Carl Panzram: The Spirit of Hatred and Vengeance (2011) Reviews

• One of the Lesser-Known Serial Killers of the 20th Century

  gavin69422013-04-17

  The true story of lifelong criminal and serial killer, Carl Panzram who wrote his autobiography for a jail guard in 1928. Unless you happen to be interested in serial killers, you probably never heard of Carl Panzram. He does not rank as high in public consciousness as Dahmer, Gacy, Zodiac... and yet, he is no less fascinating. I am quite happy that someone took the time to make a documentary on this enigmatic figure. I am even more happy that a prison guard encouraged Panzram to write his memoir and that San Diego State University decided it was worth keeping. This does not seem like the sort of material that you would typically find in a university's special collections, but it has a value to any number of people for different reasons.

• Carl Panzram: The Spirit Of Hatred And Vengeance

  a_baron2016-03-28

  This is a unique documentary about one of America's lesser known serial killers, and what a nasty piece of work he was too. In 1930, Panzram was hanged at Leavenworth Penitentiary for the murder of a civilian prison employee. There is no doubt whatsoever that he committed that murder, but it remains to be seen how many of the others he claimed he did actually commit. Did he really sail to Africa where he raped and murdered an underage boy? There is no doubt that he murdered others closer to home, but much of what he boasted about was clearly bunk. About the only things of which we can be certain is that he hated humanity with a vengeance, and the world became a slightly less evil place as soon as he breathed his final breath, his infamous last words being: "Yes, hurry it up, you Hoosier bastard! I could kill a dozen men while you're screwing around!" There are variations on that quote, but there is no arguing with the sentiment. Why anyone should want to do anything with a creature like Panzam other than isolate him from the rest of mankind remains to be seen, but one of his prison guards, Henry Lesser (1902-83) encouraged him to write his autobiography, and these writings are now preserved in the Malcolm A. Love Library, part of San Diego State University. Archive footage of the elderly Lesser is used in this film. It is clear from the fragments herein that Panzram was a fairly literate individual; he had heard of Oscar Wilde, and was clearly intimate with Wilde's vices, which he shared. He could have made something of his life, albeit by using his ill-gotten gains. Instead...

• Not very good overall

  Slowblivion2013-04-21

  I've always had an interest in the psyche of mass murderers and career criminals so I jumped when I saw Panzram on this doc. The story of Panzram is quite interesting but this documentary really leaves too much to be desired. My opinions are not of the story of Panzram, but the documentary itself. I simply don't understand the generally high ratings this doc has gotten. First things first, the dramatic reenactments are almost comedically poor. Not the tone which is trying to be set yet I found myself shaking my head every time the actors took the screen. I found the sound effects used to emphasize aspects of the still pictures were either wrong (in that it seemed like someone had perhaps put the wrong sound in) or grossly misused. ADR was awful. The biggest problem, however, is the disjointed nature and sporadic flow of the narrative. The story grinds to a halt as the testimonials are constantly brought up to very nearly justify the murders and rapes as being a result of institutionalization in the 20's (despite the OBVIOUS immediate reaction that if this was so wide spread and rampant... why didn't hardly anyone else in those systems react as Panzram did). The story will follow Panzram as a child and how he got in trouble then testimonials would interrupt claiming how he was tortured. Based on the facts presented in the doc, there was little torture of him as a child. In fact, he was mentioned to have been "spanked" as part of a punishment. One testimony simply glossed it over by saying, "we could only imagine what that was like".... well given lack of any other indication one would guess a belt or a paddle much like nearly all disciplining was done back then. Yet, we're made to feel almost sorry for this poor boy. My grandfather didn't murder and rape dozens of people but he got paddled in school just like Panzram. Really what the doc comes down to isn't Panzram. It falls to Lesser, the guard, being a bit more progressive (completely naive) than the system he works for and the filmmakers views on 20's institutions (as though anyone views them in a real positive light anyway). Which, in my opinion, is a bait and switch. You lure me into a doc about Panzram and I get really basic info without any real insights only to then preach a philosophy on prisons and youth education which as almost entirely already occurred in those systems over nearly the last century that this film is basing events off. But it wasn't because of Panzram. Panzram didn't revolutionize the prison system, he was merely a footnote in its history. Yet, this doc uses him as the poster child as though he single handedly altered perceptions. To most, he will forever be unknown. To those who do know of him, he was a murderer and a rapist. Really, i'm not trying to be hard on it, but I just don't feel this is a very strong documentary. Let me put it this way... one of the very few commentators is an artist who merely has a fascination with Panzram. And a museum where they have the hood and rope used during his execution spelled his name wrong... Panzran. You'd think a credible museum would want to have the name spelled right on their displays, right? Appears not. They explain why it's spelled that way but it's still incorrect and they know it. Bottom line, it's not the worst documentary but it fails to deliver on several levels. What's worse, it's preaching as to a moral completely overshadows the prime character's story which the documentary is based on. 3-10

• Panzram: Decent but Schizophrenic in approach

  sacha_brady2013-01-02

  Summary: a film chronicling the life of Carl Panzram, self-confessed serial killer, rapist and thief from the early 20th century. The content is mostly based on his writings, produced in prison, following encouragement from a sympathetic prison guard who befriends him, Henry Lesser. The film tries to shed light on why Panzram became what he was, placing a lot of attention on the mistreatment he was subject to alongside brief commentary on the crimes he claimed to have committed. This John Borowski documentary is good; his films are always good. But this is a departure from his previous work in that those were really just tales of the bogeyman, whereas this attempts to be something more: the actual fleshed-out story of the man rather than the persona. For some this will add substance and make watching more rewarding; for others, it places the film in competition with so many 'straight' documentaries and perhaps denies what Borowski seems so good at: namely telling ghoulish stories about some of the most intriguing but despicable men ever to live. From my perspective, I like the fact that the documentaries are trying to be stimulating on more levels, but I think a trick was missed here because this story should be if anything as much about Henry Lesser as Panzram himself. He gets a decent amount of screen time but if this is intended to be a more human story, Lesser's humanity is a perfect contrast to Panzram's rage and hatefulness, and their friendship is what's truly remarkable about the whole affair and elevates it above others. The fact that Panzram appears very introspective is also an area that is extremely interesting but that too is given only fleeting coverage. Plusses: thorough, engaging, a worthy story and interesting subject Minuses: has a bit of an identity crisis in what it wants to be, weak range of contributors (ex. an artist with a morbid fascination for serial killers: see previous criticism), 7/10

• Bizarre

  walkie732014-02-09

  Near the end of the documentary it tries to portray Lesser as some kind of hero. Why? What did he do except have a morbid curiosity about Panzram? Why does saving a serial killer's manifesto make someone a hero. That was irresponsible. Also, they try to portray Panzram as some kind of Sherpa who is telling humanity that they need to change their ways. The guy was a complete psycho. Let's not forget that. He murdered. He raped. He stole. A horrible human being.