It became internationally notorious when, on november 18, 1978, 918 people died in the settlement as well as in a nearby airstrip and in georgetown, guyanas capital. The general public is drinking the koolaid in its unquestioned acceptance of what happened in jonestown as mass suicide. Lessons of jonestown a new documentary explores the story behind the 1978 mass suicide in guyana. Keen students of the jonestown tragedy will recognize some inaccuracies in this portrayal of the guyana massmurdersuicides, but these do not detract from booths outstanding depiction of the cult leader nor diminish the importance of learning how so many followers were seduced by his powers of persuasion and manipulation of their environment. For example, a jonestown defense may stipulate that shareholders in the target company may buy shares in their own company at a price below fair market value in the event of a hostile acquisition. The sacrament, a new suspense film closely based on the 1978 jonestown massacre, illustrates the extremes to which leftism corrupts and the ends to which its philosophy can ultimately lead. Nov 18, 1979 tim jones, an adopted son of jim jones, and johnny cobb, a member of the basketball team, flew into jonestown sunday with a group of guyanese soldiers to identify bodies. Issuing shares to a friendly third partythe socalled white knight defenseto dilute the bidders ownership position is another oftenused tactic. Ironically, what jonestown has come to represent in popular culture is a parody of itself. Nov 12, 2008 of the nearly 1,000 church members who began the day in jonestown, a cult commune, only 33 survived to see the next day. The documentary reveals new footage of the incidents surrounding the peoples temple and its leader jim jones who led over 900 members of his religious group to a settlement in guyana called jonestown, where he orchestrated a mass. The film, shot entirely on location in sarasota, is a visual rush, especially for locals. Jonestown documentaries on the fortieth anniversary.
An extreme kind of poison pill in which a company trying to avoid a hostile takeover will use tactics so extreme that they threaten the companys ability to survive. To justify the letter paula adams, a jonestown spokeswoman, had apparently revealed to the american authorities in georgetown that marias father was a childbeater, that he had sexually abused maria throughout her childhood, etc. On november 18th, 1978, 909 americans, including 200 children died by apparent cyanide poising in what was termed revolutionary suicide in jonestown, guyana. The sacrament invokes jonestown the new york times. Apr 04, 2017 it began as charismatic preacher jim jones attempt to build a socialist utopia, but it ended with the deaths of more than 900 people in a remote settlement in guyana known as jonestown. A new american indie about a businessman in freefall, his office, his family, his best friend. When organizations are doing things that they think are really great, they document them. Jim jones and his people temple, from their noble beginning in the 50s, to their controversial history in san francisco in the 70s, to the notorious mass suicide at their guyana compound in november 1978. One of my favorite films being screened at this years sarasota film festival is the jonestown defense. The peoples temple agricultural project, better known by its informal name jonestown, was a. Willing, jonestown, american jesus, holy ghost people doc version. Jonestown has become a punch line, a catch phrase, an icon for mindless or blind loyalty. In the fall of 1973, after critical newspaper articles by lester kinsolving and the defection of eight temple members, jones and temple attorney tim stoen prepared an immediate action contingency plan for responding to a police or media crackdown.
Speaking to, johnston kohl relives the moments she went from building a rainforest community to realizing too late that jim jones had in fact been collecting people, followers he would later help kill in a final show. Chaos quickly ensued, and the films final moments, in which jones can be heard. A more recent film, vhs is an anthology film with each short being directed by a different indie horror director. Paradise lost perfectly portrays the man who made the gravest decision in history, and captures the power jones wielded that allowed him to command followers to kill not only themselves but their own children. The following is a thumbnail history of the jonestown tragedy on nov. The reverend jim jones bloated body lies on the ground after it was hastily sewn together after his autopsy by officials november 18, 1978 in. The jonestown defense is an american independent feature film about christopher waite, a sarasota businessman living on the florida gulf coast in the spring of 2009, who is struggling with both a collapsed economy and a personal life in freefall. Over the next four days, christopher will face the onerous task of firing the employees of the. Katzaris also learned from exmembers of the temple that his daughter had signed a predated suicide note.
