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| Guyana: Crime of the Century - Cult of the Damned |  | Director: Jr. René Cardona
Actors: Jennifer Ashley, Gene Barry, Erika Carlson, Joseph Cotten, Yvonne De Carlo
Studio: Vci Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $5.99
Buy New: $2.91
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Seller: moviemars
Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 77,764
Format: Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 115 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: UTED8399D
UPC: 089859839924
EAN: 0089859839924
ASIN: B000751462
Theatrical Release Date: 1980
Release Date: February 15, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Reverend james johnson the priest of an independent church in guyana in south america orders his followers to suicide. But not all follow him blindly and begin to think on their own.. Studio: Video Communications Inc. Release Date: 04/24/2007 Run time: 90 minutes
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 9
 Fantastic, soft-spoken actors, human underlying action January 31, 2009
Pork Chop (Lisbon, Portugal)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Guyana: Crime of the Century (1979) featuring the actors Stuart
Whitman playing the Rev. Jim Jones, and Gene Barry as
Congressman Leo Ryan (among others) is a professional, non-juvenile
treatment of the astonishing events in Guyana from the 1970's that
made international headlines.
The film is wide-screen, tastefully accompanied with music, and
well edited, though lacking subtitles.
The humanity of the film is enhanced by the multicultural
composition of the members all towing the line.
Fast forward over 30 years later, and today sometimes people hear
the quip of "drinking the Kool-Aid", suggesting a gullible
person.
The film starts out in the USA, with Jim Jones in Indianopolis,
mentoring members of his cult in his interpretation of age-old
texts, with a constant emphassis in the imperfection of the
day-to-day world, the weaknesses and failings of people in the USA
in juxtaposition with the perfection of another world, a utopia
that Jones calls the Eden. Already, Jones is keen in setting an
example or an ideal for the world to follow, of "purity" and
"devotion", guaranteeing his success in his line of work, in his
mind, as a preacher.
Still in the USA, suspicion of a stranglehold over followers is the
case, as suggestions are made that members cannot leave once
they've joined the organization, comprising 30,000 members.
The film depicts punishment techniques for misbehaviors of various
kinds, that are no longer accepted in today's civilized society
(snakes, water wells, whip.)
The camp finally comprised approx. 1,000 members, in Guyana.
Realistically, such a camp cannot exist in isolation, not when the
world has so many citizens around the world. As such Jones is
shown relying on an Amateur /Ham radio to communicate yet pressured
to give it up, by the FCC, for a regular form of transmission.
The movie management pressures of various sorts, including income
tax lapses, charitable contributions and non-standard payments
received in the form of social security and welfare payments from
the US, for example, on which the organization depends all the
while there existing an agricultural production from field work.
Obviously, the mass media is tremendously important in managing the
message between the camp and the outside world, and is a constant
struggle, namely at the time of a 10 person Congressial visit to
the camp investigating the operations of the settlement.
Jones micro-manages his flock, convincing himself that they cannot
subsist without him, literally, in the form of personal direction,
advice and lectures: "These people are mine ! " he says.
Jones apparently fathered a number of babies in the camp.
Jones' health is shown to impoverish (perhaps from the intake of
Valium, Quaaludes and similar ) accelerating his dream of "taking
out" the lives of his followers with Kool-Aid, comprised of similar
substances but laced with potassium cyanide and chloride - the
ritual having been practiced over a number of months earlier, in
preparation for the final moment.
The final revelation is heard as Jones justifies his decision by
recalling that historically, what he's decided has been done in the
past many times by various peoples, he says, that have faced
trials and tribulations that were not solvable, thereby requiring a
dignified self-putting down.
Jones assures everyone that "they're free at last!", meeting again
in another time and place, that it was good, a friend, a good
outcome for everyone.
 Possibly worst movie ever? December 16, 2008
Frankie G (Burlington, NC USA)
Guyana: Crime of the Century - Cult of the DamnedTerrible movie! Bad acting, bad directing! Character of "Jim Jones" not even close!! This "Jim Jones" was always angry in this movie -- over the top angry! This character could NEVER have commanded such a following. I should have been clued in when they changed the peoples' names and the name of the "Temple" to protect who????????? I destroyed the disk and used the case. It was more valuable. A much better choice would be "Guyana Tragedy." This movie was much better in all respects!!!
