Fourteen Days in May
Encyclopedia
Fourteen Days in May is a documentary
directed by Paul Hamann and originally shown on television by the British Broadcasting Corporation
in 1987. The program recounts the final days before the execution of Edward Earl Johnson
, an American
prisoner convicted of rape
and murder
and imprisoned in the Mississippi State Penitentiary
. Johnson protested his innocence and claimed that his confession had been made under duress. He was executed in Mississippi
's gas chamber
on May 20, 1987.
The documentary crew, given access to the prison warden, guards and chaplain and to Johnson and his family, filmed the last days of Johnson's life in detail. The documentary argues against the death penalty and maintains that capital punishment is disproportionately applied to African-Americans convicted of crime
s against white
s. The program features attorney Clive Stafford Smith
, a noted advocate against capital punishment.
Fourteen Days in May won a British Film Institute
Grierson Award and a top prize at the Festival dei Populi. It has been shown in many countries but has only appeared in an abbreviated form in the United States, on HBO. Hamann disowned this shortened version.
It was in direct response to this documentary that the Lifelines organisation was set up, to organise pen pals for death row prisoners.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
directed by Paul Hamann and originally shown on television by the British Broadcasting Corporation
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
in 1987. The program recounts the final days before the execution of Edward Earl Johnson
Edward Earl Johnson
Edward Earl Johnson was a man convicted and executed by the U.S. state of Mississippi for the murder of a policeman, J.T. Trest and the sexual assault of a 69-year-old woman, Sally Franklin...
, an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
prisoner convicted of rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
and murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
and imprisoned in the Mississippi State Penitentiary
Mississippi State Penitentiary
Mississippi State Penitentiary , also known as Parchman Farm, is the oldest prison and the only maximum security prison for men in the state of Mississippi, USA....
. Johnson protested his innocence and claimed that his confession had been made under duress. He was executed in Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
's gas chamber
Gas chamber
A gas chamber is an apparatus for killing humans or animals with gas, consisting of a sealed chamber into which a poisonous or asphyxiant gas is introduced. The most commonly used poisonous agent is hydrogen cyanide; carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide have also been used...
on May 20, 1987.
The documentary crew, given access to the prison warden, guards and chaplain and to Johnson and his family, filmed the last days of Johnson's life in detail. The documentary argues against the death penalty and maintains that capital punishment is disproportionately applied to African-Americans convicted of crime
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
s against white
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
s. The program features attorney Clive Stafford Smith
Clive Stafford Smith
Clive Adrian Stafford Smith OBE is a British [see talk] lawyer who specialises in the areas of civil rights and the death penalty in the United States of America....
, a noted advocate against capital punishment.
Fourteen Days in May won a British Film Institute
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
Grierson Award and a top prize at the Festival dei Populi. It has been shown in many countries but has only appeared in an abbreviated form in the United States, on HBO. Hamann disowned this shortened version.
It was in direct response to this documentary that the Lifelines organisation was set up, to organise pen pals for death row prisoners.
External links
- Allmovie review of Fourteen Days in May at Answers.comAnswers.comAnswers.com is an Internet-based knowledge exchange, which includes WikiAnswers, ReferenceAnswers, VideoAnswers, and five international language Q&A communities. The Answers.com domain name was purchased by Bill Gross and Henrik Jones at idealab in 1996. The domain name was acquired by NetShepard...
- Fourteen Days in May at the British Film InstituteBritish Film InstituteThe British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
- Review of Fourteen Days in May on Chronicles blog
- Lifelines website