Murder at Harvard(2003)
Inspired by a book by acclaimed historian Simon Schama, Murder at Harvard uses a combination of film-noir drama and present-day documentary footage to tell the true tale of one of the most notorious American crimes of the 19th century. Grappling with frustrating gaps in the historical record, Schama assumes the role of a time-travelling detective who takes an unusual step for an historian and imagines how certain scenes and encounters might have played out. "Maybe I thought what I was after was not a literal documentary truth," Schama tells us, "but a poetic truth — an imaginative truth — and for that I was going to have to become my own Resurrection man. I was going to have to make these characters live again."
Movie: Murder at Harvard
Top 1 Billed Cast
HomePage
Overview
Inspired by a book by acclaimed historian Simon Schama, Murder at Harvard uses a combination of film-noir drama and present-day documentary footage to tell the true tale of one of the most notorious American crimes of the 19th century. Grappling with frustrating gaps in the historical record, Schama assumes the role of a time-travelling detective who takes an unusual step for an historian and imagines how certain scenes and encounters might have played out. "Maybe I thought what I was after was not a literal documentary truth," Schama tells us, "but a poetic truth — an imaginative truth — and for that I was going to have to become my own Resurrection man. I was going to have to make these characters live again."
Release Date
2003-07-14
Average
0
Rating:
0.0 startsTagline
Genres
Languages:
EnglishKeywords
Recommendations Movies
The Menendez Brothers(en)
Serving life in prison for murdering their parents, Lyle and Erik Menendez speak out in this documentary explaining the shocking crime and ensuing trials.
Strong Island(en)
Examining the violent death of the filmmaker’s brother and the judicial system that allowed his killer to go free, this documentary interrogates murderous fear and racialized perception, and re-imagines the wreckage in catastrophe’s wake, challenging us to change.
The Killing of America(en)
A documentary of the decline of America, composed of archival material and exclusive footage, carnage, madness, and mayhem with an unapologetic sincerity on the factual depiction of violence in the industrialized nation of the United States. Featuring a juxtaposition of detailed accounts of terrible acts, brutal behavior, and interviews from experts and convicted killers alike.
Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror(en)
Delving into a century of genre films that by turns utilized, caricatured, exploited, sidelined, and finally embraced them, this is the untold history of black Americans in Hollywood through their connection to the horror genre.
Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger(en)
A documentary that captures the sensational trial of infamous gangster James 'Whitey' Bulger, using the legal proceedings as a springboard to explore allegations of corruption within the highest levels of law enforcement. Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Joe Berlinger examines Bulger's relationship with the FBI and Department of Justice that allowed him to reign over a criminal empire in Boston for decades.
Killing Lincoln(en)
April 14, 1865. One gunshot. One assassin hell-bent on killing a tyrant, as he charged the 16th President of the United States. And in one moment, our nation was forever changed. This is the most dramatic and resonant crime in American history—the true story of the killing of Abraham Lincoln.
Wormwood(en)
In this genre-bending tale, Errol Morris explores the mysterious death of a U.S. scientist entangled in a secret Cold War program known as MK-Ultra.
Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal(en)
An examination that goes beyond the celebrity-driven headlines and dives into the methods used by Rick Singer, the man at the center of the shocking 2019 college admissions scandal, to persuade his wealthy clients to cheat an educational system already designed to benefit the privileged.
Gilbert(en)
The life and career of one of comedy's most inimitable modern voices, Mr. Gilbert Gottfried.
American Animals(en)
Lexington, Kentucky, 2004. Four young men attempt to execute one of the most audacious art heists in the history of the United States.
Voyeur(en)
Legendary journalist Gay Talese unmasks a motel owner who spied on his guests for decades. But his bombshell story soon becomes a scandal of its own.
All the Empty Rooms(en)
A journalist and a photographer set out to memorialize the bedrooms left behind by children killed in school shootings.
Long Shot(en)
When Juan Catalan is arrested for a murder he insists he didn't commit, he builds his case for innocence around unexpected raw footage.
In the Realms of the Unreal(en)
In the Realms of the Unreal is a documentary about the reclusive Chicago-based artist Henry Darger. Henry Darger was so reclusive that when he died his neighbors were surprised to find a 15,145-page manuscript along with hundreds of paintings depicting The Story of the Vivian Girls, in What is Known as the Realms of the Unreal, of the Glodeco-Angelinnian War Storm, Cased by the Child Slave Rebellion.
The Crash Reel(en)
The Crash Reel tells the story of a sport and the risks that athletes face in reaching the pinnacle of their profession. This is Kevin Pearce’s story, a celebrated snowboarder who sustained a brain injury in a trick gone wrong and who now aims, against all the odds, to get back on the snow.
Ted Bundy: Mind of a Monster(en)
New exclusive access and never before heard testimony gives a unique insight into the mind of America's most notorious serial killer, Ted Bundy. Breathtaking archive from the time and the voice of Bundy himself, reveals the monster inside the man.
O.J.: Made in America(en)
A chronicle of the rise and fall of O.J. Simpson, whose high-profile murder trial exposed the extent of American racial tensions, revealing a fractured and divided nation.
No Half Measures: Creating the Final Season of Breaking Bad(en)
A documentary about the making of season five of the acclaimed AMC series Breaking Bad.
