Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple Reviews

Compiled from archive film and photographs and recent interviews with survivors Jonestown is a compelling though disturbing documentary feature about one of the most bizarre events of recent history.

The focus is very much on the oral testimony of survivors about their experiences within the 'Peoples Temple' organisation from its earliest days to the grim mass suicide which marked the end of Jonestown, the compound set up as an ideal community by Jim Jones in the Guyanan jungle.

The narrative was generally easy to follow despite the lack of narration but there were some points where further analysis and explanation of events would have been useful. It is clear for example that Jones had provided several people with firearms, but the processes by which they were chosen and how the weapons were procured is not explored. Given that there are so few survivors from those who went to Jonestown it is likely that some of the details will forever remain unknown, but I would have preferred it if the film had at least tried to explain what is known and what is uncertain about what happened.

The whole film serves as a kind of warning about the dangers of following charismatic yet ruthless and manipulative leaders. It is quite clear that Jones seemed to be able to give the impression that he was sympathetic to the dispossed and could offer them a better life, yet was really only interested in controlling people and using them for his own ends. In the short term he was amazingly successful, at one point even gaining a position within San Francisco's government.

The DVD release includes an interesting interview with the director and some additional interview footage which helped to explain some unclear aspects of the story. This was not long enough to provide the complete story of Jim Jones and his religious cult but it works well as a cautionary tale on why we should attempt to exercise reason and not accept a more immediate emotional response to people. If you are looking for a true story which is stranger than fiction then this is it.