The Staircase

I could not stop watching THE STAIRCASE and finished the last episode, riveted, 05h30 in the morning! Even though the filmcrew spend most of the (screen)time with the defense, there is not a clearcut answer to the question : "Did he do it?". Although some of the major points of the prosecution were skimmed over in the movie, primarily because they did not allow their preparations to be filmed, I still thought the movie was very balanced and as I am typing this I still don't know if Mike Petersen is innocent or not. It is a highly compelling series to watch and once you have started disc 01 you will not be able to stop until the end of disc 02! Some insightful extra interviews on both discs as well!

What kind of trial documentary do you get when the defense in the case puts up the money to fund the documentary? The kind that doesn't want to bite the hand that feeds it.

I recently watched this and was intrigued enough to look further into the case.(You can look up the entire transcripts on court tv's web site)

Why so little coverage of the testimony of the fact that the family was having severe money problems and that Michael was pulling money from his wifes accounts leading up to the murder? Why not show more than just a tiny bit of the testimonies of the states experts? What about the testimony of the neuropathologist who determined that the victim lay bleeding to death for "several hours"? Go read the transcripts yourself and I think you'll agree. This thing was an open and shut case.

What this series does is present a rare subject of high profile crime case with the suspect free on bail and able to tell the camera everything about himself and others in the case. We meet his defense team, we meet his family, we meet his friends. We meet the defense in what is more of a fleeting introduction because they weren't as comfortable talking about their strategies and such as the defense. What you get overall is a sense of the inner workings in a real case, the humans at stake and the people who're in charge of their destinies. As the reviewer who spoke before of a number of the evidences not being shown in this series, I'm convinced it was because the prosecution didn't want to allow the filmmakers the opportunity get that in fear that they would use it to help the defense and so they couldn't connect it to other scenes where it was presented in court. At any rate, what is presented does show a strong argument that Peterson didn't do it, and even the evidence that was used to convince the jury of his guilt doesn't fly when compared to the things that the prosecution uses to create motive and "potential" murder weapon. In many ways the prosecution is revealed in the series as being a story of the Emperor having no clothes. Their case is built on guess work, and not facts. Those other facts of her death that led to the verdict don't take away from the fact that the prosecution couldn't explain the inconsistencies between her injuries and the injuries that had happened because of murder from a weapon. Whereas, the prosecutions guess work is sketchy at best and not backed up well at all, the defense hires specialists to prove that their alternative theories (since they can't know exactly how she died, they weren't there) were highly possible. Unfortunately, the jury didn't connect with this information and instead went with the prosecutions last ditch efforts to present fragments that don't add up to his murdering her. That's not presented in this series, but what you get is the fact that truth and facts are not things are not things that necessarily add up to justice being served. Often, the American justice system is about having the resources to win, which shouldn't be anything new to the public. This is a rare case when the defendant did have the resources and he still lost. Now, if only in the future we could have a documentary film with footage of a jury deliberating that would be insightful. All of the special features in this collection are nice appendices of the series, and it's understandable why they are included and why the deleted scenes were cut out of the film. As you might have caught from this review, the series is very engaging and if the American justice system interests you, check it out. It's much more fascinating than Law and Order.

Documentary filmmaker Jean-Xavier de Lestrade set out to portray both sides of the sensational 2001 case in which author Michael Peterson was arraigned for the murder of his wife Kathleen, whose body was discovered lying in a poll of blood on the stairway of their home. As the case progressed, the prosecution became less willing to speak to the filmmakers, so the story transitioned into that of the defense team.

One could write a term paper or a book about the intricacies of this case, the twists and turns on both sides, so there's no need to recount any of them in the review. This eight-part series painstakingly lays out the details for the audience to make their own determination about the case. I went away amazed at what it costs to mount a proper defense in America. Peterson tallied his expected costs at $800,000, and he boggled how any working-class American could defend themselves.

The documentary drives home the fact that trials are not about right and wrong. They are a personal battle between the prosecution and the defense. So much depends on juror perception, not on the actual fact of testimony. Once the prosecution marries themselves to a story, they stick to it no matter what holes are poked in it, because they can't lose face.

This is a worthwhile film, and the directory and producer commentaries will help bring some sense of perspective once you've been blown away by the series.

I just got done watching The Staircase straight through, all 8 episodes. I took a break only to grab something to eat. It is RIVETING! Michael Peterson, of course, was accused of murder in the death of his wife Kathleen who was found in a pool of blood at the bottom of a staircase in the family home. There are so many twists and turns in this story that it would be unfair to reveal too many to those unfamiliar with the facts of the case. One, revealed quite early on, is that Michael Peterson was the last to see another woman alive, a woman who was also found dead in a pool of blood at the bottom of a staircase.

Michael Peterson is a fascinating person. There are so many wonderful things about him (clearly loving father, caring, strong, intelligent) and yet there's a sense of something very dark lurking deep inside. He certainly has his share of demons. One is left very uncertain whether Peterson is capable of such a brutal murder. In the filmmakers' commentary, the producer and director (who spent two and a half years sharing daily life with Peterson) echo these sentiments. Peterson is an unknowable quantity.

But as fascinating as Peterson is, as much as the film reveals troubling things about the U.S. justice system, the film, ultimately, is really about family. When everything is on the line, it is the family that is there for support. Peterson's brother is with him throughout. The two women Peterson raised as his own daughters are beautiful and moving in their love and loyalty. One son put his own life on hold to be there for his father during this two-year ordeal. Whether or not it's what the filmmakers intended, the power of family to persevere and struggle together through difficult times is the overriding theme of this film.

Naturally, the trial creates some family divisions. One daughter breaks from the family, sides with the prosecution, and gives nasty Court TV testimony. The filmmakers are clearly less than enamored with this woman and give a pretty damning assessment of her in the commentary. So, as many have noted, the film does seem less than non-biased at times. But, so what? The D.A. has his story to tell; Peterson has his; the filmmakers have theirs. The truth, alas, is never in reach. The truth is, this is a powerful and captivating six-hour film that you will want to block half a day aside to watch from start to finish. I just finished watching the film about an hour or so ago, but I think I can safely say that I'll never forget it. My only advice, other than to order it today, is not to watch the sneak previews that end each episode. They tend to give away the heart of the next twist. Especially if you're coming to The Staircase without too much background knowledge of the case, I am so envious of the six hours you have in front of you!