'Last Dance' Follows Other Capital Punishment Movies Some May Call It 'Dead Woman Walking,' but Its Message Is Earnest

David Sterritt, writer of The Christian Science Monitor, The Christian Science Monitor

It's too new to be called a trend, but it's too revealing to be written off as mere coincidence. Hollywood movies are taking a look at capital punishment, indicating that a subject too incendiary for many politicians to explore - beyond rote sermons on the issue, usually advocating death as a panacea for serious crime - is finding a measure of investigation and analysis through the lens of popular culture.

Such analysis is rarely profound, but it shows that more people are thinking more deeply about this troubling matter than many news reports and stump speeches would suggest.

Exhibit A is "Dead Man Walking," which earned an Academy Award for Susan Sarandon's …

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Publication information: Article title: 'Last Dance' Follows Other Capital Punishment Movies Some May Call It 'Dead Woman Walking,' but Its Message Is Earnest. Contributors: David Sterritt, writer of The Christian Science Monitor - Author. Newspaper title: The Christian Science Monitor. Publication date: May 1, 1996. Page number: 12. © 2009 The Christian Science Publishing Society. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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