Belly of the Beast

Writers: Stephen Schiff, Oren Moverman
Director: Oren Moverman

In 1980, the American literary giant Norman Mailer champions the prison release of Jack Abbott, a self-educated intellectual with a brilliant mind — albeit a convicted murderer. While writing his Pulitzer Prize winning novel, “The Executioner's Song,” Mailer receives a series of letters from Jack and is inspired and intrigued by his unique literary voice. Mailer moreover finds Abbott's story compelling — a man born into the world with the odds set against him, a true victim of the system.

Mailer publicly rails against the injustices of the penal system and in a letter to the parole board, he advocates for Jack's release and offers to employ him as an assistant. Once in New York, Mailer flounts Jack as his protégé and introduces him to New York's fashionable literary world. He also helps Jack with his manuscript, “In the Belly of theBeast,” a collection of Abbott's letters about his experience in prison.

Unable to navigate basic tasks like shopping or taking the subway, Mailer's wife, Norris Church Mailer does her best to guide Jack. While initially apprehensive, Norris and her friend Abigail are drawn towards Jack's charisma. Yet Jack's first days outside are filled with wonder and confusion. It seems the only world Jack understands is the social microcosm of the prison, and living in the urban jungle of New York is perpetual culture shock. While on the verge of a nervous breakdown, Jack nevertheless finds himself in the limelight of the press as Random House prepares to publish his book.

Mailer's romantic vision of Jack begins to dissipate as Jack intermittently shows aggression in otherwise non-threatening situations. Mailer begins to wonder if he has let a monster out of his cage. Based on actual events that culminate with the tragic death of a young actor working as a waiter on the Lower East Side, the Mailer/Abbott affair is a story that explores the power of art to transform, nature vs. nurture, and the burdens of responsibility.

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