Prime Suspect (1982) – Trial by media

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Dir: Noel Black

Cast: Mike Farrell. Teri Garr. Veronica Cartwright.

Time: 1 hour, 32 minutes

Platform: You Tube (Free)

Innocent until proven guilty is the basic rule supposedly followed by law enforcement agencies worldwide. Which is why, there are things like courts and lawyers to determine whether an accused is guilty or not. Unfortunately, 20^th  and 21st century media, especially the intrusive 24 x 7 “investigative reporting” of TV, has made matters worse, often vilifying a person in public, even before the law has returned its verdict (multiple instances in Indian media in last few years). And when the man (or woman) is determined to be innocent, there is not even a hint of an apology leave alone an admission that they had been wrong. That’s because there is an unwritten rule to reporting – especially TV reporting; “If it bleeds, it leads”.

Frank Staplin (Mike Farrell of MASH fame), is a happily married man working in a company dealing in engineering solutions. He leads the usual “picket fence” urban life with a wife and daughter. One day he takes an early day off and buys two boxes of cookies from a schoolgirl who then goes missing. Amy McCleary (Teri Garr) is the TV reporter of a local channel who pursues the leads. Frank’s wife Janice (Veronica Cartwright) is hounded by the media while Frank is in police custody, pending filing of charges. His neighbors mock him. His front door has hate graffiti painted on it. He sends Janice to her mother along with his daughter. Amy knows that her boss the aggressive John has already declared him guilty though various insinuations and she feels guilty. She sets out to fight for Frank who however maintains his dignity and continues the fight – all alone. Amy leaves the small town and moves to San Francisco where – after a year – she announces that the “golden girl killer” has been finally caught and has confessed to the serial killings.

There is no violence on-screen. The murders happen off screen. What you see however is the violence of the media supposedly defending the First Amendment of the US Constitution – Freedom of speech – but actually convicting an innocent man based on circumstantial evidence ,which is,  he bought two boxes of cookies from the missing girl and a woman saw him doing so. The same woman also saw the missing girl get into a car with another man and she is not sure whether that man and Frank are the same. The continuous media assault on his life adds to the marital tension. Janice’s school principal sends her on an enforced two-week vacation which she refuses, as she believes in Frank’s innocence.

Though it is a ‘small film” set in a “small town”, the film punches above its weight . The trial by media is painstakingly shown. Everyone wants their 20 seconds of TV fame and are ready to do anything for it – even if it means painting a person, they do not know at all, to be an evil man. The spiral of ‘violence’ – mental violence by the media – is far worse than any physical violence that can be shown on screen in the shape of machine-gunned victims and huge explosions. There death is instant. In this case, it is a lingering death and for every single moment the victim is alive.

The overall plot is similar to Hitchcock’s 1957 film The Wrong Man, based on a true story, where a man is wrongly accused of a crime he didn’t commit and jailed, while his wife goes into a downward spiral.  Here , the wife stands by him through the ordeal.

This is one of those ‘small films” that deserve much better, even if it’s a “TV movie”. At one hour and 32 minutes, its riveting. Trial by media continues to this day world-wide.

Teri Garr who was given the title of comedienne by the media, who passed away due to multiple sclerosis on October 31, does a good job as the female TV reporter whose conscience gets the better of her. So unlike the real world where reporters, male or female, continue to excoriate and foam at the mouth, with not a single apology or recanting of their earlier stance. (Yeah. I know. It’s a movie! )

The film is free on You Tube; do take out time for this one

Script – 4 out of 5

Story – 4 out of 5

Direction – 4 out of 5

Photography – 4 out of 5

Total – 4 out of 5