In retrospect, the Manson family murders really only make sense within the context of the late 60s. While other instances of serial homicide could have occurred at virtually any point in modern history (could most people name the year that Ted Bundy or John Wayne Gacy were caught?), the Manson murders were emblematic of the more pessimistic potential outcome of the social upheavals of the 60s. The overthrow of conventional power structures allowed for the liberation of previously suppressed voices, but it also opened up the gates for various delusional sociopaths to implement their utopian visions on legions of wayward, open-minded youth. Manson recognizes the unique implications of its lead character’s historical legacy, and allows for that to define its characterization of him and his ‘family’, which speaks largely to the credit of the documentary, and sets it above other cable-produced documentaries on serial homicide.
Narrated largely from the perspective of Linda Kasabian, one of the many lost, unhappy housewives who abandoned their repressive marriages in search of a road less traveled. Like so many of them, she headed to southern California, where the hippie promise of freedom blended nicely with Hollywood’s promise of fame, where she first encountered the Manson family (who lived out on a secluded ranch which had formerly been a Hollywood movie set), and then Manson himself. With his long hair, his guitar, and his lifestyle which seemed to respect no preconceived boundaries of behavior or belief, Manson’s community represented an alluring alternative to Kasabian. Slowly, however, the dynamics of the community started to shift from open and accepting to ingrown and warped, and Manson revealed more frustrated and angry sides of himself, before finally…aw, you know the rest.
With few exceptions, the documentary never leaves the perspective of Kasabian (with prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi and Deborah Tate providing worthwhile commentary). While this makes the title somewhat misleading (there is never any attempt to get ‘inside the mind’ of Charles Manson as so many prior documentaries have done), it provides some well-needed perspective onto the family that has been generally lacking in the media for some time now. Given her background, it’s really not too difficult to see how Kasabian needed a quick and radical change of direction in her life, or how, in the climate of the time, the more radical, the better. In its methodical depiction of the day-to-day life of the family,(a lot of drugs, a lot of sex, a lot of hanging around talking how Charles was the second coming of Christ), Manson demonstrates in clear and understandable terms how the real reason for sticking with the group gradually changed from allure to the fear of violent reprisal. By the time the murders happen, they feel as inevitable as the ending of Titanic not only because we knew that they had to be in there somewhere, but also because they feel like the logical conclusion of everything that has come before them. While our sympathy may not be fully engaged with Kasabian at the end of the film, we can at least relate to the basic emotions of anger, lust, and fear that motivated her and the rest of the family to do what they did (or to stand by and watch).
As a television documentary, Manson is just above average. The re-enactment performers are all capable without being exceptional (though Adam Wilson’s Manson is convincing enough), and the interviews all straddle the fine line between revealing and invasive. But as an account of the Manson family, it ranks as one of the better in recent memory, precisely because it seeks to be a historical documentary as opposed to one about serial killers. We may not be able to understand Manson himself any better at the end of this documentary, but we are at least able to understand the people and the era that gave him power and prominence.
DVD Bonus Features
None.
"Manson" is on sale September 29, 2009 and is rated NR. Documentary. Directed by Neil Rawles. Written by Matthew Broughton. Starring Linda Kasabian.
