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7 The real people and events - background information.
Previous sections of the "Heavenly Creatures" FAQ have concluded that Peter Jackson's film "Heavenly Creatures" is precise in its depiction of factual details, but it is not necessarily complete or accurate in its overall portrayal of the "Parker Hulme" murder case.
This section of the FAQ contains background material related to the "Parker Hulme" murder case. Some material has been reproduced in its entirety if it is difficult to find, or rare, or if it has been analyzed and annotated as a representative example of a genre of common material. To conform to copyright and fair use laws, the material in this section is for educational or personal use only (please see disclaimer at the end of the FAQ). References have been provided to recent material which is still in print and which should be readily available to the interested reader through libraries or retailers.
Although the FAQ compiler has tried to maintain high standards in preparing this section of the FAQ, a rigorous academic format was not adopted insofar as referencing and footnotes etc are concerned (any volunteers?), so this section should be viewed more as a database and bibliography. Editorial annotations have been kept to a minimum in most places to allow the reader to form independent opinions about the case.
To that end, a word of caution is in order. All of the original material should probably be viewed and judged, first, in the context of the times in which the material was prepared and then, second, within the context of the entire body of background material. It may take several passes through this section before the data are weighed and digested to the reader's satisfaction.
Inevitably, there will be errors in the data. Inconsistencies and errors have not been removed from the quoted material, of course, though they have been pointed out in many places to show the reader the pitfalls of taking anything at face value. Obviously, this FAQ cannot possibly provide a complete, error-free picture.
During the preparation of the FAQ it became obvious that each new piece of information produced new insight into this extremely complicated case. So, it is conceivable that data which are missing from this version of the FAQ might completely change the interpretation of the data presented below. Remember, this section of the FAQ is concerned with real human beings, real events and real life, and not with a neat piece of fiction.
So, it's obvious, but worth stating: Real life and real people are endlessly fascinating but also infinitely complex. Concerning something as convoluted and subtle as the "Parker Hulme" murder, it is virtually impossible to come up with simple, final answers to even the most basic questions.
However, it is hoped the material below will provide fuel for constructive, intelligent debate and thoughtful discussion.
