NoirFan

Just finished watching the American Experience documentary on Jonestown and I must say it was one of the most haunting, mesmerizing TV programs I have ever seen. The interviews with the survivors are amazing, and extremely emotional. Did anyone else manage to catch this?

Quatermass

I saw it several months ago when it originally aired and thought it was great, as are most of the American Experience shows. If you want, you can download the entire "Jonestown death tape" audio recording at
http://www.archive.org/details/ptc1978-11-18.flac16

Graftenberg

It can also be found on youtube.

movieking

Is it going to be on again anytime soon? I'd love to see it.

Jadzia

I would like to see it also.

I remember seeing a TV movie about Jonestown when I was a kid (Powers Boothe played Jim Jones) and it scared the shit out of me.

Quatermass

The website for it is here:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/jonesto...ore/index.html
but it doesn't seem to have any current information as to when it will be on again - it probably is a "check local listings" situation. There are some "bonus materials" on there.

dhmac

Yeah, that was a pretty amazing American Experience episode. I didn't know just how impressive (at least on the surface) the Jonestown settlement was until I saw this. And I'm old enough to remember when this happened - the breaking news about the congressman being shot at... then later the news that he was dead... then later the news about the whole massacre. It still is a mystery why Jim Jones did it just because some people wanted to leave - most of the people would've still been there even if he let anyone who wanted to leave go.

dvd-4-life

Is this different than the PBS documentary that is available on dvd?

NoirFan

Looks like they are on and the same. Sorry, thought this was a newish episode, didn't realize it was a couple of years old. For anyone in Massachusetts, its airing again this Saturday night at 2 AM on channel 2. Gotta Netflix that Powers Boothe flick now.

Sparrow

This documentary grabbed my attention and refused to let go until the credits. I find it difficult to describe, but knowing what happens to the majority of the congregation, I was completely focused in on Jim Jones.

I also saw the Powers Booth telefilm from the '80s when it was first broadcast and would like to see that again. I saw a preorder once for this, so I'll check out Netflix. I believe Powers Booth won an Emmy for the performance, it was a very powerful performance

Jadzia

I was googling this earlier and I was struck by this photograph. The sign is just chilling.

gatoinfeliz

Sorry to bump a yearlong thread but I am just finished with 2 documentaries on the massacre on MSNBC and a newer one on CNN. Truly mesmerizing and chilling stuff. What gets to me is that by all accounts Jim Jones' congregation appeared to be like any other church (in the beginning anyways) and just turned into that disturbing cult-like thing and how many people were able to drop their lives and move all the way to South America on the behest of this one man. Who's to say this couldn't possibly happen again. The sign above my post says it all. It's no wonder I have always felt a certain type of dread with organized religions.

wmansir

Jim Jones and Jonestown was less about religion and more about communism/socialism. Jones admitted to being atheist and estimated 90% of his followers were atheists.

Nth Power

That's a really good doc. I never even knew about the congressman getting killed until I saw it.

Lone Wolf

i think its out of print but there's a book called Awake In A Nightmare about one of the survivors. I read it in high school but I remember it being a good read. It was about a black heroin addict. The only reason he got on the bus with the church was to get clean. He was hiding under a porch when everything went down in Jonestown.