Cheap Capturing the Friedmans (DVD) (Arnold Friedman (II), Elaine Friedman, David Friedman (IX), Jesse Friedman (II)) (Andrew Jarecki) Price

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Customer Reviews of Capturing the Friedmans

A Roller-Coaster of a Film!
Never before has a documentary evoked so many different emotions from me: disbelief, pity, hatred, anger, disgust, sorrow, joy, and shock. The majority of this film is actual film footage shot by the Freidman family. The father of a family of three boys is accused of molesting young boys in a class that he teaches, and soon one of his own sons is also under the suspicion of joining his father in these crimes. I was caught in a whirlwind of a variety of thoughts, and found myself confused and not knowing whether to feel sorry for them or hate them. THAT is how objective this documentary is. I found myself just wanting to slap their mother, even audibly mumbled "What a witch!" a few times. Being accused of molestation is a serious thing, one that has to be handled with the utmost care. One wonders when watching this whether or not the police handled things properly. I don't know what to feel. I was disturbed in any case! I was astonished at how "normal" the family acted even under the circumstances of the accusations; they kept on filming their lives on video tape! The family, especially the father and sons, were deeply obsessed with recording their lives on film, and that is what helps make this a great documentary.

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Being accused of an unspeakable crime...
Simply put, CAPTURING THE FRIEDMANS is one of the best documentaries I have seen in recent memory. It follows the story of the Friedman family the prosperous suburb Great Neck in Long Island, New York. In the late 1980's Alfred Friedman (the father) is investigated after a package addressed to him containing child pornography is apprehended by the post office. After the Friedman's house is searched the investigation is turned over to the police when it is believed that young boys could have been sexually assaulted by Alfred while taking computer lessons in the family's basement. But the finger isn't solely pointed at Alfred as the name of his youngest son, Jesse, is continually mentioned during interviews of the alleged victims. Both Alfred and Jesse are accused of an unspeakable crime with the force of a witch-hunt in their local community. With no physical evidence the two are forced to defend their innocence and stand before the judge. What is at the true heart of this film is that there are no black and white sides of this drama; rather, there are only shades of grey, and plenty of them. As the film progresses it is revealed that Alfred is not 100% innocent. He confides that he has felt pedophilic impulses since his youth and enjoys the "company" of young boys. Furthermore, the fact that he was originally investigated for possessing kiddy porn never vanishes. It first appears that Jesse is the true victim but even these thoughts are never verified. Throughout the viewer is left wondering what really happened. The Friedman family was never a strong or a close-knitted family before these allegations were charged. As a result, their home videos caught a family in continual rage and despair. This incident truly tested their foundation. This family will never recover. The format of this film includes news footage, family home videos, and present day interviews of individuals on both sides of the controversy. Each format is layered to create an interesting yet horrifying glimpse into this family's crisis. This is truly a case in which there are no winners or losers. CAPTURING THE FRIEDMANS is a somber look into a devastated family that will continue to affect that viewer long after the film is over. Highly recommended.

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Living In Hell With "The Friedmans"
The best documentary to be released in recent years (that includes "Farenheit 9/11"), "Capturing The Friedmans" is a powerful, shocking, disturbing, mesmerizing, sad, & ultimately tragic film that haunts you long after the film is over.

Arnold Friedman is an upstanding teacher, who has garnered many awards in his field, a father to three sons, and the head of a seemingly happy family and household, who also teaches piano & computer lessons to young children & teenagers in Great Neck, NY. When he is arrested & brought up on charges of pediphilia, The Friedman family's normal life descends into a nightmarish hell as family members take sides as to whether Arnold is guilty or innocent (the mother, Elaine, despises Arnold keeping his dark secret from her for all these years, while the boys stand behind there dad). The police, obsessed with bringing the elder Friedman to justice, interview all the children that attended the piano & computer classes, and some not all (and under the coaxing of the police and, worst yet, through hypnosis) admit to some form of pediphiliac action taken against them. It gets worse when during some of the interviews Friedman's youngest son, Jesse, pops up supposedly helping his father in some of the acts. The police promptly arrest Jesse and bring him up on charges, also. The media, of course, does not help matters when accusations & allegations are blown out of proportion as the family, as a whole, disintegrates quickly. The outcome is mind blowing to say the least & a great misjustice to a family that should have gotten a fair trial.

Through video, taken by the Friedman's oldest son to document the entire tragedy in hopes of people seeing the true side of this case, & stock footage of the family in happier times, the viewer is hurled into a video collage of a family that once might have been a stand out in the community to a family that is all but a memory housed on VHS tapes, 8mm film & long forgotten photos. The family's demise is a tragic & sad feeling. I got a small knot in my stomach watching this film.

The final question still remains - who is to blame?

There are three factors.

first off, Arnold Friedman because even though he was into pediphilia, he should have had the responsibility to put him being a father figure & teacher first & foremost over anything else, including his secret stash of kiddie porn. Didn't he realize that if he got caught w/ this trash he was looking at jail time? As for his son Jesse, he should have pleaded innocent. The trial may have lasted a few more years, but, in the long run he would have been, possibly, an innocent man.

The police & the Feds should have had a lot more restraint & over all, discreet class over this case. For the case to turn into a circus and free for all is a shame & to grill the children the way they did during the interview, and coming up with no substantial evidence other than the stack of hidden kiddie porn is the classic paranoid case of going above the law & also a classic case of mis-justice (the bonus materials on the second disc are not to be missed).

The parents of the so called victims. After the case broke, in the media and the surrounding area, the parents got together to console one another & attend group therapy. But, how can the children be called victims, when those same parents would pick there son or daughter from whatever class they attended with no bruises, physical scarring of any kind, no tears shed and clothes that were unsoiled and untorn? Even with that said, wouldn't the child come forward to the parent saying that he or she didn't want to go to the class anymore? One of the kids that confessed to being abused & was hypnotized, comes off on screen like the average punk & I didn't believe a word he said. He seemed like the one that needed the most theraputic help out of everyone in the movie!

If he had given up on his dark hobby, I feel that Arnold Friedman would still be happily married, living in Great Neck, New York, living a happy retirement. Sadly, its only a "what if" question.