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Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones (1980)
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Synopsis
This two-part TV movie was, of course, sparked by the November 1978 mass suicide of 913 people at the South American religious "colony" of Jonestown. The catalyst for this tragedy was cult-leader Reverend Jim Jones (played by
Powers Boothe
, who won an Emmy for his performance), head of the so-called People's Temple. The film traces the life of Jones from his days as an idealistic 1960s activist. He drifts into penny-ante confidence scams and bed-hops from woman to woman, before electing to pass himself off as a modern messiah--eventually believing his own feverish sermons. The climactic scenes are chillingly staged in a near-documentary fashion, with Puerto Rico and Georgia substituting for Guyana.
Ned Beatty
plays the ill-fated Representative Leo Ryan, while
James Earl Jones
has a cameo as 1930s religious-leader Father Divine; most of the other main characters are composites of real people. Originally broadcast April 15 and 16, 1980, The Guyana Tragedy was adapted by Ernest Tidyman from the Washington
Post
and Charles A. Krause's Guyana Massacre: An Eyewitness Account. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Cast
Ned Beatty
Congressman Ryan
Powers Boothe
Jim Jones
LeVar Burton
Richard
Veronica Cartwright
Rosalind Cash
Brad Dourif
Michael Gwynne
James Earl Jones
Father Div
James Earl Jones
Father Divine
Randy Quaid
Clayton Richie
Brenda Vaccaro
Irene Cara
Production Crew
Gil Hubbs
Cinematographer
Elmer Bernstein
Composer (Music Score)
William A. Graham
Director
Ernest Tidyman
Screenwriter
Year: 1980
Runtime: 240
Country: USA
MPAA Rating:
Category: Feature
Genre
Drama
Produced by
Konigsberg Company
© 2009 Spout LLC. Portions of content provided by All Movie Guide.