Stars: William Genovese, Shannon Beeby, Kitty Genovese
Storyline
Bill Genovese's decade-long journey to unravel the truth about the mythic death and little-known life of his sister, Kitty, who was reportedly stabbed in front of 38 witnesses and became the face of urban apathy. THE WITNESS begins in 2004 when The Times questions its original story: the number of witnesses, what they observed, the number of attacks. None was more affected by the story than Bill. He vowed not to be like the 38, volunteered for Vietnam, and lost both legs. What if Kitty's mythic story is an urban myth? Breaking his family's half-century of silence, Bill seeks to find the truth confronting the witnesses, the killer, their families and his own. THE WITNESS is about bearing witness, loss and forgiveness, and what we owe each other.
Writers: William Genovese, Russell Greene, William Genovese, Shannon Beeby, Kitty Genovese, Shannon Beeby, Kitty Genovese, William Genovese, , , ,
Cast: Shannon Beeby -
Herself
Kitty Genovese -
Herself
(archive footage)
William Genovese -
Himself
Greetings again from the darkness. Remember that time you told yourself
"I don't want to get involved"? We live in an era when the phrase "If
you see something, say something" is more catchphrase than active
philosophy, and it's pretty easy to justify looking the other way by
thinking "It's none of my business." In 1964, twenty-eight year old
Kitty Genovese was brutally attacked and murdered in Queens. The New
York Times reported that the same man attacked her three times, and
that no one called the police, despite her screams and 38 people
witnessing the attacks over a half hour. Her story became the symbol
for "bystander apathy" and led to development of the 911 system and the
"Good Samaritan Law".
Forty years after the attack, the New York Times examined their
original story, and it's that piece that brought together filmmaker
James D Soloman (he wrote the screenplay for The Conspirator) and
Kitty's brother Bill. Their goal was to research the horrible events of
that night and determine once and for all if the legendary story is
fact or a case of media sensationalism. With its flashbacks to multiple
news stories over the years, the film begins as a procedural and
evolves into Bill's personal journey of emotional turmoil in regards to
his big sister's life and death.
Bill was only 16 years old when Kitty was killed; and three years
later, he lost both legs while serving in Vietnam. It's his calmness
and intelligence that we are so drawn to as he makes his way through
the crime scenes, interviews witnesses/neighbors/family members, and
examines as much of the existing evidence as possible. His fascinating
journey finds him crossing paths with Mike Wallace of "60 Minutes", Abe
Rosenthal (the NY Times editor who ran the original story and wrote a
book about the case), the police detective who investigated the case,
the prosecutor, and the defense attorney for Kitty's confessed
murderer.
As compelling as the complete film is, there are a few segments that
really stand out. Mr. Rosenthal's attitude and lack of remorse for
running such a sloppy story is sickening even 50 years after the
fact. It's an extraordinary example of how the media can manipulate a
story for ratings, and of how little things have changed over 5
decades. A face-to-face sit down with the Reverend son of the confessed
killer is both awkward and frustrating, while also enlightening as to
how family members can revise history in order to live with it.
Finally, Bill's visit to the home of Kitty's old friend and neighbor
Sofia is heartbreaking as the woman remembers comforting Kitty in her
last few moments of life.
Bill discovers numerous conflicts to the original NYT story there
were two attacks, not three; the number 38 for witnesses seems to have
been fabricated; most of the witnesses were ear-witnesses, not
eye-witnesses; and there is every indication that multiple calls were
made to the police thereby muting the argument that neighbors were
too apathetic or frightened to get involved. While none of these points
are especially surprising to us, it's Bill's story now and we can't
help but feel for him.
Mr. Soloman expertly structures the film so that we can experience both
the highs and lows of Bill's efforts. We hear the recording of Kitty's
former roommate as she shed lights on Kitty the person, rather than
Kitty the victim. Bill reads the letter from Rocco, Kitty's ex-husband
as he declines an interview. We are in the room when Bill is questioned
as to whether he is part of the infamous Genovese crime family, and we
see Bill tackle the trial transcripts with the words "heard screams,
saw nothing" repeated many times. If this is a study on social
behavior, it may be more pertinent to media motives than human reaction
but this isn't the place to bash the media it's a compelling look
at one man's quest to find peace with the past.
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