Buy The Laramie Project on DVD

The Laramie Project

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Review

This HBO film started life as a stage play that was created by the Tectonic Theater Project of NYC as a way to document what happened in Laramie, WY after the death of Matthew Shephard. In October 1998, a very pretty young man, Matthew Shephard was beaten, tied to a fence and left to die simply because of his sexuality. While there have been thousands of gay bashings in the world, this one drew the attention of the media on Laramie, WY - some crass people actually labeling the town as the "hate capital of the world". The theater project went to Laramie armed with video cameras, tape recorders and an open mind, in an attempt to tell the world what was really happening there. Their play was first staged in February 2000 to great acclaim, not having seen the play we would have to assume that the film adheres to the play's basic structure.

The film is formed around the interviews that the theater company conducted with the town's residents. While the cast was uniformly first-rate, some stand-outs were Amy Madigan as officer Reggie Fluty, Dylan Baker and Clea DuVall. The use of such well-known actors as townspeople was a tad disconcerting, but the overall effect was still powerful and quite dramatic.

We found the production to be an emotional powerhouse... its point was delivered well and eloquently. Without any dramatic recreations or even an actor playing Matthew Shepard, we got the feeling of the raw brutally and hate of the crime, just from the interviews and court-room scene. The music was very Phillip Glass inspired and added to the overall feeling of elegance in this outstanding television film.

Scott Cranin

Product Format Information

DVD : $8.99

Availability: Usually ships in
5-10 days
Close Caption: Yes
Region Code: 1
UPC: 026359189722
Catalog #: DV1872662

Studio : HBO

Aspect Ratio: Widescreen, Pan & Scan
Features:
Audio commentary: with director Moises Kaufman and executive producer Ross Katz

Keywords

Civil Rights, Gay Men, Homophobia, Killers/Murder, Literary Adaptations, Not Quite Lesbian, Politics, Queer Politics, Rural Life/Country, Stage-to-Film, True Story

Genres

Drama

Customer Reviews

Remembering Matthew Shephard

Amos Lassen wrote on 12/26/2011:

I doubt that any of us will forget the terrible murder of Matthew Shephard. But one good thing came out of it and that was that it united out community much like the AIDS epidemic did. After Shephard was murdered, members of the New York Tectonic Theater Project went to Laramie, Wyoming and they wrote a play there that later became this movie (which was shown on HBO television). They based their play on the 200 interviews they conducted and then they re-enacted the chronology of the event—from Shephard’s visit to the bar, his kidnapping and bearing, his hospitalization, vigil, death, funeral and trial. The play takes real news reports and mixes them with actors portraying all of the people who were somehow involved in the entire event.
What we get is an emotional, moving and touching look of the crime and its aftermath. But we get something else as well. We learn that it is not good to sit silent, that we have a responsibility to live honestly and visibly. We realize that Matthew Shephard was no more special than anyone else and that is what makes his story so important. It could have been any of us. “The Laramie Project” reminds us that freedom is precious and important and that we live in a country that is basically Puritan.
The entire Shephard affair was a horrible, horrendous stain on America. “The Laramie Project” is a strange film that boasts a wonderful cast. It is at times gut-wrenching and it is very real. There is a good deal said about the nature of intolerance and this is so important. It is a movie that must be seen and heeded so that something like this can never happen again.