MovieChat Forums > The Last Hangman (2006) Discussion > Pierrepoint - Historical Accuracy

Pierrepoint - Historical Accuracy

posted 16 years ago by colferkevin
15 replies | jump to latest

Some people on this site have pointed out that some things in Pierrepoint are historically inaccurate (e.g. it was Albert´s uncle who hanged Dorothea Waddingham in 1936, not Albert himself during the war).

The film is however only BASED on Pierrepoint´s life. A lot of the characters and events in the film are combined into one character and one event. It was James Inglis who ran to the gallows in 7 1/2 seconds. It was Piotr Maximowski who attempted suicide in the condemned cell and killed his girlfriend. These incidents and characters have been "rolled into one".

[–] podwilliams 16 years ago

Indeed, and the best biopics strive for truthfulness even in the absence of factual accuracy (see, for example, the often - unwittingly - fictitious, but superb, Let Him Have It). If Pierrepoint can be criticised for anything it's the way in which it reproduces the common assumption that Pierrepoint's work eventually took its toll on him, in terms of a change of heart on the merits of capital punishment. There were many close to him that claim that his latter day rejection of the death penalty is a myth, or little more than a publisher's marketing ploy.

The lion and the calf shall lie down together, but the calf won't get much sleep.

[–] dirt-box 16 years ago

[–] podwilliams 16 years ago

I'd forgotten all about that, and Hurt's commentary is probably my favourite commentary of all.

The lion and the calf shall lie down together, but the calf won't get much sleep.

[–] MickAstonDavies 16 years ago

Much as I admire John Hurt I find that hard to believe. In his autobiography Pierrepoint says he that one of his assistants once made a joke about somebody they'd just hanged and Pierrepoint shouted at him until he was white in the face and never worked with him again. Pierrepoint would say: "You have to treat the condemned man as if he was your brother." And he resigned as he increasingly realised the death penalty was ineffective as a deterrent. I'd like to think Hurt misheard him.

[–] podwilliams 16 years ago

I don't think Pierrepoint's gallows humour (literally!) contradicts his belief in 'brotherliness' towards the deceased any more than the black comedy on the hospital ward where I work implies disrespect for patients. What I think is more pertinent is the questionable idea that Pierrepoint truly did change his mind about the death penalty.

The lion and the calf shall lie down together, but the calf won't get much sleep.

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] mrbid-princess 12 years ago

Yes, except that in his own biography, the guy (assistant to Pierrepoint, who worked with him on several executions) who he supposedly 'shouted at until he was white' claims no knowledge of this particular occurance... he also makes the point that one should not rely on Pierrepoint's view as 'the gospel truth'...

[–] mrbid-princess 12 years ago

Syd Dernley is the name of the assistant, I've just remembered... 'The Hangman's Tale' should anyone want to read more into his experiences...

[–] Corner_House_guest 16 years ago

Pierrepoint didnt object to the death penalty per se but how it was applied. In his words that even amongst supporters no-one believed every murderer should hang but no two people could agree on who should be let off. The deterrent purpose was a myth and capital punishment "served only as revenge".
In the early 50's there were about a dozen hangings a year compared to three hundred murders committed. The first full year after he retired, 1956, no-one was put to death.

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] podwilliams 16 years ago

In the commentary on the 10 Rillington Place DVD John Hurt calls Pierrepoint a nasty little man, apparently when advising on the execution scene he made some distasteful comments and joked "we won't be hanging around too long", This is hardly the attitude of someone who was affected by his previous occupation.

I've just re-visited Hurt's commentary. What it actually says is:

"I remember Richard Fleischer [the director] saying to Albert Pierrepoint, "Is that loop going to be there when we... make the shot?" Albert Pierrepoint said, "No, it won't be there, but I just want the lads to get the hang of it." So he was not incapable of making some fairly gross jokes. And I remember that two secretaries on that day left to be physically sick. It was a very grisly day indeed."

The lion and the calf shall lie down together, but the calf won't get much sleep.

[–] dirt-box 16 years ago

I stand corrected on my misquoted post. It has been a while since I have last watched that DVD.

WTF did you expect to find here?

[–] tgrrrsss 16 years ago

Don't see why it's so grisly, had they not heard of "Gallows Humour"?

I suppose the only thing thats odd is joking about someone Pierrpoint had executed, and by the time of the film knowingly wrongly, still....

[–] ghostgate2001 7 years ago

By the time 10 Rillington Place was made, Pierrepoint had been "retired" for about 15 years - and (of course) was simply giving technical advice on a movie, not hanging anyone for real - so I guess he thought a little bit of "gallows humour" was OK.

As for having wrongly hanged Timothy Evans (Christie's patsy), I guess the film "Pierrepoint" sums up Pierrepoint's attitude in an early scene where he says he "leaves Albert Pierrepoint at the door" when carrying out an execution, and that it was the government who wanted the person dead, not him. His attitude would have been that if Evans was wrongly hanged then it was due to the government's error, not his. He simply carried out his duty when called, as impersonally and professionally as possible. That "professional detachment" seems to have been key to his ability to do what he did.

Regarding the audio commentary, it's possible that John Hurt may have been getting a bit "method" with his recollection of that day... I wouldn't be surprised if the lines do get blurred sometimes with a serious actor like Hurt. After all, Hurt had played Evans in 10 Rillington Place, and there may well have been an element of him feeling it personally at the time, i.e. Pierrepoint had executed (in real life) a person that Hurt had researched, inhabited, and "become" for the role. Some vicarious resentment may have remained, is what I'm saying :)

[–] marktayloruk (2375) 3 years ago

Pierrepoint later said he was now on the fence regarding hanging. Personally I support it in extreme cases.