The Murder of Mary Phagan (1988)

You won't be disappointed!

Good concept, poorly executed.

This is an astonishing documentary that will wring your heart while it bends your mind

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

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.

This mini-series captures Jack Lemmon in a strong role as a real historical figure. Governor Slaton of Georgia risked (and ultimately lost) a promising political career in his search for the truth as to what really happened to Mary Phagan. Lemmon is heroic in an understated way----very different than many of the manic-like comedy performances that conspicuously dotted his long career.The story was filmed before in 1937 by Warner Brothers with Mervyn LeRoy directing as "They Won't Forget." This is the film that launched the career of Lana Turner as a major sex symbol. She played the very small Mary Phagan-like role when just a young teenager---and who could forget her famous stroll through town as she strutted her sexy stuff just before her murder? In "They Won't Forget," the story was changed significantly to eliminate any reference to the Leo Frank-like character as a Jew. Instead, he was depicted as a teacher (not a pencil factory manager) with apparently a Christian background."They Won't Forget" was a typical Warner Brothers social drama of the 1930s. It fudged on the facts but was quite gripping and engrossing. Claude Rains may have been somewhat over-the-top as the prosecuting attorney---but he commanded your attention.On the other hand, "The Murder of Mary Phagan" stays much closer to the true story. It's interesting to compare the two films to see just how much easier it was in 1988 to tell the whole narrative of the Leo Frank case than it was in 1937.For another source of information on this remarkable historical event, seek out Harry Golden's fine book of many years ago---"A Little Girl is Dead."

This movie involved one of my ancestors on my father's side of the family, Mary Phagan. Back in the 70's my uncle, Leo Phagan, had been researching our family tree and had learned about what happened to Mary Phagan. He shared the information with me and I thought it was a bizarre, yet fascinating story and was pleasantly surprised to see that they actually made a movie about it. Unfortunately, our family has no other claim to fame. It is a great movie with excellent acting and I would recommend it to anyone. I also agree with the previous reviewer that it would be an excellent movie to show in school to a history or sociology class. Hope you enjoy it.

Wonderfully engrossing drama that is well acted and completely interesting. Is a little gem that by the look of the votes here, was missed by lots. That's a shame. If you ever come across it in the future, is worth a look. I gave it a 9.