The Central Park Five

The Central Park Five is a documentary film put together by Ken Burns, his daughter Sarah Burns and her husband David McMahon. It tells the true story of five minority teens who were arrested in 1989 for the rape of a woman in central park and who, several years later, were released from prison when a serial rapist admitted to the crime, far little too late.

It was a time when New York seemed in disrepair, crack was making its brutal rampage through ghettos and upper class neighborhoods alike, and people were looking for something to believe in. The frenzied spark came from the 1989 incident which was quickly exploited by the media, championed by the then Mayor of New York,  Ed Koch, and backed by the publics bloodlust. Who better to blame then five minority kids from the wrong side of the tracks?

The documentary provides current interviews from five of the boys, now grown men (one of the victims opted to only allow audio), as they talk about their ordeal from that fateful night while also splicing in archival footage from media outlets and old newspaper headlines. Sadly it’s just one of many stories about the corruption of the justice system and the wrongfully imprisoned men and women who years later have their innocence rectified. As usual, a powerful documentary from Burn and company that puts the spotlight on the wrongful suffering of the disenfranchised.

PICTURE QUALITY:
It’s a documentary so you can expect a wide range of quality in picture. All things current have a sharp and impressive quality in HD. Like almost any instance where close ups are thrown into the mix you get a fantastic display of detail, color, and sharpness. There is also a slow pan of the park at night that looks spectacular without the usual white noise devouring black levels. Of course archival footage and other instruments of pre-dated media do not live up to the HD standard but in the grand scheme of things they offer up necessary tools in retelling the story.

BONUS FEATURES:
~Interview With the Filmmakers
~After The Central Park Five