Set in small town Laramie, Wyoming, this movie is based on over 400 hours of interviews, undertaken by eight members of the New York’s Tectonic Theatre Project. They spent over 2 years recording these interviews with the hope of putting on a play composed from the original words of the towns ... Read review
Even thoughThe Laramie Projecthas been edited down from almost three hours (the original ... more
length of the play) to a lean 96 minutes, the harrowing nature of the subject matter--the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard--and the clarity of the voices of the in...
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Even thoughThe Laramie Projecthas been edited down from almost three hours (the original ... more
length of the play) to a lean 96 minutes, the harrowing nature of the subject matter--the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard--and the clarity of the voices of the in...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
The Laramie Project is set in and around Laramie, Wyoming in the aftermath of the murder ... more
of 21 year old Matthew Shepard.This true story re-enacts the impact of Shepard's death on a small community which was dubbed the 'hate capital of America'. The fil...
In October 1998, 21 year-old Matthew Shepard was found savagelybeaten, tied to a fence and ... more
left to die in Laramie, Wyoming. 'TheLaramie Project' is the portrait of a town painfully forced toconfront itself in the reflective glare of the national spotlight,responding with love, anger, sympathy, support and defiance...
Even thoughThe Laramie Projecthas been edited down from almost three hours (the original ... more
length of the play) to a lean 96 minutes, the harrowing nature of the subject matter--the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard--and the clarity of the voices of the inhabitants of Laramie, Wyoming, give this film a remarkable emotional power.The Laramie Projectwas created from over 200 interviews conducted with Laramie residents before, during, and after the trials of the two boys who killed Shepard; the interviews create an amazing cross-section of American views on homosexuality, religion, class, privacy, and so much more besides. Even though it features an all-star cast--Steve Buscemi, Janeane Garofalo, Christina Ricci, Peter Fonda, and Laura Linney are only a few of the recognisable faces--the material has not been glamorised and the performances are both honest and intimate. Even abbreviated, it's a remarkable piece of work. --Bret Fetzer
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Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Production Year: 1997 - Drama - Director: Gillian Armstrong - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Cate Blanchett, Ciaran Hinds, Tom Wilkinson, Richard Roxburgh
Advantages: True story, impressive cast Disadvantages: Not to everyone’s taste, sad
...undertaken by eight members of the New York’s Tectonic Theatre Project. They spent over 2 years recording these interviews with the hope of putting on a play composed from the original words of the towns people, with actors playing the roles of real people.
In October 1998 21 year old Matthew Shepard was taken from a bar by two young men, put in a truck and driven out to a field where he was tied to a post, robbed and repeatedly tortured. ... ...was gay, and this was the ultimate hate crime.
Interviews with the locals piece together what happened that night. Police, doctors, priests, teachers, friends and neighbours are questioned by the eight New Yorkers. Everyone willing to talk, no one understanding why hatred led to murder, the trust in their town now completely shattered.
Two local men are arrested on first degree murder. They face the death penalty if ... more
Set in small town Laramie, Wyoming, this movie is based on over 400 hours of interviews, undertaken by eight members of the New York’s Tectonic Theatre Project. They spent over 2 years recording these interviews with the hope of putting on a play composed from the original words of the towns people, with actors playing the roles of real people.
In October 1998 21 year old Matthew Shepard was taken from a bar by two young men, put in a truck and driven out to a field where he was tied to a post, robbed and repeatedly tortured. He lay there for 18 hours before being discovered by a cyclist and taken to hospital. He was in a coma for five days before he died.
Matt was gay, and this was the ultimate hate crime.
Interviews with the locals piece together what happened that night. Police, doctors, priests, teachers, friends and neighbours are questioned by the eight New Yorkers. Everyone willing to talk, no one understanding why hatred led to murder, the trust in their town now completely shattered.
Two local men are arrested on first degree murder. They face the death penalty if found guilty.
Laramie is thrust into the limelight as reporters and news trucks flock there as the trials begin. The towns people tell the media ‘This is not a hate town’. And they are quick to point out that this was not a common occurrence.
* Cinematography*
I liked the shots of the railroad and plain fields. We are shown that Laramie is a town like any other, with fast food chains and gas stations. The down town area ‘still has the look of a mid-western town’.
Split screen usage is put to good effect, news reports on tv are shown while other news items play in the background.
