The Central Park Five: Background and Bias
The 2012 documentary, The Central Park Five, revisits the 1989 Central Park jogger case. Five teenagers were coerced into confessing to a rape of which they were innocent, which was not discovered until over ten years later. The filmmakers and producers of this film are Ken Burns, his daughter Sarah Burns, and her husband David McMahon. Ken Burns, who has directed or co-directed 27 films, is often named the best-known documentary filmmaker in America. His films, focusing exclusively on American history and culture, include Brooklyn Bridge, The Civil War, Prohibition, and The Vietnam War. Most of his films are often long and expansive: The Civil War is 11 hours long, Jazz is 19 hours, and The Vietnam …show more content…
It achieved success despite the fact that it was released 10 years after Matias Reyes confessed to the crime and the five were cleared of charges, and media coverage of the case had largely ceased. During this time, the Central Park Five’s suit against the city remained unsettled. The film’s release stirred up new interest, and audiences were intrigued by the second resurgence of this case, and the maltreatment brought to light by the documentary also provoked new anger against the injustice. One of the five, Korey Wise, said that he was glad that their side of the story was told, and that, “The truth is …show more content…
For example, he has made over $40,000 in political donations, and produced a Democratic National Convention speech. His involvement in the Central Park Five’s settlement with New York City likely also affected the production of the documentary. The story glosses over the fact that these five men, while innocent of raping the Central Park jogger, were not necessarily innocent. An alibi for several of the accused, ironically, places them in another part of the park where they may have been involved in another attack. Most of the interviews in the film are with the five accused, and none of the police or prosecutors involved in the case offer a
The 2012 documentary, The Central Park Five, revisits the 1989 Central Park jogger case. Five teenagers were coerced into confessing to a rape of which they were innocent, which was not discovered until over ten years later. The filmmakers and producers of this film are Ken Burns, his daughter Sarah Burns, and her husband David McMahon. Ken Burns, who has directed or co-directed 27 films, is often named the best-known documentary filmmaker in America. His films, focusing exclusively on American history and culture, include Brooklyn Bridge, The Civil War, Prohibition, and The Vietnam War. Most of his films are often long and expansive: The Civil War is 11 hours long, Jazz is 19 hours, and The Vietnam …show more content…
It achieved success despite the fact that it was released 10 years after Matias Reyes confessed to the crime and the five were cleared of charges, and media coverage of the case had largely ceased. During this time, the Central Park Five’s suit against the city remained unsettled. The film’s release stirred up new interest, and audiences were intrigued by the second resurgence of this case, and the maltreatment brought to light by the documentary also provoked new anger against the injustice. One of the five, Korey Wise, said that he was glad that their side of the story was told, and that, “The truth is …show more content…
For example, he has made over $40,000 in political donations, and produced a Democratic National Convention speech. His involvement in the Central Park Five’s settlement with New York City likely also affected the production of the documentary. The story glosses over the fact that these five men, while innocent of raping the Central Park jogger, were not necessarily innocent. An alibi for several of the accused, ironically, places them in another part of the park where they may have been involved in another attack. Most of the interviews in the film are with the five accused, and none of the police or prosecutors involved in the case offer a