Wisconsin Death Trip

I first heard of the book this film is based on in 1977 (eeeps!) when I was studying American Literature. My prof recommended it when we were doing Hawthorne, I think. Despite finding the idea fascinating, when I had the chance to buy the book a couple of years later, I freaked out when browsing it, and tossed it like a hot potato. To what became my eternal regret. The film beautifully fills in the gaps of what small town American was like at the turn between the 19th and 20th century, a period which when I was growing up in NY (graduating class of '72) been idealized, as a simpler, cleaner, purer and happier time.

If you haven't read Wisconsin Death Trip, the remarkable photo document written and assembled by Michael Lesy, you may enjoy this sombre, Bergmanesque take on the travails of a small Midwestern town at the turn of the century. Marsh makes a halfhearted attempt to compare it to the same town in contemporary times, but the meat of the film is a juxtaposition of stills from Lesy's book with some frequently beautiful and well shot live action 'recreations'. If you know the book, seeing this film really isn't necessary.

Unapologetically dark. Unashamedly morbid and moody. This documentary offers an alternative, more realistic, depiction of American life at the turn of the twentieth century. Mundane elements of work, love, marriage, and simple existence in the American North are swept up in an undercurrent of darkness that reminds the viewer that history is not all presidents, education, and industry. This documentary offers both sides of life, not just the common, brightly lit portion that is outlined in popular media and historical documents. This is all not to say, however, that the film is oppressive or grotesque: accounts of insanity, murder, and tragedy are intermixed with elements of black humor and sarcasm. Well worth the hour-and-a-half running time.

I listened to an excellent interview of this film's producers upon its release and was really expecting great things (I grew up in Wisconsin in the mid '60s/early '70s and our Boy Scout Troop had many weekend outings in the Black River Falls area, where this film takes place). Terrific "real life" stories about the mysterious happenings and murders in and around this town are re~enacted in Errol Morris fashion, but the film never finds Morris' focus ~ instead, it makes a mish-mash of all of the interesting tales. After 30 minutes you've witnessed so many deaths and oddities in no order whatsoever, that if you're a smart viewer you begin to ask yourself "What is this film really trying to say?"... After 5 more minutes, the filmmakers have re~covered evey square inch of what the initial half~hour presented. Should have been better. Far better.

"Wisconsin Death Trip" Is a compilation of newspaper accounts from the Black River Falls area in the 1890s. The film delivers the facts along with glorious black and white photographs. Apparrently at the time, life had little value, and depression ran rampant. A nice assortment of calamities are covered including, irrational behavior (window smashing), suicides, dementia, a Diptheria epidemic, superstitions, murder, witchcraft, spirits, and lots of other depressing matters. Many perpetrators of these calamitous acts are dealt with by simply locking them away in the local insane asylum. The movie is loosely structured around crimes committed during the the four seasons. Though somewhat redundant, "Wisconsin death Trip" is also frequently fascinating. - MERK