Friday 24 January 2020

One Of Your Own - The Life and Death of Myra Hindley - Carol Ann Lee

The Moors Murders case is one which remains embedded in the psyche of my country.  This biography of Myra Hindley, written by Carol Ann Lee is a very solid effort.

There is some very useful insight into Myra Hindley's early days, and how her outlook and temperament developed. Well-written and evocative of life back then, these passages give an illustration of the way in which a strong and unusual personality came about.

The author does not just draw "obvious" conclusions and assert that every feature of her upbringing, or major incident or event during it, can be directly and unambiguously linked to the later events and crimes, or cited to explain them. There is an appreciation that life is more complicated than that. Overall, the chronicling of the early lives of Hindley (and also Ian Brady) is unfurled in a seamless, measured but highly readable fashion.

I would say that this work has equipped me with a more rounded understanding of how Hindley and Brady gelled "philosophically", what motivated them, and how they became detached and alienated from the rest of society. These were perhaps the most enlightening sections of the book for me.

Another feature of One Of Your Own is the way that developments are placed in some kind of socio-cultural context, especially in relation to the changing, turbulent times of the 1950s and 1960s. The subject matter examined here is clearly disturbing, but I find its sociological and philosophical dimensions fascinating.

Lately it has occurred to me Brady and Hindley were symptomatic of the dark side either of the then nascent "Swinging Sixties", or more generally of post-war social upheavals. They may have represented a rebellion from the conformity and drabness of post-war life, but their rebellion was clearly destructive and nihilistic, unlike some of the more progressive and optimistic movements which flowered later in the decade.

The format of a full biography permits a fuller analysis and documentation, rather than a mere framework. Watching documentaries, and reading some articles, can make it appear like the crimes took place in some kind of vacuum.  Here a bigger, deeper picture is presented.

For me there was a slightly new perspective on the period from early 1965 onwards, and what plans the duo may have had for the future. The role of David Smith, Myra Hindley's brother-in-law, is explained and examined.

Graphic detail is not always presented when describing the murders, but the reader only needs to "read between the lines" to discern the terror and suffering which the victims were subjected to.

There is in-depth coverage of the police investigation, the searches and the interviews, with the "nuts and bolts" of how the horrors of the crimes came to light.  It is frustrating to hear about the infighting and discord between different police forces.

A large part of the book is given over to Myra Hindley's years in prison, especially the period from the time of sentencing to the mid-1980s, something of a "lost period" in my own knowledge of the case. Media coverage seemed to explode in the 1980s, with the new and dramatic developments which happened at that time.

As regards the "prison years", an intriguing sub-text for me was the change in some attitudes, and the emergence of more enlightened times with regard to how we address social issues and how we treat convicted criminals.

One lesson which emerged for me was how resourceful and tough Hindley was, probably more resilient and coherent than Brady. Quotations from letters and other correspondence give an idea of what she was like in the latter years of her incarceration. Some of Hindley's pronouncements and thoughts made me very angry, but it was also illuminating to read about them.

I was quite absorbed by the stories of the ebb and flow of Hindley's fortunes and morale, and her fluctuating relationships with her friends, relatives, associates and supporters. The thoughts of people who she came into contact with over the years give varying and interesting perspectives on her state of mind and her motives.

In conclusion, I think this is a very creditable examination of a difficult and horrific story.

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Friday 17 January 2020

Barbara (2012 German film)

Recently, I finally managed to see the 2012 German film Barbara, after purchasing the DVD.

The film, directed by Christian Petzold, is set in the German Democratic Republic, circa 1980.  Barbara (played by Nina Hoss) is a physician, who formerly worked at a prestigious hospital in East Berlin, but she has been "banished" to a small clinic near the Baltic coast, apparently as punishment for having submitted an application to leave East Germany. Essentially the movie centres on Barbara's relationship with her colleague Andre, who has some secrets of his own, and on the activities of some people wishing to escape from the DDR.

