Product DescriptionALBERT FISH tells the horrific true story of a sadomasochistic cannibal and serial killer, who lured children to their deaths in Depression-era New York City. Elderly but still deadly, Fish distorted biblical tales by taking the stories of pain, punishment, atonement, and suffering literally as he preyed on victims to torture and sacrifice. From John Borowski, award-winning director of H.H. Holmes: America's First Serial Killer, comes the first docudrama and definitive chronicle of the life and times cannibal Albert Fish. Adding insight to the account are interviews with artist and Odditorium owner Joe Coleman and renowned true-crime author Katherine Ramsland, Ph.D - Actors: Tony Jay, Oto Brezina, Derek Gaspar, Cooney Harvath
- Director: John Borowski
- Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
- Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
- Format: Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
- Language (Original Language): English
- Language (Published): English
- Region Code: 0
- Release Date: 2007-03-27
- Running Time: 86 minutes
- Theatrical Release Date: 2006
Customer ReviewsReviewed on 2008-04-22  
Read Harold Schechter's book instead
This sophomoric documentary is a few notches above Borowski's wholly incompetent attempt to detail the mental derangement of H.H. Holmes, which is why I have given it a generous second star. This review does not focus on the film as a whole, but rather the specific issue of a freak named Joe Coleman, whose ongoing thoughts and commentary were a particular source of vexation to this reviewer.
A thoughtful and humane psychologist named Katherine (whose presence here is far and away the best thing about this documentary) analyzes and comments upon the admittedly troubling connections between Fish's actions and the religious concepts and imagery which seem to have profoundly affected his outlook and sexuality. She makes no easy claims that without such concepts and imagery there would be no Albert Fishes in the world, especially in light of his abuse at an orphanage which concretized and reinforced the connection between sex and pain in his impressionable young mind. Coleman, on the other hand, lays direct blame on the Catholic idea of the holiness of physical suffering, as represented in such icons as the transfixion of St. Sebastian and the martyring of St. Peter, as well as the concept of transubstantiation, for the creation of Albert Fish; yes, he's that simplistic. He asserts, "When someone takes literally what most people take figuratively...this is what happens. We end up with the kind of monster that we deserve." By "we," he obviously means society, and not Grace Budd or her parents. Still, one should find this idea offensive and fraudulent nonetheless, even if one isn't a religious Catholic who believes in the spiritual concepts he is blaming for murder: his rationale is the same mentality that blames gangsta rap, heavy metal, horror movies, video games, and television violence for society's ills; a mentality that would surely also censure the brand of gruesome, some would say morbid, art that Coleman himself creates, or the kind of onstage performances presented by the murder-metal band Macabre featured on this very disc. The ideas and images found in entertainment can permeate a society's consciousness as thoroughly as those of religion. People like Coleman are the first to point out (rightly) that scapegoating these phenomena for mental sickness, anti-social behavior, and twisted violence is a cop-out - and yet they are often the first to scapegoat religion for these things. If such blame is evasive and dishonest in the former instances, then this is true with religion as well. Even if he recognizes the other factors that came together to create the perversion of Fish's psyche (and it's not clear if Coleman does), his laying of any kind of substantive blame on the aforementioned religious imagery, concomitant with value judgments, makes him the same kind of hypocrite represented by a politician who blames slasher movies for teen violence and AC/DC for Richard Ramirez. Also, despite his Catholic upbringing, Coleman is profoundly ignorant of Catholicism (or maybe he is simply blinded by his irrational bigotry): someone should tell him there are hundreds of millions of people who interpret the concept of transubstantiation literally: they're called Catholics, and most of them don't go around eating little children. So the claim that Albert Fish engaged in his sick behavior because he interpreted these religious tenets literally is so risible as to be unworthy of response.
Apparently, through the lenses of his religious/sexual perversions and obsessions, Fish believed that his violation of Grace Budd would be a holy act because it would result in a martyred angel; it's quite possible he genuinely believed this. As can be predicted, Coleman blames religious sentimentality in our culture for having planted this thought in the mind of a being like Fish, who then took the concept to its alleged horrific fruition. The problem with this is threefold: what Coleman sees as a literal interpretation could just as easily be viewed as a perverse misconstruction; second, the capacity of the human mind to justify one's own actions via seemingly innocuous and commonplace ideas and arguments is virtually boundless; and third, without the abuse and perversions to which Fish was subject when he was young, he simply would not have grown into the monster he became as an adult. Even the most superficial persual of serial-killer case studies makes that clear. Besides, shouldn't society have a right to soothe itself in the face of such a monstrous outrage by memorializing the Grace Budds of the world as innocents and angels? Coleman, of course, attacks society's martrying of Grace Budd as an example of the kind of mentality that produced Albert Fish in the first place. Admittedly, overstressing the concept of the innocence of children can be counterproductive and can cause them harm in the long run; but can this really be an issue when the child in question has been abducted, possibly raped, then strangled, and finally eaten - all to the accompaniment of constant ejaculations?
