Into the Abyss (film)
Encyclopedia
Into the Abyss, subtitled A Tale of Death, A Tale of Life, is a documentary film written and directed by Werner Herzog
about two men convicted of a triple homicide which occurred in Conroe, Texas
. Michael Perry received a death sentence
for the crime, and Jason Burkett received a life sentence. The film focuses on the two convicts and various people affected by the crime.
The film first showed on September 3, 2011, at the Telluride Film Festival
, and its official world premiere on September 8, 2011, at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival
. After strong festival showings and a surge of interest in the issue capital punishment in America, Herzog requested that the film be rushed to a general theatrical release, scheduled for November 11, 2011.
convicted of a triple homicide which occurred in Conroe, Texas
, and his accomplice Jason Burkett. Perry was convicted ten years earlier of the murders, apparently committed in order to steal a car for a joyride. Perry denies that he was principally responsible for the killings, blaming Burkett, who also appears in the film. Burkett, who received a lesser life sentence for his involvement, likewise blames Perry.
Perry's final interviews for the film were recorded only 8 days before his execution on July 1, 2010. The film also includes interviews with victims' families and law enforcement officers.
Burkett's wife appears in the film, a free woman who met and married Burkett after his conviction. Their only allowed contact has been holding hands under guarded supervision, but she claims to be pregnant with his child.
The film does not focus on Perry's guilt or innocence, and has a minimal amount of narration, with Herzog, unlike in many of his films, never appearing onscreen.
The film is financed by American cable TV channel Investigation Discovery, who gave Herzog financing and great creative freedom.
The film went through several working titles during its production. For a time it was called simply "Death Row", and this was later elaborated to "Gazing Into The Abyss: A Tale of Death, A Tale Of Life". The television broadcast of the film has been referred to as "Werner Herzog’s Final Confessions". By August 2011, when its premier at TIFF was announced, the title was changed to "Into the Abyss".
Herzog originally planned and shot profiles of five death row
inmates in Texas
and Florida
. Included were two men convicted of triple homicides, another man who was convicted of killing his girlfriend and her two mentally-handicapped sons, and one of 10 women on Texas' death row. After production began, Herzog decided to focus on Perry's case.
The film was in production during promotion for Herzog's previous film Cave of Forgotten Dreams
. Herzog missed a special screening of Cave at the Berlinale festival because an opportunity to film one of his subjects arose suddenly.
. The film was often portrayed as being one among several "hot-button political documentaries" at the festival. Herzog, however, has stated that he has no political intentions with the film. Herzog states at the film's outset that he opposes capital punishment
, but he has said that his "focus is elsewhere" in the film. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times
, he said, "This is not an issue film; it's not an activist film against capital punishment", and "yes, it has an issue, but it's not the main purpose of the film."
Before the film's festival premiere, North American theatrical distribution rights were bought by Sundance Selects. In October 2011, Sundance Selects announced that the film would be rushed to a theatrical release, opening in select cities on November 11, 2011. In recent months there had been controversies over American capital punishment in the case of Troy Davis
and the cheers for Rick Perry
's execution record in a Republican primary debate
.
The early release was demanded by Herzog himself, who wanted his film to contribute to this new national discussion of the death penalty. Producer Erik Nelson said, "Everyone in the country is focused on the death penalty debate again thanks to Rick Perry and the bloodthirsty yahoos at the Republican debate, and I think Werner wants the film to be part of that discussion because timing is everything."
After a theatrical release, the film will be shown on Investigation Discovery, who provided the film's financing.
Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog Stipetić , known as Werner Herzog, is a German film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and opera director.He is often considered as one of the greatest figures of the New German Cinema, along with Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Margarethe von Trotta, Volker Schlöndorff, Werner...
about two men convicted of a triple homicide which occurred in Conroe, Texas
Conroe, Texas
Conroe is a suburban city 40 miles north of Houston in the gulf coastal plains/piney woods region of southeast Texas.It is the seat of Montgomery County and falls within the metropolitan area.As of the 2000 U.S...
. Michael Perry received a death sentence
Death Sentence
Death Sentence is a short story by the American science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the November 1943 issue of Astounding Science Fiction and reprinted in the 1972 collection The Early Asimov.-Plot summary:...
for the crime, and Jason Burkett received a life sentence. The film focuses on the two convicts and various people affected by the crime.
The film first showed on September 3, 2011, at the Telluride Film Festival
Telluride Film Festival
The Telluride Film Festival was started in 1974 by Bill and Stella Pence, Tom Luddy and Jim Card in the town of Telluride, Colorado, United States. It is operated by the National Film Preserve....
, and its official world premiere on September 8, 2011, at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival
2011 Toronto International Film Festival
The 36th annual Toronto International Film Festival, was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 8 and September 18, 2011.Buenos Aires, Argentina was selected to be showcased for the 2011 City to City programme. The opening film was From the Sky Down, a documentary film about the band...
