Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer
Encyclopedia
Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer (1992) is a documentary film about Aileen Wuornos
, made by Nick Broomfield
. It documents Broomfield's attempts to interview Wuornos, which involves a long process of mediation through her adopted mother Arlene Pralle and lawyer, Steve Glazer.
The film essentially highlights the exploitation of Wuornos by those around her and questions the fairness of her trial, given the vested interests of the police.
The film was used by the defense in the Wuornos trial (2001) to highlight the incompetence of Wuornos' original lawyer. It was through this process that Broomfield decided to make a second film, Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer
.
Furthermore, for the feature film Monster, Charlize Theron
used this film as source material, apparently watching clips in-between takes in order to perfect her character. For her performance, Theron won a Best Actress
Oscar, awarded on what would have been Wuornos's birthday.
Aileen Wuornos
Aileen Carol Wuornos was an American serial killer who killed seven men in Florida in 1989 and 1990, claiming they raped or attempted to rape her while she was working as a prostitute...
, made by Nick Broomfield
Nick Broomfield
Nicholas "Nick" Broomfield is an English documentary film-maker. He is the son of Maurice Broomfield, a photographer.Broomfield works with a minimal crew, recording sound himself and using one or two camera operators...
. It documents Broomfield's attempts to interview Wuornos, which involves a long process of mediation through her adopted mother Arlene Pralle and lawyer, Steve Glazer.
The film essentially highlights the exploitation of Wuornos by those around her and questions the fairness of her trial, given the vested interests of the police.
The film was used by the defense in the Wuornos trial (2001) to highlight the incompetence of Wuornos' original lawyer. It was through this process that Broomfield decided to make a second film, Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer
Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer
Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer is a 2003 feature-length documentary film about Aileen Wuornos, made by Nick Broomfield as a follow-up to his 1992 film Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer...
.
Furthermore, for the feature film Monster, Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron is a South African actress, film producer and former fashion model.She rose to fame in the late 1990s following her roles in 2 Days in the Valley, Mighty Joe Young, The Devil's Advocate and The Cider House Rules...
used this film as source material, apparently watching clips in-between takes in order to perfect her character. For her performance, Theron won a Best Actress
Academy Award for Best Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
Oscar, awarded on what would have been Wuornos's birthday.
Cast
- Jesse Aviles as Himself (Jesse "The Human Bomb" Aviles)
- Nick BroomfieldNick BroomfieldNicholas "Nick" Broomfield is an English documentary film-maker. He is the son of Maurice Broomfield, a photographer.Broomfield works with a minimal crew, recording sound himself and using one or two camera operators...
as Himself – Interviewer - Cannonball as Himself
- Steve Glazer as Himself
- Sgt. Grian Jarvis as Himself
- Michael McCarthy as Himself
- Dick Mills as Himself
- Arlene Pralle as Herself
- Mike Reynolds as Himself
- Aileen WuornosAileen WuornosAileen Carol Wuornos was an American serial killer who killed seven men in Florida in 1989 and 1990, claiming they raped or attempted to rape her while she was working as a prostitute...
as Herself
Awards
- 1993 – Nominated for the Grand Jury Prize for DocumentaryDocumentary filmDocumentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
at the Sundance Film FestivalSundance Film FestivalThe Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
External links
- Official website
- Official Nick Broomfield website
- Nick Broomfield on meeting Aileen Wuornos (Video interview from Capturing Reality: The Art of DocumentaryCapturing Reality: The Art of DocumentaryCapturing Reality: The Art of Documentary is a film and website about documentary filmmaking, directed by Pepita Ferrari. Produced by the National Film Board of Canada, Capturing Reality explores the creative process of over 30 leading documentary filmmakers, combining interviews with excerpts from...
)