The Case of the Manacled Mormon

[_Blixa]

Thanks Jack. I found your review quite interesting. I like Errol Morris a great deal and I did appreciate the particular direction he took with regards to McKinney's reliability: in the absence of any input from Kirk Anderson, Morris just gives McKinney enough rope to hang herself again and again.

I actually enjoyed the use of the Godmaker's cartoon footage because it is completely on par with the kind of story McKinney herself is telling. In fact, I think it is almost a perfect metaphor for her understanding of things. BUT, I do realize that I see this from a vantage which can archly appreciate the footage as irony, not a point of view the average film goer would share. So, I agree a bit with your criticism of it. I felt the biggest weakness was the reliance on Troy Williams as "exmormon expert." I don't particularly have anything against him or even know that much about him, but in some places I thought Morris could have found voices to provide similar, but more nuanced, explanations of things Mormon.

But all in all, it does provide a thought provoking return to the event even if it does skirt the most disturbing questions about consensuality (a "truth" which may be impossible to reconstruct, even with Anderson's participation).

You do know the fall out from it, too, right? That McKinney followed Morris around the country and protested at most of the initial theatrical showings of the film. Once again, she claimed that she had been lied about and her astonishing honesty, suffering and victimhood besmirched.

Oy.

[_moksha]

And yes, I think her story would make for an excellent black comedy, maybe something along the lines of a Cohen brothers' movie.

This seems like perfect material for a John Waters movie (the song and dance numbers with the Elders circling the wagons would be wonderful) or perhaps for several episodes of Adult Swim on the Cartoon Network. Is Tracy Lords still making movies?

[_MsJack]

I actually enjoyed the use of the Godmaker's cartoon footage because it is completely on par with the kind of story McKinney herself is telling. In fact, I think it is almost a perfect metaphor for her understanding of things. BUT, I do realize that I see this from a vantage which can archly appreciate the footage as irony, not a point of view the average film goer would share. So, I agree a bit with your criticism of it.

That's a good point, Blixa. Certainly her understanding of Mormonism is very Godmakers-esque. If the film had provided more of a counterpoint to her hostile view of Mormonism, I wouldn't have minded it as much.

I felt the biggest weakness was the reliance on Troy Williams as "exmormon expert." I don't particularly have anything against him or even know that much about him, but in some places I thought Morris could have found voices to provide similar, but more nuanced, explanations of things Mormon.

/agree. Williams was entertaining to listen to for sure, and that seems to have been Morris' #1 priority: to entertain. But I feel like Williams' role in the film probably could have been filled by someone more sympathetic to Mormonism to balance McKinney's Ed-Decker'ish take on things.

You do know the fall out from it, too, right? That McKinney followed Morris around the country and protested at most of the initial theatrical showings of the film. Once again, she claimed that she had been lied about and her astonishing honesty, suffering and victimhood besmirched.

So I've heard. I thought Eric Snider said it really well in his review of the film:

When the things she says are contradicted by other talking heads, including journalists who covered the story in 1977 and a man she hired at the time to help her find Anderson, she becomes an object of fascination. She is clearly not telling the truth about some things, and yet she seems to believe her story so intently. She obviously loves being the center of attention, yet she claims all the publicity ruined her life. When anything negative is reported about her -- like, for instance, that she worked part-time as an S&M mistress for hire -- she acts wounded and aggrieved, like everyone's just out to get her. In her view, she has never done anything wrong, ever, and none of her problems have been her own fault. Anything that would appear to suggest otherwise is a distortion or fabrication.

How I do wish Kirk Anderson would come forward and say something about his side of the story though. I don't blame him for being reclusive, but it is the big piece of the puzzle that really needs to be heard.

[_Blixa]

How I do wish Kirk Anderson would come forward and say something about his side of the story though. I don't blame him for being reclusive, but it is the big piece of the puzzle that really needs to be heard.

I agree that it would be interesting to have this other side of the story, but I also admire his refusal to say anything at all and just get on with his life. There is a lot of dignity in his refusal of the limelight.