Wisconsin Death Trip (film)

Wisconsin Death Trip
DVD cover (2004)
Directed by	James Marsh
Produced by	James Marsh Maureen A. Ryan
Screenplay by	James Marsh
Based on	Wisconsin Death Trip (book, 1973) by Michael Lesy
Narrated by	Ian Holm
Music by	DJ Shadow John Cale
Cinematography	Eigil Bryld
Edited by	Jinx Godfrey
Production company	Cinemax BBC Arena
Release dates	September 5, 1999 (Telluride)
Running time	76 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Wisconsin Death Trip is a 1999 American black-and-white and color docudrama film written and directed by James Marsh, based on the 1973 book of the same name by Michael Lesy. Original music for the film was composed by DJ Shadow, with original piano music for the closing credits by John Cale.

The film dramatizes the photographs by Charles Van Schaick found by in the early 1970s by Lesy, connected to a series of macabre incidents that took place in Black River Falls, Wisconsin in the late 19th century,^[1] and, in part, the film was shot on location there.^[2] Marsh makes use of silent black-and-white recreations with voice-over narration by Ian Holm^[1] contrasted with contemporary color footage of the area. The film's visual style was intended to carry the content of the film; as Marsh said:

I wanted to convey in the film the real pathos contained in a four line newspaper report that simultaneously records and dismisses the end of someone’s life.^[3]

Wisconsin Death Trip was presented on the BBC documentary series Arena in 2000.^[4]

Cast

Jo Vukelich as Mary Sweeney Marilyn White as Pauline L'Allemand Jeffrey Golden as The Newspaper Editor Marcus Monroe as Young Anderson John Schneider as Asylum Clerk John Baltes as Undertaker

Raeleen McMillion as Crying Woman Krista Grambow as Mourning Woman Clay Anton as Man of Eloping Couple Bobbie Jo Westphal as Woman of Eloping Couple Scott Hulbert as Pouch Zeke Dasho as Edgar L'Allemand

Awards and honors

Wisconsin Death Trip was nominated for two BAFTA Awards in 1999, and won the TV Award for Best Photography (Factual) for Eigil Bryld. The film also was nominated for a number of film festival awards.^[5]

References

1. "Synopsis" on Allmovie.com
2. "Filming Locations" on IMDB.com
3. "About" on the film's website
4. "Arena -Episodes by date" on Arena series website
5. "Awards" on IMDB.com

External links

• Wisconsin Death Trip at the Internet Movie Database
• Wisconsin Death Trip at the TCM Movie Database
• Wisconsin Death Trip at AllMovie