 Unfairly maligned November 29, 2008
One of the Dead
"Guyana, Crime of the Century" was produced shortly after the actual Jonestown suicide and murder news hit the airwaves. I saw it in an 'R' rated 90 minute version in theaters under teh title "Guyana, Cult of the Damned." That version was a heavily edited cut from Rene Cardona's original nearly two-hour edit, but it contained all the stronger material from the longer version. This includes a graphic scene in which a man is ripped apart by a train, a teen who gets his genitals seared by an electric cattle-prod and a couple of additional scenes featuring sex and nudity.
While some may call these sequences typical 'over the top' Cardona, they aren't as exploitational as they may appear. Cardona obviously had access to material that would never surface until the books were released, especially "Raven," because these horrific scenes are based on real events. In fact, if "Raven" ever became a movie and the script stuck to just about everything in the book, we would have one of the most graphic and disturbing films in history; practically guaranteed to get an NC-17 rating. In reality, Cardona's verison could have been far more violent and explicit, especially the scene in which the Congressman, members of the media and many of the temple defectors are killed on the runway. Cardona's version of this brutal act was actually 'softer' than the one produced for TV.
Am I saying that Cardona's version is a great piece of movie-making? Hardly. Is it better than the Tv mini-series? No. But is it more truthful than people want to believe or accept? Absolutely. Unfortunately there are numerous inaccuracies in how the events that led up to the mass suicide, the suicide itself and the afternath, are depicted.
VCI's DVD looks pretty good, but unfortunately it is neither the original 'R' rated short version or Cardona's cut. It is instead a heavily censored cut that was probably created for Television. At one time there was a Japanese import version of this film on DVD. It is the complete uncut print, with a decent transfer. I would say that it is extremely difficult to find now.
Oh The Humanity: This Was Bad October 30, 2007
Decatur Redd (Decatur,GA)
I first watched Guyana: Crime of the Century back in the early 90's when Guyana Tragedy:The Jim Jones Story(Powers Boothe) was getting lots of airplay. I was convinced then as a high school kid as I am now that in comparison/contrast to other attempts to dramatize and explore the Jonestown Massacre of Novemeber '78...the stale acting, painfully predictable plots, senseless/purposeless/overexaggerated acts of violence, and the rediculously uncreative attempts to change the names of the "innocent"(ie, Alla Kazan) leave viewers with little more than a makeshift horror/docudrama/exploitation film based on the Jonestown Massacre, little to no nutritional value, and based on little to no fact.
This production is everything that the better film, Guyana Tragedy:The Jim Jones story, is not. While Guyana Tragedy detailed Jim Jones' life and progression from evangelism and humanitarianism into drug addiction, paranoia, and insanity...Crime of the Century comes off as a stale, innacurate attempt to scare people out of their wits(and money)...a bad horror film as opposed to a docudrama as "James Johnson" is "led by God" to lead his flock to paradise. A keeper only because the movie picks up(and parallels the historical account of the Jonestown Massacre) during the last 40-50 minutes of the film...which features the Congressman and the press's visit, the cover-up, the notes, the stabbing of the Congressman as he was rallying defectors for a return to the U.S., culminating with a chilling recreation of mass cuicide/murder,reminscent of the news footage following the massacre...but that's only enough to merit a star from me(considering the airstrip shooting had "Johnsontown" gunmen massacring defectors on the airstrip while armed Guyanese officers stood in plain sight and just watched...get real) . I strongly recommend Guyana Tragedy:The Jim Jones Story and Jonestown:The Life & Death of the People's Temple over this one(or purchase all 3 if you're as big a completist as I am). Peace & prayers to the families and friends of those affected by this tragedy.
RIPP OFF, NOT THE UNEDITED VERSION!!!! September 12, 2007
William C. Stanton
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This movie has parts cut out of it, don't waste your money on this inferior product!!!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 9
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