Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Great Soundtracks - West of Memphis



The latest documentary on The West Memphis Three called West of Memphis was released last year and is arriving on DVD next month to celebrate the second year of freedom for WM3. This film further analysis the case of the three boys, now men, who were wrongfully convicted of murdering three children in 1993 in the Robin Hood Hills section of West Memphis, Arkansas. The men - Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelly Jr., and Jason Baldwin were found guilty but hardly any evidence proved the prosecutions case, which was based on the fact that they led the jury to believe they were devil worshipers because they looked into different religions, wore black, and listened to heavy metal. One of the Three, Echols, was sentenced to the Death Row, while the others were sentenced to life in prison. In 2011, the men were released on an Alford Plea Deal and thanks to celebrity support from Eddie Vedder, Natalie Maines, Johnny Depp, Peter Jackson, Henry Rollins and others. Now, West of Memphis will further prove to the world that these men were not the actual killers and should be exonerated of the crime they did not commit. 

This soundtrack helps tell their story even more with music from Band of Horses, Maines, Depp, Vedder, Bob Dylan, Nick Cave, Marilyn Manson, Patti Smith and many more. It also features Henry Rollins reading letters and journal entries from Echols while he was on death row. While the music is sad, the songs are also hopeful, much like the spirit of the WM3. 

For more information on WM3, click HERE