I must admit i wasnt aware of its existence until a few days ago, but as soon as i read about it, i was stoked to hear it. The documentary reveals new footage of the incidents surrounding the peoples temple and its leader jim jones who led over 900 members of his religious group to a settlement in guyana called jonestown, where he orchestrated a mass suicide with poisoned. Guyanese defense forces arrived at the airstrip the next morning. The main difference is that they are done to such an extreme that they threaten the companys livelihood. The defensive tactics are so extreme that they typically lead to the destruction of the target corporation. The jonestown massacre was the most deadly single nonnatural disaster in u. Leslie wagnerwilson was 19 when she moved to guyana with her family. In january 2018, rebecca moore, the comanager of this site, started a yearlong series of posts on her further moore blog which focused on issues surrounding jonestown and peoples temple that will be coming up and that have already emerged. This is also known as a suicide pill, and is an extreme version of the poison pill. The term refers to the 1978 jonestown mass suicide in guyana, where jim jones led the. All was going well as ryan completed first day here. Jonestown was the informal name for the peoples temple agricultural project, an intentional community in northwestern guyana formed by the peoples temple led by jim jones.
Graves registration soldiers were team leaders of three to five man teams, consisting of infantry soldiers from the 193 rd infantry brigade in the canal zone. Jonestown resulted in the largest single loss of american civilian life in a deliberate act until september 11, 2001. I first saw it on television at the first anniversary of the tragedy in 1979. It began as charismatic preacher jim jones attempt to build a socialist utopia, but it ended with the deaths of more than 900 people in a.
While scholars and survivors are interviewed for the film, only clips. The plan listed various options, including fleeing to. Jonestown defense financial definition of jonestown defense. The jonestown defense is about a businessman in florida who has fallen into a brutal cycle of personal and professional corruption. Of the nearly 1,000 church members who began the day in jonestown, a cult commune, only 33 survived to see the next day. Mar 20, 2020 the jonestown massacre was the most deadly single nonnatural disaster in u. Nothing in the way of film or recorded tv shown on the communes. Any antitakeover measure so extreme that it may drive the target company into bankruptcy.
Welcome to the jonestown defense feature film post. By the end of the year when the jonestown journal completed its run it had almost 40 entries. Once the acquisition is complete, the defense may allow these same shareholders to buy more shares in the new company at below market value. Jonestown defenses financial definition of jonestown defenses. The jonestown defense is an american independent feature film about christopher waite, a sarasota businessman living on the florida gulf. The smell of death and bodies at jonestown for the morbid marys on this site. The best movies of 2020 so far the art of self defense trailer. With dennis ostermaier, robert stevens, michael michaelessi, amy seimetz. Theres one point in the film where a survivor is talking about a deviant sexual event that hed seen, and he says, i knew it was wrong, but i didnt do a. Some shorts may be better than others, but vhs is a fun time with found footage in a world where found footage is a horrifying plague on the horror genre. Jonestown defense an extreme defensive tactic employed by the management of a target corporation to prevent a hostile takeover.
The peoples temple was organized around the charismatic figure of jim jones as a kind of utopian society. Standing eight films presents the first trailer for the upcoming. The inaccuracies mentioned revolve around the combination of characters and the modified portrayal of congressmen leo ryans visit to jonestown, but these really do not diminish the film s contribution to increasing our understanding of the power of cults. The life and death of peoples temple, is a 2006 documentary film made by firelight media, produced and directed by stanley nelson. The jonestown defense is an extreme corporation defense against hostile takeovers. A thriller that dramatizes the last 24 hours in the lives of jim jones and the peoples temple church through the eyes of a reporter. Barely four months passed since third world pyramid saw the light of day and here is dont get lost, a brand new brian jonestown massacre record. Jonestown definition, a former settlement in n guyana, nw of georgetown. Other people saw everyone else acting that way so they behaved similarly. At same time, several set out into jungle wanting to overtake ryan, kids, and others who left. Marceline jones that the guyana defence force would not invade jonestown. Indeed, the prevailing view of the jonestown tragedy is tinged with disgust and. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. All of the people of jonestown experienced cognitive dissonance when one holds two or more contradictory beliefs at one time causing stress when they saw jones beating someone or when they dedicated their whole lives to the church, or even when they were told to commit suicide their morals previously told them that was wrong, but jones was now telling them it was okay.