I believe in the idea that serial killers should be studied rather than executed - though I am not confidently dismissive, as Coleman is, of those who feel differently. I am dismayed that the jury could find sane a man as obviously and profoundly disturbed as Albert Fish. What I take objection to is Coleman's utilization of these issues to grind his own personal axe about the alleged insalubrious effects of Roman Catholic spirituality. He also makes reference to all of the Catholics who can tell you about the constant inculcation of the holiness of pain and suffering to which our minds were supposedly exposed as we grew up. I'd like to know what Catholics he's referring to; my suspicion is that he's speaking for others in order to bolster artificially his own assertions.
One other thing: where's Harold Schechter? His book "Deranged" is hands-down the greatest true crime narrative I've ever read, and yet he is not even mentioned. Instead, there are several references to Mel Heimer's "The Cannibal," a book now woefully out of date, a quality most glaringly evident in the author's trust in the specious psychological theories of Frederick Wertham. Wertham's insistence that "human violence is not inevitable; that it is not a biological instinct like sex or the desire for good; that it is not ineradicable from human nature or society; and that it can be greatly reduced and even eventually abolished," is so off the mark at this point in time as to be downright embarrassing. Anyone who has read five pages of Steven Pinker ought to know better; which renders Borowski's preference for this book as the best examination of the Fish case as another strike against him in his young career as a director of bad documentaries.
|  | Reviewed on 2008-03-20
ALBERT FISH
VERY INSITEFUL, I RECOMEND THIS DOCO TO ANYONE WITH AN INTEREST IN SERIAL KILLERS 5 STARS. | | Reviewed on 2008-03-18
Over-the-top and Boring...
I found the free information about this child-killer over the internet as informative as this incredibly boring, sprawling, repetitive, unprofessionally produced, shoe-string budgeted video. The only two people interviewed in this taped attempt at documentary are a woman who drones on in psycho-bable that carries nothing but the obvious observations we can make ourselves, and the carnival ramblings of a freak show/oddities collector. This guy is about as scary as the subject matter. Viewing this video left me with a bad taste in my mouth, and I'm no cannibal. Save your money. | | Reviewed on 2007-12-06
Very interesting documentary
We got this from Netflix not really sure what to expect. Not a bad documentary. The narration was great and the imagery and acting were amazing. It would have flowed a little better if the timeline had gone in chronological order; none-the-less, one could easily follow what was going on. Some of the really graphic scenes were also a little drawn out. The gentleman interviewed that owns the 'Odditorium' needs his own show. Once you watch, you'll know what I mean. He's crazy and eccentric and almost seems to worship Fish for the religious murders that took place. Overall, I would recommend this to anyone who is into True Crime or murder cases. I wouldn't, however, let my kid watch it. Many scenes and descriptions are extremely graphic and were a little difficult for an adult to get through. | | Reviewed on 2007-07-21
Insight into a horror-what people can do
A mild mannered, exuding the aura of innocence and sweetness, was merely a pretense hiding a blood thirsty maniac who took delight in torture, murder and cannibalism. Goes to show you you can never trust a book by its cover!
My only gripe against this movie was the appearance of Joe Coleman, artist, in the middle of the movie, and he takes entirely TOO MUCH of the movie. He was given the ORIGINAL letter of this maniac, and the secretary kept the photocopy (hopefully that secrtary was fired--what an airhead!) that confessed the killing and eating of a little girl. I didn't feel he added much insight and was entirely his own opinion. More should have been given to facts about Fish's life.
I thought, too, there were too many artistic renditions of Fish seeing Christ. More attention toward what happened during Fish's life and the courtroom.
Despite the shortcomings of the movie, it held my attention and was very informative. ALthough John Coleman did make me yawn a few times and was totally annoying. (I can see maybe a few minutes just because he owned that original letter); it would have been better to edit him out.
So I'm giving it 4 stars. | |
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