. After strong festival showings and a surge of interest in the issue capital punishment in America, Herzog requested that the film be rushed to a general theatrical release, scheduled for November 11, 2011.
Synopsis
The film profiles Michael Perry, a man on death rowDeath row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
convicted of a triple homicide which occurred in Conroe, Texas
Conroe, Texas
Conroe is a suburban city 40 miles north of Houston in the gulf coastal plains/piney woods region of southeast Texas.It is the seat of Montgomery County and falls within the metropolitan area.As of the 2000 U.S...
, and his accomplice Jason Burkett. Perry was convicted ten years earlier of the murders, apparently committed in order to steal a car for a joyride. Perry denies that he was principally responsible for the killings, blaming Burkett, who also appears in the film. Burkett, who received a lesser life sentence for his involvement, likewise blames Perry.
Perry's final interviews for the film were recorded only 8 days before his execution on July 1, 2010. The film also includes interviews with victims' families and law enforcement officers.
Burkett's wife appears in the film, a free woman who met and married Burkett after his conviction. Their only allowed contact has been holding hands under guarded supervision, but she claims to be pregnant with his child.
The film does not focus on Perry's guilt or innocence, and has a minimal amount of narration, with Herzog, unlike in many of his films, never appearing onscreen.
Production
Herzog had long considered making a film about prison inmates. In fact, Herzog at age 17 had intended to make his first film about the maximum security Straubing prison in Bavaria. This concept was never realized, but the idea remained dormant until Into the Abyss decades later.The film is financed by American cable TV channel Investigation Discovery, who gave Herzog financing and great creative freedom.
The film went through several working titles during its production. For a time it was called simply "Death Row", and this was later elaborated to "Gazing Into The Abyss: A Tale of Death, A Tale Of Life". The television broadcast of the film has been referred to as "Werner Herzog’s Final Confessions". By August 2011, when its premier at TIFF was announced, the title was changed to "Into the Abyss".
Herzog originally planned and shot profiles of five death row
Death row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
inmates in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. Included were two men convicted of triple homicides, another man who was convicted of killing his girlfriend and her two mentally-handicapped sons, and one of 10 women on Texas' death row. After production began, Herzog decided to focus on Perry's case.
The film was in production during promotion for Herzog's previous film Cave of Forgotten Dreams
Cave of Forgotten Dreams
Cave of Forgotten Dreams is a 2010 3-D documentary film by Werner Herzog, about the Chauvet Cave in southern France. The film premiered at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival and consists of footage filmed inside the cave as well as interviews with various scientists and historians...
. Herzog missed a special screening of Cave at the Berlinale festival because an opportunity to film one of his subjects arose suddenly.
Release and distribution
The film's premiere was on September 2011 at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival2011 Toronto International Film Festival
The 36th annual Toronto International Film Festival, was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 8 and September 18, 2011.Buenos Aires, Argentina was selected to be showcased for the 2011 City to City programme. The opening film was From the Sky Down, a documentary film about the band...
. The film was often portrayed as being one among several "hot-button political documentaries" at the festival. Herzog, however, has stated that he has no political intentions with the film. Herzog states at the film's outset that he opposes capital punishment
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
, but he has said that his "focus is elsewhere" in the film. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, he said, "This is not an issue film; it's not an activist film against capital punishment", and "yes, it has an issue, but it's not the main purpose of the film."
Before the film's festival premiere, North American theatrical distribution rights were bought by Sundance Selects. In October 2011, Sundance Selects announced that the film would be rushed to a theatrical release, opening in select cities on November 11, 2011. In recent months there had been controversies over American capital punishment in the case of Troy Davis
Troy Davis
Troy Davis is a Canadian Football League running back who is currently a free agent. He is best known for being the first NCAA Division I-A running back to rush for over 2,000 yards in back to back seasons while at Iowa State...
and the cheers for Rick Perry
Rick Perry
James Richard "Rick" Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. A Republican, Perry was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1998 and assumed the governorship in December 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become President of the United States. Perry was elected to full...
's execution record in a Republican primary debate
Republican Party (United States) presidential debates, 2012
The 2012 United States Republican Party presidential debates are a series of political debates being held, prior to the 2012 Republican primaries, among candidates for the Republican presidential nomination in the national election of 2012...
.
The early release was demanded by Herzog himself, who wanted his film to contribute to this new national discussion of the death penalty. Producer Erik Nelson said, "Everyone in the country is focused on the death penalty debate again thanks to Rick Perry and the bloodthirsty yahoos at the Republican debate, and I think Werner wants the film to be part of that discussion because timing is everything."
After a theatrical release, the film will be shown on Investigation Discovery, who provided the film's financing.