Wisconsin Death Trip (film)

Wisconsin Death Trip
Wisconsin Death Trip
	DVD cover (2004)
Directed by	James Marsh
Screenplay by	James Marsh
Based on	Wisconsin Death Trip (book, 1973) by Michael Lesy
Produced by	James Marsh; Maureen A. Ryan
Narrated by	Ian Holm
Cinematography	Eigil Bryld
Edited by	Jinx Godfrey
Music by	DJ Shadow; John Cale
Production; companies	Cinemax; BBC Arena
Release date	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 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
Debra Sommi as Servant Girl
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]