He has even come up with his own name for the movie: Farmer is convinced the film will wipe away any qualms viewers may have about executing every inmate on death row. The movie also has infuriated lawyer Millard Farmer, an old friend of Prejean's who handled appeals for Sonnier and Willie. Some fear it will dredge up painful memories and give Prejean a bigger pulpit to preach against the death penalty. Relatives of Sonnier's and Willie's victims are upset that no one consulted them about the movie. But he comes to grips with his responsibility." "Tim said we have to press all the moral questions, so (the inmate) can't be innocent. What is paramount is pushing a strong anti-death penalty message within the limits of the art form. Movies are different from books, she explains. In fact, she worked with director Tim Robbins in crafting the screenplay.Īsk her why they changed the facts and she just shrugs. Prejean is not the least bit disturbed by these alterations. And when he dies, he dies by lethal injection. Or even the electric chair.įor the movie version of Dead Man Walking, the filmmakers invented an inmate named Matthew Poncelet, portrayed by Sean Penn as a tattooed racist with no remorse for his crime. But if you go see the movie, don't look for Sonnier. The movie version of Dead Man Walking opens in New York and Los Angeles today, and goes nationwide next month. They even filmed inside the state prison. They shot take after take of Sarandon striding through the housing project where the nun once lived. Six months ago a film crew descended on New Orleans. Sarandon wanted to make Dead Man Walking walk off the page and onto the big screen. The seed took root in one very special reader: Susan Sarandon, who is almost as well known for her political activism as for her acting. The 56-year-old Prejean (pronounced pray-ZHAN) regards each copy of her book as a seed she has scattered to the wind. Reviewers praised its honesty in describing what happens when a man is condemned to die, and it was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. She wrote a book about them, Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States. The nun kept her promise to Sonnier, telling the story of his and Willie's executions as she campaigned against the death penalty. Like Sonnier, he expressed regret for his crimes. Like Sonnier, the co-defendant got life in prison while he got death. Like Sonnier, there was some question about whether he or his co-defendant committed the murder. He and another man had gone on an eight-day crime rampage that included the rape and murder of a young woman. Later she counseled another death row inmate, Robert Lee Willie. When Sonnier went to the chair Prejean watched. Then she promised him: "I will tell your story across this country, and perhaps your death will be redemptive."
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