In spite of (and, perhaps, at least a little because of) the best efforts of countless individuals and organizations, the visual mediums of TV and film continue to exert a disproportionate amount of influence on American Society. Which is why this sort of post from First Things’ Wesley J. Smith regarding HBO’s upcoming film on the life of Jack Kevorkian — You Don’t Know Jack — is so important:
I have embedded the trailer for the upcoming puff HBO bio of the murderer Jack Kevorkian, entitled, You Don’t Know Jack, at the bottom of this post. Before viewing it, take a look at a few of the key aspects of Kevorkian’s “career” that I have listed below. Anyone want to bet whether the movie will bring these facts up?
I suspect that’s a rhetorical question on Smith’s part, because no matter how disturbing the six points he raises are — and they’re plenty disturbing, I can assure you — I’d be shocked to see them confronted in a serious way in the film, or to hear anything about them during any of the many interviews Al Pacino, Susan Sarandon, or director Barry Levinson will be giving to publicize the film. (And I can’t even begin to imagine what John ‘Jack tried to help these dying people shift to another dimension’ Goodman might say while the microphones are running.)
Orthodox. Faithful. Free.
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It’s very difficult to make a film with a relentlessly unsympathetic protagonist, which is what this project would be if the creators were being faithful to their source material. And with the important caveat that I have not yet actually viewed the film, nothing I’ve seen thus far from any of the individuals involved would suggest that we’ll get anything more than a mildly conflicted/constipated Dr. Jack. “With humor,” according to Levinson. I’m just hoping this stays off the national radar enough to prevent an Amadeus-like rewriting of Kevorkian’s story.
Let’s be clear: even if Dr. Jack’s motives in fighting for an individual’s “right to death” were entirely pure — an “if” of truly gigantic proportions, as Smith has documented in the past — there is nothing heroic about it. Helping someone take their own life (or asking a loved one to help you take yours) is not difficult or painful, as so many of Kevorkian’s defenders seem to suggest. It’s easy.
And it’s cowardly.