Mr. Death: A Genius in his Own Mind© Lynn Ward
Nov 1, 2000
Lights flash chaotically. Stark music blares. Electricity charges through the air. And at the center of it all is a small, maniacal figure enclosed in an elevated iron cage. Our first glimpse of Fred S. Leuchter, Jr., the subject of the latest film by acclaimed documentarian Errol Morris, brings to mind nothing so much as an old time Hollywood horror movie with Leuchter as some sort of Dr. Frankenstein. Of course, this is just the opening and Morris soon pulls back from the distraction of special effects, returning to a stripped-down, journalistic style that largely prevails throughout Mr Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred S. Leuchter, Jr. The title seems in synch with our initial impression of Leuchter, but we quickly discover that he is not some mad scientist as his introduction implied. Rather he is an inventor and craftsman, the dark twist being that he works for prison facilities throughout the country creating new and improved execution equipment. In fact, he is a self-proclaimed expert on the subject, a fact that leads the film into its most treacherous territory. Morris first opens up the human side of Leuchter, revealing a seemingly compassionate human being behind such a horrific occupation, but then goes further to uncover Leuchter's role in a twisted investigation grounded in ignorance and hate. This man is not the monster implied by the title, but neither is he the saint that he believes himself to be.
Leuchter was introduced to the ugly world of public execution at a very young age. His father worked at the Massachusetts state prison and he recalls exploring every inch of the grounds, including the death house. Execution methods were appalling to the point that Leuchter refers to them as torture, and when he relays gruesome stories of eyeballs flying across the room and flesh cooking off the bone, you believe him. This, he says, is what led him to his chosen occupation. Not masochistic impulses or a fascination with death, but a desire to put a stop to the atrocities currently in practice. And again, you believe him. The execution of a person should be as humane and dignified as possible, he passionately extols, "We must never forget that the person being executed is a human being." Beginning as an inspector of electric chairs, Leuchter quickly moves on to designing and constructing all manner of execution equipment, from electric chairs to lethal injection machines, even gallows. He's the first to admit that he wasn't trained to undertake such extensive projects, but it appears that neither was anyone else. He has learned on the job, and whatever your view of capital punishment, it is indisputable that his equipment is vastly superior to the shoddy devices they have replaced.
Go To Page:
1
2
3
The copyright of the article Mr. Death: A Genius in his Own Mind in Documentary Film is owned by . Permission to republish Mr. Death: A Genius in his Own Mind in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
|
