Chat Ed : Welcome to this evening's webchat with James Kent – the director, and Mary-Jane Robinson – the producer of' The Kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart'.
James Kent : Great that you all watched the film, I hope you got a fantastic insight into American culture and that you were riveted by this amazing story.
Joe : That program was awesome :)
elyobpunk : an amazing show
Jarrod : a really superb documentary
Mary-Jane Robinson : Thank you all for watching. James and I are more than happy to answer any questions you may have about the film.
dylan1 : well done
Brad : I am seriously scared by that programme
Kaz : that was very disturbing
tinnman : was it frightening researching such an incredible story?
HELENA : best doc i've seen for a long time
Mary-Jane Robinson : It wasn't frightening in the sense of horror but I think that we both felt a tremendous commitment to the family who had given so much in making the film and wanted to do justice to the story and tell it as well as we could.
gaylelavery : I was extremely moved and touched - so happy she was found alive
jo : how is Elizabeth now
iamcossie : How is Elizabeth coping now?
ben17muk : very very touching
Sam : do you no how she is now?
nina : it was very good! is elizabeth ok now??
IG : HOW IS SHE NOW?
James Kent : We know she is in counselling and we're in touch with the family and they tell us she's doing well. She's back at school so our only source of information, which is the family, tells us that Elizabeth is on the up.
Mary-Jane Robinson : I think it's important to stress that she comes from a very close, tight-knit community who are extremely protective of her and people in Salt Lake City look out for her and protect her from intrusive media and bullying, so she's in the best possible place she can be to do what she is expected to do.
madmumhere : What made you decide to produce a program about the kidnapping?
megsyf : what made u decide to cover this particular harrowing story?
Mary-Jane Robinson : I had made other films about crimes in the past, but none had ever been resolved in this way. The case was so weird and bizarre, I was captivated just reading about it. Also the more I discovered about the disillusionment that the family felt with the authorities, the more important I felt it was to try and tell this story.
uplate : will the local police have an enquiry into their incompetence?
Graeme Lynch : Was there a difference between the FBI and police attitudes to Ricci?
James Kent : The issue over Richard Ricci has been settled out of court.
Mary-Jane Robinson : As a result of this case there have been changes in police practice when investigating kidnappings. They have accepted that their experience can be a handicap when looking at these sorts of cases and that they must never be blinkered to things. They also know they must remember this case when investigating new kidnappings.
James Kent : The FBI agent in the film was much quicker to discern the unlikelihood of Ricci's guilt than the Salt Lake Police. Mick Fenerty, the FBI agent, was extremely important to the family and pressed for a much wider investigation than Salt Lake were prepared to do.
Mary-Jane Robinson : It's important to note that it was still the Salt Lake police who led the investigation though and dictated mainly the direction of the work with the help of the FBI, but it never became an FBI-led investigation.
Jonny : how much did the wife of the Kidnapper have to with the crime?
James Kent : In my opinion she was integral to the crime. Wanda was complicit at every stage of the planning.. She held Elizabeth down on that first night... and in some instances was her sole companion, even when Brian was in custody in San Diego. The only real issue, I think, is was Wanda less sane than Brian? And that, we still wait to hear.
James : Why do you think Elizabeth never called attention to herself when in public with her kidnappers?
Mary-Jane Robinson : I think that you have to remember that she was an extremely sheltered and obedient child who was what we call an 'adult pleaser' - she didn't question the authority of grown-ups. And she had been through a terrible and traumatic series of life-changing events and had been continually threatened with the death of her family if she tried to escape.
Frankie : Have the couple shown any remorse for their actions and have the courts checked out their mental state?
James Kent : There has been no remorse from either side, as far as we know. Wanda has been judged incompetent to stand trial. Brian Mitchell is still being assessed for his level of competency and that conclusion is expected very soon.
danny : will you make a follow up?
Michelle : Would you be willing to make a follow up documentary once the trial begins?
Mary-Jane Robinson : I think that there's a follow-up film to be made and that film is Elizabeth's story in her own words, but I do not feel that film can be made for many years because I don't feel she is able and will be able to articulate her experience for many years. Until that time I, as a film-maker, would not be comfortable talking to her about that experience.
simon : What type of sentence can they expect to receive?
Mary-Jane Robinson : I think that the prosecution hope for life sentences in both cases.
ben17muk : will elizabeth have to testify in court against them?
Mary-Jane Robinson : We still don't know yet... The family are obviously resistant but also understand that it may be the only way to secure a prosecution, but until the competency of the defendants can be decided the details of the prosecution's case can't be decided.
neil brennan : What did you make of the American media's coverage of the case?
carson : i was out in the US at the time it all started... the smarts were massacred at certain stages in the media....
