The Preppie Murder

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The Preppie Murder - Wikipedia

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The Preppie Murder
UK DVD cover
Genre	Crime Drama
Written by	John Herzfeld Irv Roud
Story by	Irv Roud
Directed by	John Herzfeld
Starring	Danny Aiello William Baldwin Lara Flynn Boyle
Theme music composer	Chris Isaak Simon Rogers
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Executive producer	Jack Grossbart
Producers	Sydell Albert Paul Pompian
Production locations	Los Angeles New York City
Cinematography	Steven Shaw
Editor	Janet Bartels-Vandagriff
Running time	100 minutes
Production company	Jack Grossbart Productions
Original release
Network	ABC
Release	September 24, 1989 (1989-09-24)

The Preppie Murder is an American television film directed by John Herzfeld, written by Herzfeld and Irv Roud, and starring William Baldwin as Robert Chambers and Lara Flynn Boyle as Jennifer Levin. The film aired on ABC in 1989. It was based on the events of a murder committed by Robert Chambers, nicknamed the "Preppie Killer". The film co-stars Danny Aiello, Joanna Kerns, and William Devane.

Plot

The film reenacts Robert Chambers' murder of Jennifer Levin. Robert Chambers, a man who attended prep schools on a scholarship, kills Jennifer Levin, who herself was of a privileged background after they leave a trendy Manhattan bar together. When Detective Mike Sheehan arrests him, Chambers claims that he killed her in self-defense after rough sex got out of hand. In the ensuing trial, Chambers' attorney, Jack Litman, attacks Levin's personal history. Chambers eventually pleads guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter.

Cast

Danny Aiello as Detective Mike Sheehan
William Baldwin as Robert Chambers
Joanna Kerns as Linda Fairstein
Lara Flynn Boyle as Jennifer Levin
Dorothy Fielding as Phyllis Chambers
James Handy as Detective Joe Brady Quinn
William Devane as Jack Litman

Production

The film was shot mostly in Los Angeles, but some exterior shots took place in New York City. Mike Sheehan, who investigated the case, served as a consultant. Jennifer Levin's parents declined involvement; her father called it "exploitative". Linda Fairstein and Jack Litman also declined involvement.^[1] Director John Herzfeld wanted to tell Jennifer Levin's story and "clear a little of the mud off her".^[2]

Release

The Preppie Murder aired September 24, 1989, on ABC.^[2] It was released on home video in November 1993.^[3]

Reception

Howard Rosenberg of the Los Angeles Times called it "vexing, powerful and heartbreaking—yet strangely enigmatic".^[2] John Leonard of New York called it "pointless" and compared it negatively to Linda Wolfe's book, Wasted: The Preppie Murder.^[4] John J. O'Connor of The New York Times wrote that the film's denunciation of the press as exploitative was ironic, as it "merely warms up the old headlines it pretends to abhor."^[5]

References

^ Kunen, James S. (September 25, 1989). "Art Imitates Death in The Preppie Murder". People. Vol. 32, no. 13. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
^ ^a ^b ^c Rosenberg, Howard (September 23, 1989). "'Preppie Murder' Drama Pleads Case for Victims". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
^ Cornell, Christopher (November 18, 1993). "Reforming In Seattle But 'Lost In Yonkers'". Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on March 5, 2014. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
^ Leonard, John (September 25, 1989). "Sex, Lies, and Videotape". New York. 22 (38): 126. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
^ O'Connor, John J. (September 22, 1989). "TV Weekend; Death in Central Park, Lives of 80's Youth". The New York Times. Retrieved February 24, 2014.

External links

The Preppie Murder at IMDb

v t e Films directed by John Herzfeld
Two of a Kind (1983) The Preppie Murder (1989) Casualties of Love: The "Long Island Lolita" Story (1993) 2 Days in the Valley (1996) Don King: Only in America (1997) 15 Minutes (2001) The Death and Life of Bobby Z (2007) Reach Me (2014) Escape Plan: The Extractors (2019)

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