The Killing of America (1981)

[jee]

Figured I'd upload an image of my copy of The Killing of America which arrived today.

I was one of the lucky few who got their copy hand signed by the films director Sheldon Renan

[jee]

Just to clarify, Signed Edition was a wrong way of describing it. The copy I received was just a normal version. The director literally removed the shrink wrap, pulled out the case sleeve and signed it.

So it is a signed version of the standard (only available) version which was just released.

[GxyExpress999]

[jee]

Thanks for posting your copy. Would love to see more signed copies from those who have them.

Also pleased to see that your signed edition is slightly different than mine (handwriting) indicating authentic signature rather than a mass produced/copied signature. (never can be too sure about these things heh)

[houseca]

Originally Posted by jee

Thanks for posting your copy. Would love to see more signed copies from those who have them.

Also pleased to see that your signed edition is slightly different than mine (handwriting) indicating authentic signature rather than a mass produced/copied signature. (never can be too sure about these things heh)

I have one.... yes, it came with no shrinkwrap. However, something of note... it came with 2 artworks in the case. 1 signed by the director, and 1 regular, unsigned. I put my copy in a clear case and reversed the signed artwork so you can see the signature inside. On the outside is the artwork with no signature.

[jee]

Yep, mine came with 2 sleeves as well (one signed and one unsigned) and if you look at GxyExpress999's second image you can see along the edge that he as well has a second sleeve hiding underneath.

It would seem this is standard practice for Severin when issuing the hand signed copies.

[AnamorphicWidescreen]

Just saw TKOA for the first time. Horrific doc. - not sure why I missed this for so many years, but it was tough to get through. It's a real eye-opener - it does a good job of documenting some (though not all, of course) of the violent crime that we've seen in the U.S. from roughly the 1960's - early 1980's.

It also it brings back a lot of memories of crimes I remember hearing about in the '80's when I was a kid. I had forgotten about a lot of this (thankfully) - extremely disturbing.

Ending the film with the death of JL & the subsequent memorial was very appropriate; I was in elementary school when this happened, and I remember JL's death was the first time I heard of a famous person being killed.

[sethdlh]

Is this more of an actual documentary with a point or does it skew more towards Traces of Death and that type of shock value for the sake of shock value?

[DVD Phreak]

It doesn't use fake footage like "Faces of Death" (whose success led to the making of this film), but "The Killing of America" is still best seen as a shockumentary. There is nothing profound here, since we have always lived in violent times, except we didn't have as many cameras nor guns in the past. See this film for the rare footage of some of the past criminals that may have been forgotten but were quite sensational in their days, such as sniper killer Charles Whitman, who inspired the 1968 Peter Bogdanovich movie "Targets."

[agenda]

I've always think that Killing of America is one of those documents that should be presented in educational purposes from the beginning, in every school and every nation! It is far from that absolutely ridiculousness directed by John Alan Schwartz what DVD Phreak preferred. Although you can see how the world really is these days in forums like bestgore, where anyone can found tons of material that makes Killing of America look like beautiful reality.

I first saw the document on vhs, and when Severin announced their Blu-ray release I knew that I have to buy it. Personally recommended to every body, and I mean every body. It gives the same kind of relief when you watch that Drugs, Inc. from Netional Georaphic Channel, THANK GOD I NEVER-EVER TOOK THAT ROAD IN MY LIFE AND PUT MYSELF IN THOSE SITUATIONS! HATE drugs, HATE guns.

[CelestialAgent]

After watching the Japanese version, Time Waits for No One is stuck in my head and can’t get out!

Nick Pinkerton’s interview about mondo cinema references Traces of Death, and reading about it I absolutely refuse to watch that film. The real autopsy in this film where you see organs removed and placed on a scale is difficult enough to watch.