Avatar: Creating the World of Pandora(en)
The Making-of James Cameron's Avatar. It shows interesting parts of the work on the set.
Similar Movies
Acts of Violence(en)
A riveting expose about the personalities of murderers and their motives. This 72 minute film covers the McDonalds' restaurant massacre, President Reagan's assassination attempt, serial murderer Henry Lee Lucas and others.
The John Wayne Gacy Murders: Life and Death in Chicago(en)
Summaries "The John Wayne Gacy Murders: Life and Death in Chicago", Focuses on serial killer John Wayne Gacy's time in Chicago and includes information about Gacy's childhood, his career of crime in Waterloo, Iowa, and Gacy's becoming a celebrity in prison. Containing interviews with Chicago attorneys, news reporters, law enforcement officers, and history experts, the film illustrates what the atmosphere was like in Chicago when Gacy was murdering and ultimately apprehended. Gacy's time in prison as a celebrity serial killer is also explored in this groundbreaking film by Chicago native filmmaker John Borowski. —John Borowski
Murder: No Apparent Motive(en)
This documentary about serial killers and FBI Behavioral Sciences profilers features interviews with Ed Kemper and Ted Bundy as well as crime victims and law enforcement officials. The film includes some dramatic recreations.
Strong Island(en)
Examining the violent death of the filmmaker’s brother and the judicial system that allowed his killer to go free, this documentary interrogates murderous fear and racialized perception, and re-imagines the wreckage in catastrophe’s wake, challenging us to change.
An American Tragedy(en)
Jeffrey Ferguson has been on death row for 26 years. Now he has just one hour left before he is put to death. Would you forgive the man who killed your daughter?
Ellis Island, une histoire du rêve américain(fr)
In 1892, Ellis Island, in New York Bay, became the main gateway to the United States for immigrants arriving increasingly from Europe. The story of immigration to the United States from 1892 to 1954, an enthralling polyphonic narrative that embraces both small and great history.
His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th(en)
A retrospective documentary about the groundbreaking horror series, Friday the 13th, featuring interviews with cast and crew from the twelve films spanning 3 decades.
Killing Michael Jackson(en)
Interviews with the detectives involved in investigating the global star, Michael Jackson’s, death. They reveal fascinating insights into the events surrounding the day he died.
Becky Watts Killed for Kicks(en)
The story behind the murder of 16-year-old Becky Watts, who was killed by her stepbrother Nathan Matthews and his 21-year-old partner Shauna Hoare in Bristol in February 2015. This programme documents the huge police manhunt that unfolded in the wake of her disappearance, and the police investigation which eventually brought her murderous stepbrother to justice.
Black Box BRD(de)
Black Box BRD steps back into German history, showing the Federal Republic of Germany of the 70s and 80s. The country is polarized due to the power struggle of the German state and the "Red Army Faction". Society is torn, the fronts are irreconcilable. The life stories of both Wolfgang Grams and Alfred Herrhausen are tragically linked to this era. Grams is the one who takes up arms for moral rigor; Herrhausen however seizes power and dies when powerful.
The Idaho Student Murders(en)
When four University of Idaho coeds are brutally stabbed to death, brilliant criminology student Bryan Kohberger is accused of their murders.
Explorer: Lost in the Arctic(en)
Sir John Franklin set off from England in 1845 with two ships and 129 men to be the first to navigate the Northwest Passage, a new trade route over the top of the world, when Franklin’s ships vanished without a trace. Now, a team of explorers attempts to solve the mystery by retracing Franklin’s route in search of his long-lost tomb.
Untold: The Murder of Air McNair(en)
Steve McNair was an NFL legend whose life was seemingly cut short by a crime of passion. Is there more to this chilling tragedy than meets the eye?
The Thin Blue Line(en)
This unique documentary dramatically re-enacts the crime scene and investigation of a police officer's murder in Dallas.
Rainy in Glenageary(en)
An experimental true crime documentary based on the unsolved murder of Raonaid Murray, a 17-year-old Irish girl, which achieved nationwide attention during the 2000s.
Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father(en)
In 2001, Andrew Bagby, a medical resident, is murdered not long after breaking up with his girlfriend. Soon after, when she announces she's pregnant, one of Andrew's many close friends, Kurt Kuenne, begins this film, a gift to the child.
Faces of Death III(en)
Gory real-life footage of blood and guts on the German Autobahn, drug smugglers getting blown away, a parachutist landing in a crocodile pit, torture and murder in El Salvador, a PCP addict getting stoned, a videotaped rape/murder, a car thief getting ripped apart by two junkyard dogs, and much more.
Hyde Park Corner(en)
Film made at Hyde Park Corner in 1896 by an unknown filmmaker. It looks south west across Grosvenor Place. The southern wing of St George's Hospital (today the Lanesborough Hotel) can be seen on the right of the picture. The road stretching away in the centre of the picture is Grosvenor Crescent. The busy two way horsedrawn traffic movement is seen on what would today be Grosvenor Place and Apsley Way (the road layout now is different to 1896). The approximate camera position would be today on Apsley Way, just east of the Royal Artillery Memorial. Not to be confused with another Hyde Park Corner film by British Pathé made in the same year but with a different view. (That film looks north towards the triumphal arch at the corner of Hyde Park next to Apsley House.)