences.It's a well-done TV movie with high production values -- great big ballrooms with balconies, lavish sets, hordes of extras, nifty writing and direction that doesn't shove the tragic or violent moments in our faces. Never -- never -- does the viewer see the jury foreman get to his feet and solemnly say, "Your honor, we find the defendant, Leo Frank, guilty of murder," as the camera zeroes in on the foreman's unshaven, redneck face. That's just one of many clichés avoided.And what a cast! Lemon, Gallagher, Kevin Spacey in a minor role, Bill Macy in an even smaller part, Paul Dooley, Robert Prosky, Cynthia Nixon. Among the best performances are those of Charles S. Dutton as a sly and savvy liar and Loretta Devine as the girl he flirts with in the jail. Frank's wife is played by Rebecca Miller, whose beauty combines conventional prettiness with elegance. And a musical score by Maurice Jarre that evokes the hymn, "What A Friend We Have In Jesus." I assume the use of the religious tune is meant to be ironic because, at the end, the good church-going folk string up Leo Frank and kill him.

I've seen this movie/miniseries once or twice now and it just gets better with every viewing.The cast is perfect and the acting uniformly superb.The best part is that this is a true story and is based on a true historical murder case.One small problem is that dramatic license has been taken in the telling of certain aspects of the reality which I think detracts from the overall quality a bit. Not really enough to do any serious damage to the film but personally I prefer films that are based on true stories to be absolutely faithful to all aspects of that story. That is my own personal preference. I realize that some parts of the story, namely the lynching and the aftermath of it were horrifying as well as gross but I also think that portraying those elements just as they occurred in history would have made this film an even more powerful movie than it already is.Throughout the history of the cinema there have been antiwar films and anti vigilante films that did not moderate their violence, brutality, savagery and explicitness. Such filmmakers usually are criticized for dwelling on the violence and the grim details. But in my opinion it is precisely those same elements that elevate a mediocre or good film to epic classic stature. Make no mistake. This is by no means a mediocre film. I just wish this film had not been as squeamish as some of those other movies. A minor complaint, I grant you. But still very worth seeing! A must-see for fans of great cinema.

I've seen this movie more than once, and am always primarily hit by what this dramatizes in not uncommon manner. Our rights as citizens entitles us to due process of the law, that we should be protected from mob mentality and any form of prejudice until proven in a court by a single point of accountability.It happened in 1913 to Leo Frank. We, none of us, are immune to it. We may scream our innocence to the very ground upon which we stand, and our voices can be silenced. The socialogical phenomenon found in this movie only serves to make me be very sure, whether it tastes well on the palate or not, that my information is correct. Because I may, one day, like everyone in the US find ourselves in the same terrifying place. Who will speak for us then, when all others have silenced us?This movie is more than entertainment. It is an factual illustration that carries an important message. I took many lessons away from this. The strong ensemble cast made it impossible not to. It continues to disturb me to this day, and it encourages me to be not to become complacent.

The movie seemed cool. My best friend's mother told us about Mary Phagan long time ago. There use to be a children's song about her, and her mom use to sing it to us as children. Not until tonight did she tell me her aunt was Mary's best friend. For years we thought the song was a made up story, so it was creepy knowing her aunt knew Mary. Back to my point, it was a good movie.