The Dingo Ate My Baby!

A Cry in the Dark, 1988
A Cry in the Dark



I love Marly Streep, I think she's possibly the best actress that ever was. I know there are those who might disagree with me, but kindly remember this is my blog and not yours. I'm a little big joking...

Anyways, I kind of already know the plot of the movie without having really watched it thanks word of mouth and those VH1 and E! Specials that count down the 100 greatest movies ever made. But now it's time I get a better idea of what everyone is talking about for myself.

After having watched the movie:
(Possible spoilers below)

I knew from the beginning that a dingo was going to take this ladies baby and I even knew there would be a court case around the matter - obviously. What I didn't realize though is how the press would have such a hay day with the case. I think anytime there is a story where a mother is the suspected murderer of her child it always makes a big splash in the media. This story really surprised me though that they would convict a woman who, according to all of the information I found online, I presume to be innocent for murder with such flimsy evidence. Eleven other reported vehicles, identical to the one the family had, were found to have 'blood splatter marks' and no one really seemed to have acknowledged it. Hello! That's a big deal.

I'll admit watching the movie made me a little angry. There should have been fences up as a means to try to keep dingos out of the area, the police should have done more in an attempt to preserve the 'crime scene' and why did any lawyer let this woman talk to the press as often as she did? And the rumors - they were absurd: The name Azaria meant sacrifice in the wild, the baby was always dressed in black, the car was awash in blood, Azaria's clothing was found folded or found under a rock, and that Lindy had done a thesis on dingos.

For those of you who are curious, like I was, Lindy Chamberlain does have a website which list in great details the rumors, a time line of the case, photos, and a link to the book she later wrote detailing the ordeal titled Through My Eyes. The book can be found on the website or through Amazon. The father of Azaria, Michael Chamberlain, also has a public website; however there isn't much to be said for the circumstances around his daughters tragic death.

Final thoughts: Hollywood has a tendency to hype things up and creatively tell stories; however most of the tales that seemed to follow this story came during the investigation and trial the Chamberlain family went through. Lindy was available to writers, producers and Meryl Streep and I think she did so as way to make sure her story was told this time without wild made up tales.

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