On Sun, 11 Feb 1996, Sean Desilets wrote:
 
> I had a problem, in short, with the whole
> flashback sequence
 
And even that was a cop-out in the sense that the flashback sequence revealed
that the Penn charecter was the lesser evil of the two convicted killers, in
that his killing the boy was motivated by a pragmatism due to the fear
that the boy's screams would possibly bring help.
 
Why not have the Penn charecter responable for both deaths? Because than
you would compromise any chance of audience empathy? Robbin's could have
certainly raised the stakes by allowing the Penn charecter to be less of a
victim himself. The thesis regarding the disproportionate number of
economically disadvantaged (along w/people of color) on death room is not
compromised by having Penn being held to a greater degree of moral
accountability. The question of the inappropriateness of the death penality
should not be contingent upon wither or not the death-row convict is
"sympathetic".
 
 
In a trival aside. It is interesting to note the prison's priest was
played by Scott Wilson (Richard Hitchcock) who was Robert Blake's (Perry
Smith) co-star in IN COLD BLOOD which also dealt with death-row inmates
and a flash-back narrative structure. Although I'm willing to argue that
IN COLD BLOOD was a much better film than DEAD MAN and a very underrated
one at that.  Was Robbin's paying homage? The Dennis Quaid/Meg Ryan film
FLESH AND BLOOD also used a flash-back narrative/ IN COLD BLOOD
references and Scott Wilson cameo.  The plot thickens.
 
                                             Christian Doellner
                                             U of Illinois
 
----
To signoff SCREEN-L, e-mail [log in to unmask] and put SIGNOFF SCREEN-L
in the message.  Problems?  Contact [log in to unmask]