Jim jones and his wife, marceline, taken from a photo album left behind in jonestown, guyana. Dec 01, 2010 the jonestown defense is raising funds for welcome to the jonestown defense feature film postproduction fundraiser page. The sacrament, a new suspense film closely based on the 1978 jonestown massacre, illustrates the extremes to which leftism corrupts and the ends to. In rare cases, a company decides that it would rather go out of business than be acquired, so they intentionally accumulate enough debt to force bankruptcy. Aug 05, 20 on november 18th, 1978, 909 americans, including 200 children died by apparent cyanide poising in what was termed revolutionary suicide in jonestown, guyana. Tim jones, an adopted son of jim jones, and johnny cobb, a member of the basketball team, flew into jonestown sunday with a group of guyanese soldiers to identify bodies. Oct 20, 2015 a more recent film, vhs is an anthology film with each short being directed by a different indie horror director. Jonestown defense any antitakeover measure so extreme that it may drive the target company into. The jonestown defense 2019welcome to the jonestown defense a new american independent film about a business man and how his complicity in the corruption of his personal and professional affairs leads to a painful and necessary redemption.
When they saw other people killing themselves for jones they followed the group. Apr 06, 2011 the jonestown defense is being screened at this years sarasota film festival is. Inspired by the true events of the jonestown massacre. In this strategy, the target firm engages in tactics that might threaten the firms existence to thwart an imposing acquirers bids. Inspired by the true events of the jonestown massacre category. Having done some searching on jim jones, this is what ive deduced.
The most clear, objective piece of evidence was the severalsecond film taken on site by nbc photojournalist bob brown, filming until he himself was killed. We found members who had film stuffed in the back of their closets and had never showed it to anybody. An audio recording made on november 18, 1978, at the peoples temple compound in jonestown, guyana immediately preceding and during the mass suicide and murder of over 900 members of the cult. Jonestown massacre remembered by cult leaders son in 1978, u. Somehow this bit of information escaped me, and ive felt like ive always known quite a bit of the peoples temple, jim jones, etc. Tabloid sales the reverend jim jones bloated body lies on the ground after it was hastily sewn together after his autopsy by officials november 18, 1978 in jonestown, guyana. The film premiered as a rough cut at the sarasota film festival, and will be released soon in its finished form. After securing the runway, the troops turned towards jonestown. This feature length film, a hybrid of documentary and drama, tracks the final, 5day build up to a horrific doomsday the infamous mass murdersuicides of jim jones peoples temple on november 18th, 1978. Jonestown established selection and establishment of guyanese land. The jonestown defense is being screened at this years sarasota film festival is. The congressman, three journalist, and one temple member who had wanted to leave jonestown were killed. Jonestown was divided into grids and the bodies found in each individually numbered section were catalogued and tagged. In the event of a new attack, the people of jonestown had no defense, no escape, no lines of communication or rescue.
A new american indie about a businessman in freefall, his office, his family, his best friend, and the stranger who brings them all home. The best movies of 2020 so far the art of selfdefense trailer. What the three discover is a compound thats loosely modeled on jonestown, the doomed peoples temple settlement founded in guyana by the rev. Oct 19, 2006 the footage came from a number of different sources, but there was a lot of footage in the film that did come from peoples temple. Get premium, high resolution news photos at getty images. Jim jones and his people temple, from their noble beginning in the 50s, to their controversial history in san francisco in the 70s, to the notorious mass suicide at their guyana compound in november.
Blending interviews and dramatic reenactments, this film documents the fraught last days of jim jones cult, before the mass suicide took 918 lives. Jeff brailey was the senior medic of the joint humanitarian task. The term refers to the 1978 jonestown mass suicide in guyana, where jim jones. The life and death of peoples temple 2006 on dvd and bluray. Website thanks, and all of the above your very own complete jonestown defense survival kit five quality items, and all the power they possess. The jonestown massacre also remains the only time in history in which a u. Best horror movies on netflix right now cinefiles movie. Thirtyfive years ago today, on november 18, 1978, nearly a thousand members of a religious group called the peoples temple, most of them americans, died in a bizarre ritual at their remote jungle compound in guyana, called jonestown. To get people to follow him, jones claimed that he was a messiah and that.