The Manson Family (film)

The Manson Family
The Manson Family
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Jim Van Bebber
Written by	Jim Van Bebber
Produced by	Carl Daft; David Gregory; Mike King; Jim Van Bebber
Starring	Marcelo Games; Marc Pitman; Leslie Orr
Cinematography	Mike King
Edited by	Michael Capone; Jim Van Bebber
Music by	Philip Anselmo; Ross Karpelman
Production; company	Mercury Films
Distributed by	Dinsdale Releasing (Theatrical); Dark Sky Films; MPI Home Video (DVD)
Release dates	August 23, 2003 (London); October 22, 2004 (US);
Running time	95 minutes; 84 minutes (R-rated cut)
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$19,140

The Manson Family is a 2003 American crime drama film. The film covers the lives of Charles Manson and his "family" of followers.

Overview

The Manson Family is a cross between fictional story and documentary, overseeing the crimes of The Manson Family as led by Charlie Manson. The fictional story centers on a Crime Scene-esque TV series of the same name and its host, Jack Wilson (Carl Day). It is filmed in semi-experimental style and focuses on the early days of the Spahn Ranch including Manson's attempts to record a music album, and the Manson family crimes, with little emphasis on courtroom drama regarding the trial, although some scenes depict Manson's followers outside the courthouse.

Cast

Marcello Games as Charlie Manson
Marc Pitman as Tex Watson
Leslie Orr as Patty Krenwinkel
Maureen Allisse as Sadie Atkins
Amy Yates as Leslie Van Houten
Jim Van Bebber as Bobby
Tom Burns as Clem Grogan
Michelle Briggs as Linda Kasabian
Sherri Rickman as Snake
Nate Pennington as Shorty
Carl Day as Jack Wilson
Corral Day as Franklin Riley

Production

The film had a long and troubled production history. Director Jim Van Bebber personally financed the production starting in 1988, and then continued to shoot it sporadically on weekends and off days.

Despite support from various people, including members of the band Skinny Puppy, who provided a musical score (in the form of Download's Charlie's Family album) that was released separately years before the film itself, the film remained incomplete. It screened on video as a work-in-progress at a number of film festivals during that time.

In 2004, Dark Sky Films stepped in with the funds to finish the film properly, and it has since been released theatrically and on home video.

Phil Anselmo of Pantera, Down, and Superjoint Ritual provided his voice as Satan.

Classification

Despite not being banned in any country in the world, it is classified harshly in almost all countries of the world due to its graphic violence and sexuality.

List of Classifications
Country	Classification
United States	R^[a]
United Kingdom	18
Australia	R18+
New Zealand	R18
Norway	18

Reception

The Manson Family received mixed to positive reviews; the film currently holds a 68% 'Fresh' rating on review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes.^[1]

Notes

^ An unrated version is available in the United States, running an extra 11 minutes (95 minutes) to the R-rated cut (84 minutes).

References

^ The Manson Family at Rotten Tomatoes

External links

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The Manson Family at IMDb
The Manson Family at AllMovie
The Manson Family at Box Office Mojo
The Manson Family at Rotten Tomatoes

[1] An unrated version is available in the United States, running an extra 11 minutes (95 minutes) to the R-rated cut (84 minutes).

[2] The Manson Family at Rotten Tomatoes

[a]

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