* My thoughts *
This is pretty heavy going in parts. We see anti-gay protestors outside the court with banners and on the other side we see the gay people chanting. The people of the town come together in a powerful scene, dressed as angels, ethereal, which is in total contrast to the anger of the demonstrators. They form a circle around the hatred, and stand hand in hand, united in white. Very moving and a key scene.
Probably the best and most powerful scene for me is when Matt’s father confronts McKinney, one of the accused, in court. He makes an extremely poignant speech which will probably move a lot of you to tears! (KM doesn’t cry but she did have a lump in her throat, but don’t tell anyone!).
* Stars *
I know I haven’t mentioned any of the actors, well there are some fine ones in this film and they deserve a mention. They all play towns people or the interviewers - Christina Ricci, Steve Buscemi, Laura Linney, Summer Phoenix, Clancy Brown, Dylan Baker, Amy Madigan, Janeane Garofalo, Peter Fonda and Joshua Jackson. A special mention goes to Camryn Manheim from ‘The Practice’.
* Overall *
This grips you from the start, you are thrown into the story with the interviewers and the movie had my full attention throughout. This was never going to be a film with a happy ending and it’s not going to be for everyone. My friend lent me this dvd and said she bawled her eyes out. But you will experience emotions, whether for the family, the friends or the victim. And anger will probably be among those emotions. This is painful to watch, and it will stay with you.
Sad, more so perhaps because this happened so recently. KM can’t believe these things can still happen in this day and age {shakes head in disbelief }.
4 stars. Please note the special effects rating below does not apply.
* Other info *
Director: Moises Kaufman (he is portrayed by Nestor Carbinell in the film)
Certificate 15
Year 2001
Running time 1 hour 34
Available on play.com for £6.99 delivered.
* Special features *
Peter Fonda finale Featurette Trailers Interactive menu Chapter selection
Website for the ‘true story’ : www.matthewshepard.criticalrave.com
For more info about the film: www.hbo.com/films/laramie/
Advantages: Extremely powerful, highlights an extremely important event Disadvantages: Perhaps doesn't show enough of the protests and those who promote hate
...was so badly injured that the man who found him wasn't even sure if it was a human to begin with. Their reason for this horrific violence? Matthew Shepherd was openly homosexual. The lives of the people from the small town of Laramie were shaken, particularly when it became apparant that the two men responsible were in fact boys from the town who they had all seen grow up into what they had believed were good young men. This film follows how those ... ...of kidnapping and murder.
The casting for this film was excellently done. The actors had obviously done a fair amount of research into the people who they were portraying. I was particularly impressed by Christina Ricci (a consistantly outstanding actor), Joshua Jackson and Clea DuVall. Terry Kinney's perfomance of the speech Dennis Shepherd read at the end of the trial was also incredibly moving. Also, the combination of reconstruction of interviews, ...
BloodDoll 11.07.2005
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of The Laramie Project (DVD)
In the autumn of 1998, Matthew Shepard, a gay college student, was found beaten and tied to a fence to die in Laramie, Wyoming. A short time after the event, Moises Kaufman visited Laramie in order to interview the local community to see how they had reacted to the brutal crime.
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
UCA; CINRAM LOGISTICS (SWINDON)
Release date
07/07/2003
No of Discs
1
Catalogue No
820 190 6
Barcode
5050582019063
Screenwriter
Moises Kaufman
Director of Photography
Terry Stacey
Languages
Main Language
English
Technical information
Special Features
Featurette, Trailers
Aspect Ratio
16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1
Dubbing Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Professional reviews
Review
"...Inevitably powerful....Kates' excellent editing maintains a strong sense of narrative momentum..." (Variety, p.49-54, 14/02/2002)
DVD Description
Matthew Shepard became a symbol of the damage caused by hatred and homophobia when his brutal murder became a front page headline across the U.S. This movie, based on a play about the incident and adapted for the screen by one of the play's authors, revisits the tragic events of Shepard's murder and the impact it had on the small-town community of Laramie, Wyoming. Writer/director Moises Kaufman employs a gripping documentary style that intersperses real new reports with actors portraying local residents horrified by the murderers' actions--as well as those who are more opposed to homosexuality--to create a harrowing and important emotional experience. The star-studded cast includes Christina Ricci, Steve Buscemi, Dylan Baker, Peter Fonda, Jeremy Davis, Jeneane Garofalo, and many others.
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