digital video montage dealing with guillotine execution in the early part of the 20th century; most notably that of eugene weidmann in 1939. the enthusiasm of the crowd, as well as the fact that the event was filmed from an apartment window, became major factors in the french governments decision to ban public executions. as a result, the weidmann execution was the last public guillotining in france before the death penalty was finally abolished in 1981. musical setting is the viola solo "elegie" by igor stravinsky.
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On the other hand, the physical trauma from having your head severed from your body, may perhaps bring about a slight distraction to the actual enjoyment of the last 20 seconds of fame. Which indeed is a pity though, since one probably would want to get a last glance at the audience to know if one
s heir-apparent shed pious tears or did cartwheel laughing.
RE: According to your own musty ideas of justice zecamel1, I can foresee a not entirely insignificant problem regarding admitting applications for the consequently frequently vacant job as executioneer... ;)
"Immediately after the blade fell on the condemned man, the trio retrieved his head and attempted to elicit some sign of intelligent response by "shouting in his face, sticking in pins, applying ammonia under his nose, silver nitrate, and candle flames to his eyeballs." In response, they could record only that M Prunier's face "bore a look of astonishment."
If you are interested, you should also read Dr Jacques Beaurieux's remarkable account following the execution of Henri Languille in 1905. Beaurieux reported clear and deliberate reactions: "Languille's eyes very definitely fixed themselves on mine and the pupils focused themselves".