The first things which was noticeable to me about this movie were its "autumnal" hues, characteristic of many films about East Germany. Apart from being easy on the eye, this property also helps to capture the supposed drabness of life in the DDR.

Another strand which runs throughout Barbara is a pervasive atmosphere of wariness and guardedness amongst the characters. People may have been conditioned to suspect the motives and intentions of others, expecting to be betrayed or placed under surveillance of some kind.

If a mood of mutual suspicion and distrust was indeed a feature of the East German system, then this is shrewdly and effectively conveyed in this picture. Tension is created and accentuated by a certain quietness, and an uneasy tranquility.

Much of the dialogue is sparse and clipped, as if nobody wants to say anything incriminating or susceptible to misinterpretation. The unease and circumspection are palpable. However, this is all done in such a way that the viewer senses that most citizens knew the score and the realities of the security apparatus, and that there was an unspoken assumption amongst people about the degree to which people's lives were infiltrated and manipulated.

The "provincial" setting makes a welcome change from the concrete canyons which often dominate movies about East Germany. We see some different facets of the country and the system. Many of the scenes in the countryside are accompanied by very breezy weather conditions, and this complements the subject matter quite well.

Nina Hoss gives a highly believable and sensitive performance as Barbara, and Ronald Zehrfeld is also excellent in the role of Andre Reiser, The plot unfolds subtly and gradually, not giving too much away, but it is beautifully realised, and the result is an understated but highly affecting story.

To sum up, Barbara is an absorbing, elegantly produced and at times moving film.




Thursday 16 January 2020

Fred and Rose - The Full Story of Fred and Rose West and the Gloucester House of Horrors - Howard Sounes

Fred and Rose - The Full Story of Fred and Rose West and the Gloucester House of Horrors, by Howard Sounes, is a highly readable and reasonably comprehensive account of one of the most infamous criminal cases in British history.

I had watched numerous television documentaries about the case, but sensed that something was missing, and that only when I had read a credible and full written document would my understanding be properly augmented. This work by Howard Sounes fulfilled that function quite admirably.

There is lots of good and illustrative background on Fred West's early life in Herefordshire, and indeed much illuminating material concerning the early life of both Fred and Rose, their living conditions, and their family scenarios. The author I feel plays down to an extent some of the more speculative and outlandish aspects of the story which are routinely told even in the mainstream media.

As this is a coherent and carefully sequenced account, it is easier to understand and ruminate on how the constituent parts of the story developed, and how the dynamics between the two main participants came to bring disaster. The gaps which are left in documentaries are necessarily filled in here, and they reveal a clearer and fuller picture.

The story becomes gradually more lurid and graphic as it goes on, and mini-biographies of the victims and their families make it more real, as they underline just what was lost and just what was endured and suffered, and how many lives were affected forever by these terrible events.

I was enlightened by the passages and anecdotes which deal with the time spent on remand by Frederick and Rosemary West, how they coped with that period, and how their attitudes to each other altered. The same portions of the book also examine the impact of the investigation and ongoing revelations on the families of the couple.

The trial of Rosemary West is covered in some detail, and this helps to provide a more rounded and complete flavour to this telling of the story. People from the past, who had been mentioned in the earlier pages, now resurfaced. The full complexity and magnitude of the case, and the logistics and organisation of the investigation and the trial, are also brought across to the reader.

At various stages of the book, Sounes devotes attention to what might be termed "peripheral" characters, but these individuals and their experiences add greater depth and context to the narrative.

As the format of a book such as this allows the basic framework of the story to be filled out considerably, and for nuance to be introduced, I began to see several of the main characters in the drama in a new light, because of revelations detailed here. This all reinforces my view that books are the most telling, reliable and representative form of learning and education. Television documentaries should only really be viewed as a "catalyst" to stimulate additional research and exploration of any given subject.

The closing sections of the book offer some interesting analysis of the reasons why the tragic events evolved as they did.

In my opinion this is a fine book, which tells the horrific story in quite a measured way, although in places there is little escaping the disturbing nature of the subject matter.