James Kent : The media's coverage was highly controversial, particularly in taking the side against Ricci and at times against the family.
KevR : trial by media. always a danger
James Kent : As a Brit out there I was astonished that in a way Elizabeth's physical looks seemed to play a large part in attracting attention, as a blonde, angelic, classic, middle-class child, but the family were expert at keeping media attention alive.
Mary-Jane Robinson : It's a double-edged sword, they needed to keep the case alive, as James said and until then they had to leave themselves open to questions. Ultimately though, it was the power of the media that brought her home.
Dean_J : did we ever find out if it was Emanuel who tried the cousin’s house??
Erin : Why did they try to abduct her cousin in a similar fashion to how they abducted Elizabeth?
James Kent : Erin, we can only assume that Elizabeth had talked about Olivia, her cousin, to Mitchell. Why? Possibly intimidation, possibly loneliness.
Mary-Jane Robinson : It was also the widespread belief that Mitchell was ultimately after a number of young girls, and not just one, so Elizabeth's cousin seemed like a good idea for a second abduction because he knew they would get on… but that's just speculation. However they were charged with the break in so we do know it was Brian Mitchell who attempted it.
AlexSpiders : Did you/the police ever find out exactly WHY they kidnapped Elizabeth? Why did they want her for their 'cult'?
Keeva : why did he pick elizabeth to abduct? is there any indication of his choice? why did he not abduct both sisters?
danny : why did they abduct her?
James Kent : I don't think there is any indication as to why it was Elizabeth specifically...
Mary-Jane Robinson : Other than he became captivated by her when he first saw her.
James Kent : In his manifesto Brian wanted 49 brides, presumably virgin brides, so we can assume that Elizabeth was to be the first of many in his grand plan.
KEITHRON : Did Elizabeths Mum not want to be involved in the program? There was no contribution from her. Did she object to the program?
Mary-Jane Robinson : Off camera she was incredibly supportive of the film, but we felt it was a film about brothers and family and saw it as a story of a band of brothers.
hannah33 : As makers of the documentary, which was the most emotional part of the ordeal for you?
James Kent : In a way, my answer has to be different to Mary-Jane's because I wasn't present for the interview with Ed (Elizabeth’s father), so for me, I think it was meeting possibly, Wanda’s mother, who was like any sweet Granny, but had to deal with the horror of a daughter involved in kidnapping a child.
Mary-Jane Robinson : I think for me, although the interview with Elizabeth's father was very upsetting, the most traumatic experience I had was when we re-trod Elizabeth's path and went on the journey from her house up into the mountains where she was held and we realised how terrifying it must have been for her and seeing where she had been kept. It was the closest I felt to her in the whole film.
Abbi : If you had the chance to interview Brian Mitchell, would you?
James Kent : As a film-maker I think you couldn't say no. If nothing else we would have an amazing insight into his level of reality, but, it would undoubtedly create a very different film. So for me, I never even thought about the possibility of interviewing Brian Mitchell.
Mary-Jane Robinson : Yes, as James said, I would love to interview him. I don't think there was a place for him in this film, maybe in a future film. I'm not interested in making an activist film for his defence though, or giving him a platform.
faz : are you going to do anymore documentaries on this type of subject
dkny750 : what are your next TV plans, if any?
Kate : So.... what's next?
James Kent : I'm not planning a crime documentary at present. I'm making a drama about H.G. Wells, but there's nothing as exciting as getting insights into a world like that in Utah, so far from my own.
Mary-Jane Robinson : I actually live in America and moved there so that I could make these sorts of films - although they are very traumatic I find them the most fulfilling. I'm currently researching a film about a Harlem heroin dealer.
p1 : Thank you!!
HELENA : thank you for taking the time to chat with us all and thanks for the doc it was fab
shaneV : thanks for the insight to a harrowing story such as this
marc83 : if nobody has said it already, excellent film by the way!
carson : cheers
Claire : brill!!!
Tigerlily : thank you
Oxford : thanks
Keith : Thank You
hannah33 : really touching
Erin : Bye good luck
kirajess : cya xxx
OKeeffe : thanks. Bye
James Kent : Fantastic to all of you for staying tuned, we couldn't make films without an audience, they just don't get funded. So thanks, a lot :)
LISA : I found it very moving
vicky : Thanks a lot, it was beautifully done! good luck with future projects!
Mary-Jane Robinson : Thank you to everyone for your interest. It's a fantastic end to a very long, but rewarding, project and I hope I'll be talking to you all again in the future.
Stacey Lowry : it was such a touching programme
Mary-Jane Robinson leaves the room
James Kent leaves the room
