Watch Witness to Jonestown For Free

Wonderful character development!

The first must-see film of the year.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

The only type of person who would give this less than a 10 would be some variation of liberal. This film is in a nutshell, the classic example of documented fatal problems with socialism/communism, which don't work on this smaller scale any more than in large countries (Soviet Union, old China, Cambodia/Laos/Vietnam, etc.). Normal people are naturally going to despise the tyranny, and try to escape it: as in Jonestown, the response has been to 1. imprison them and/or 2. beat them and/or 3. kill them. And. They. Did. If anyone thinks the extreme left do not need G-d, and to go to church, etc., can't watch this movie... and still believe that. I was amazed with one guy (white, mole on nose) who, even after seeing his wife and son die in front of him via cyanide poisoning-still lives in San Francisco and obviously espouses liberalism; is unapologetic about it-he immediately reminded me of a docile version of Bill Ayers. Equally astounding was the sub-lieutenant Amos in their media office in Georgetown, who slit her 2 children's throats right there and then her own in an upstairs bathroom: Jim Jones son reported that blood ran down the walls as he looked up from his bed. Also amazing, the racial component: a sign "Black is Beautiful" was on the wall...even in a totally integrated multi racial environment that was majority black, they still felt the need to buttress their esteem with that sign. I noted the majority of those who wanted to leave with Congressman Ryan's entourage were white, and maybe 3 of 20 were black. However, the 'murder team' loyal to Jones, in the tractor-pulled trailer, were 9 of 10 black, with one white guy visible (only because the cameraman filmed them just before they shot him dead). However, not all is bad. We get the phrase "Drink/Drank the Kool Aid" from this san francisco-bourne debacle, notably when the 2nd major female escapee described the mock suicide drills in detail, and mentioned Kool Aid without sugar as the concoction used for the drill. Jim Jones was a major political player in San Fran, due to the power base he developed with so many zombie members: when bodies were needed for a protest and 100 people were requested, Jim Jones would send 500 of his followers. He was untouchable, and writer Kilduff discovered this when his editor refused a major story of revelations by ex-members who went public. This story was then ran in an obscure magazine and made headlines, serving as the impetus for the beginning of the end of this cult. The downward spiral went full steam. Jim Jones was on drugs 24/7, spending his days in a stupor and broadcasting paranoid delusions all day on a set of loudspeakers that drove the cult members crazy. This communistically named "People's Institute" then dissolved in '78 or '79 after the mass suicide in Jonestown, Guyana.

I was 11 when the Jonestown massacre occurred and I recently became interested in hearing the whole story as I was too young at the time of the actual event to fully understand it. After watching this, and the also-excellent Paradise Lost, I can finally get a sense what drove the awful events of that fateful day in Guyana. I agree with one of the survivors that Cult is a "four letter word" and those shots of rows and rows of silent bodies were once filled with actual human beings. In a perfect world, Jonestown would have been some kind of socialist utopia, however Jim could not run from the lies and accusation that began in San Francisco (or perhaps before). You hear the stories of seemingly ordinary, everyday people who fell under Jim's charismatic offering of a rainbow coalition, other seeking a open minded church, some just looking for companionship during a turbulent time in American history. The numbers grow, however the power Jones gives him a state of paranoia and an increasing drug habit. You are treated to Congressman Leo Ryan's (and company) trek to Africa to on a fact finding mission that ends in heroic tragedy, the documentary gives a sense of dread as they crew rather quickly realize all is not well.The footage is quite disturbing and horrific. The sounds of babies and children screaming will haunt me for years. The eerily quiet shots of people milling about the bodies of scores of People's Temple members says more than most of what a Hollywood movie can churn out. You can see why so many flocked to this man, while it's also clear why everything just fell apart. I'd say this is a must-see for anyone interested in the darker side of human nature.

For those of us who are fascinated by the Jonestown tragedy, this documentary will shed some light on it's mystery with Stephan Jones, Jackie Speier, Hue Fortson Jr., Eugene Smith, Timothy Carter, Terri Buford, Grace Stoen, Laura Johnston Kohl, Tim Reiterman, Marshall Kilduff, as well as others who recall the tragedy in 1978. The Jonestown tragedy is beyond explanation and understanding. I have spent the last year researching and reading it on my own. It's a compelling story that was made into a mini-series so quickly after it happened without examining the facts. This documentary gives us a closer look at the Peoples Temple, Jim Jones, and the ultimate fate that he led 900 of his followers in Guyana.