Dead Man Walking is a 1995 film based on the book of the same name, which tells the story of Sister Helen Prejean (played by Susan Sarandon), who establishes a special relationship with Matthew Poncelet, a prisoner on death row (played by Sean Penn). Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Tim Robbins at Cannes, 2001 Height: 6 ft 4 in / 1. ... Sister Helen Prejean Sister Helen Prejean CSJ (b. ... Susan Sarandon (born October 4, 1946) is an Academy Award-winning American actress. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Robert Prosky (born Robert Porzuczek on December 13, 1930 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA) is an American character actor who has appeared in such films as Christine, The Natural, Broadcast News, Green Card, Hoffa, Rudy and Dead Man Walking. ... Lois Smith (born November 3, 1930) is an American actress whose career in theatre, film, and television has spanned five decades. ... Gramercy Pictures was a major film distributor, a joint venture of Polygram Filmed Entertainment and Universal Pictures. ... is the 363rd day of the year (364th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... // March 28 - Actress Julia Roberts and singer Lyle Lovett announce their plans for separation November - After a six-year hiatus, the James Bond film series resumes with the successful GoldenEye. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... // Dead Man Walking is a work of non-fiction by Sister Helen Prejean, a Roman Catholic nun and one of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Medaille. ... Sister Helen Prejean Sister Helen Prejean CSJ (b. ... Susan Sarandon (born October 4, 1946) is an Academy Award-winning American actress. ... For information about the Record company see Death Row Records For information about the computer game see Deathrow (game) Death Row is a term which refers to the section of a prison that houses individuals awaiting execution. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Cast and awards

Susan Sarandon won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role. Sean Penn was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role, Tim Robbins for Best Director and its main track, "Dead Man Walking" by Bruce Springsteen for Best Music, Song. The Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the awards given to actresses working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ... The Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the awards given to actors working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ... Tim Robbins at Cannes, 2001 Height: 6 ft 4 in / 1. ... The Academy Award for Directing is an accolade given to the person that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences feels was best director of the past year. ... Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. ... The Academy Award for Best Song is one of the awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are songwriters and composers. ...

The movie also stars Robert Prosky, Raymond J. Barry and R. Lee Ermey. Robbins adapted the story himself from Sister Prejean's autobiographical account. Robert Prosky (born Robert Porzuczek on December 13, 1930 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA) is an American character actor who has appeared in such films as Christine, The Natural, Broadcast News, Green Card, Hoffa, Rudy and Dead Man Walking. ... Raymond J. Barry (b. ... Ronald Lee Ermey (born March 24, 1944) is a former U.S. Marine Corps drill instructor and later Golden Globe-nominated actor, often playing the roles of authority figures, such as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in Full Metal Jacket, Mayor Tilman in the Alan Parker film Mississippi Burning and Sheriff Hoyt...

Adaptation

The film consolidates two different people whom Prejean counseled on Death Row into one character, as well as merging their crimes and their victims' families into one event. Lesser details were also removed to shorten the length of the film.

In reality, Elmo Patrick Sonnier (Poncelet in the adaptation), was executed in the electric chair. Director Tim Robbins opted to use lethal injection in the adaptation because, as stated by Sister Helen in an interview found linked below, "He took away the electric chair and said we need to use lethal injection because we don't want to give people the moral out whereby people could say 'oh well, we used to do electrocution but that's too barbaric so now we are humane and inject them'". Elmo Patrick Sonnier (1949-April 5, 1984) was a convicted murderer and rapist who was executed by electrocution at Angola Penitentiary in Louisiana on April 5, 1984. ... Tim Robbins at Cannes, 2001 Height: 6 ft 4 in / 1. ...

Other versions

In 2002, Tim Robbins, who adapted the book for the film, also wrote a stage version of Dead Man Walking. Also see: 2002 (number). ... Tim Robbins at Cannes, 2001 Height: 6 ft 4 in / 1. ... In 2002, Tim Robbins wrote a stage version of Dead Man Walking. Instead of having it produced professionally, in 2004 he offered the play to schools and colleges throughout the United States, particularly Jesuit schools. ...

External links

• Video Interview with Director Tim Robbins Note: this is a dead link. on AMC's Sunday Morning Shootout
• Dead Man Walking at the Internet Movie Database
• Dead Man Walking at the Arts & Faith Top100 Spiritually Significant Films list
• Dead Man Walking at Rotten Tomatoes
• Interview with Sister Helen Prejean Note: this is a dead link.
• Dead Man Walking review from Entertainment Weekly
• "Entertainment Watch: Dead Man Walking" from AmericanCatholic.org, April 1996 James Arnold's Catholic view on the film
• Sister Helen Prejean: The Real Woman Behind "Dead Man Walking" by John Bookser Feister from AmericanCatholic.org