Gil Garcetti, Former Los Angeles District Attorney, says he did not realize some aspects presented in O.J. Simpson’s trial that he does understand now with the ESPN’s documentary.
Garcetti states that Simpson’s case had deeper racial issues that influenced the direction of the verdict. According to him, the trial involving the football celebrity was not a matter of innocence or guilt, it just goes beyond that. Apparently, there were racial, social and economic factors that influenced the trial’s decision.
In 2008, Garcetti prosecuted Simpson with 12 charges unrelated to the 1994 trial, in which the ex-football player was accused of having murdered Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman.
Nowadays, Garcetti considers he has made the right decision even if the jury and Simpson differ from his sentence.
ESPN’s O.J.: Made in America documentary
ESPN’s documentary about O.J. Simpson story will be premiered on Saturday to show the socio-cultural scones the trial took.
The documentary runs seven hours and 43 minutes and tackles one of the most polemical trials of the United States. On June 11, it will air on ESPN and ABC and this time, Simpson’s story will have more than a personal extent.
The 30 for 30 documentary film, directed by Ezra Edelman, will include new interviews and footage to show how Simpson’s story approaches main political, social and cultural issues from the U.S.
Earlier this year, the documentary was fully premiered at Sundance Film Festival, an opportunity that was seized for some filmgoers to watch the most recent version of Simpson’s case, which was labeled by most as a masterpiece.
For some critics, Edelman has shown an entirely different perspective of what has been so far written in books, newspapers, and displayed on screens. The documentary deals, of course, with one of the most controversial angles of the trial: racism.
Nevertheless, in Edelman’s story, there are some aspects that are just familiar with smaller groups in American society and the director aimed to unveil them. Such is the case of the U.S. stigmatization of domestic violence, racism in American sports, the celebrity cult of Los Angeles and its possible influence in the trail concerned with tabloids and economic issues. However, the most important angles are the ones linked to the national morality that was “recovered” after several centuries of racial injustice.
Therefore, O.J.: Made in America documentary, presents a clearer picture of a trial that became a massive socio-political concern and by the time it occurred, there was key information that was unknown to most.
The five, two-hour episodes, have been chronologically divided to portray Simpson’s life and American flaws, starting from the very first days of his career as a football player until his conviction in 2008.
The trial carried out in 1994, seemed to have been influenced by many factors. During the early part of the 90’s, Los Angeles witnessed racial riots and social turbulences. By the time Simpson was accused of murdering his wife, Nicole Brown and his friend, Ronald Goldman, the trial was a social spotlight considering the implications a possible conviction could carry out at that time. Other factors were linked to social affection, chauvinist perceptions, celebrity, among others.
The first episode of the documentary aims to display how many Americans were supporting Simpson’s not just because of his race, but also because of his remarkable athletic exploits in the playground during the 60’s.
During the second episode, Edelman showed how racial tension boiled over the early 90’s with the 1992 racial riots in Los Angeles. The main issue for the subsequent accusation of Simpsons in 1994.
The third episode displays Simpson’s arrest and some details about the victims were presented. The beginning of the trail was also presented during this episode, as well as all witnesses and evidence provided by both parts and how some of what seemed to incriminate Simpson did not “fit” (as the bloody glove) in some cases. At this point, Simpson’s story became a little bit more controversial when people realized that being famous might get people away from prison.
On the last two episodes, there is a socio-cultural reflection of the U.S. by the time the trial took place. Former versions of the story showed only the process of the trial and the fate of all those who played a role in the case. ESPN’s version goes deeper concerned with the unknown levels this crime story reached.
Source: NY Daily News