Brother's Keeper (film)
Encyclopedia
Brother's Keeper is a 1992 documentary
directed by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky
. The film is about an alleged 1990 murder in the village of Munnsville
, New York
. The film is in the "Direct Cinema
" style of the Maysles brothers
who had formerly employed Berlinger and Sinofsky.
The film contrasts two groups of society; people from rural areas and those from larger cities. It also exhibits how the media flocked to the town to cover the story.
This movie displays two completely opposite views of the Ward brothers. One opinion is that of the locals, who defend the Ward brothers as simple country folk. The other is that of the press, who stereotype the brothers as uneducated hicks.
The Ward sister was not featured in this film because of her death in the 1980s. However, her daughter Pat makes an appearance in the DVD's special features.
, four brothers lived in a dilapidated house. William, Adelbert (known as Delbert), Lyman, and Roscoe Ward were barely literate, had no formal education, and farmed land that had been in their family for generations.
was found on clothing and on William's leg, leading to the suggestion that Delbert had killed William in an episode of "sex gone bad". Delbert Ward was acquitted at trial, largely because the New York State Police
violated Delbert's rights by coercing a confession (which he later retracted) and by having him sign a written statement which he could not understand due to illiteracy.
Roscoe Ward died at age 88 on June 23, 2007.
Lyman Ward died at age 85 in Utica, New York
on 15 August 2007.
. When God asks Cain where his brother Abel is, Cain replies, "I know not; am I my brother's keeper?" (Genesis 4:9 KJV)
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 Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky
Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky
Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky are a team of American documentary filmmakers that have received large critical acclaim and cult-fame since their debut true-crime film, Brother's Keeper -The West Memphis Three:...
. The film is about an alleged 1990 murder in the village of Munnsville
Munnsville, New York
Munnsville is a village located in the Town of Stockbridge in Madison County, New York, United States. The population was 437 at the 2000 census...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. The film is in the "Direct Cinema
Direct Cinema
Direct Cinema is a documentary genre that originated between 1958 and 1962 in North America, principally in the Canadian province of Quebec and the United States...
" style of the Maysles brothers
Albert and David Maysles
Albert and David Maysles were a documentary filmmaking team whose cinéma vérité works include Salesman , Gimme Shelter and Grey Gardens . Their 1964 film on The Beatles forms the backbone of the DVD, The Beatles: The First U.S. Visit...
who had formerly employed Berlinger and Sinofsky.
The film contrasts two groups of society; people from rural areas and those from larger cities. It also exhibits how the media flocked to the town to cover the story.
This movie displays two completely opposite views of the Ward brothers. One opinion is that of the locals, who defend the Ward brothers as simple country folk. The other is that of the press, who stereotype the brothers as uneducated hicks.
The Ward sister was not featured in this film because of her death in the 1980s. However, her daughter Pat makes an appearance in the DVD's special features.
The Ward brothers
In a rural farming community near Syracuse, New YorkSyracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
, four brothers lived in a dilapidated house. William, Adelbert (known as Delbert), Lyman, and Roscoe Ward were barely literate, had no formal education, and farmed land that had been in their family for generations.
William's death
William Ward, who had been ill for years, was found dead one morning. Delbert was accused of killing him, perhaps by smothering. The prosecution's theory at trial was that Delbert had performed a mercy killing in order to put William out of his misery after a period of severe headaches and declining health. As the film progresses, it is revealed that during the coroner's examination of William's body, semenSemen
Semen is an organic fluid, also known as seminal fluid, that may contain spermatozoa. It is secreted by the gonads and other sexual organs of male or hermaphroditic animals and can fertilize female ova...
was found on clothing and on William's leg, leading to the suggestion that Delbert had killed William in an episode of "sex gone bad". Delbert Ward was acquitted at trial, largely because the New York State Police
New York State Police
The New York State Police is the state police force of over 4,600 sworn Troopers for the state of New York. It was established on April 11, 1917 by the New York Legislature, in response to the 1913 murder of a construction foreman named Sam Howell in Westchester County, which at that time did not...
violated Delbert's rights by coercing a confession (which he later retracted) and by having him sign a written statement which he could not understand due to illiteracy.
The brothers' fates
Delbert Ward died at age 66 at Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown on August 6, 1998. The cause of death was unknown.Roscoe Ward died at age 88 on June 23, 2007.
Lyman Ward died at age 85 in Utica, New York
Utica, New York
Utica is a city in and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 62,235 at the 2010 census, an increase of 2.6% from the 2000 census....
on 15 August 2007.
Film title
The title Brother's Keeper comes from the Book of Genesis in the BibleBible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
. When God asks Cain where his brother Abel is, Cain replies, "I know not; am I my brother's keeper?" (Genesis 4:9 KJV)
Awards
- Directors Guild of America, USA: DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary/Actuality
- Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards: KCFCC Award for Best Documentary
- National Board of Review, USA: NBR Award for Best Documentary
- New York Film Critics Circle Awards: NYFCC Award for Best Documentary
- Sundance Film Festival: Audience Award for Documentary