THE LAST WORDS OF DUTCH SCHULTZ

On October 23, 1935 the notorious gangster Dutch Schultz was shot in the Palace Chop House in Newark, New Jersey. Once at the hospital he developed a 106 degree temperature and was given morphine to soothe the pain. Shortly after that he became delirious, his mind became untethered and unleashed itself into a stream of consciousness. Even in his present condition the police questioned him as to who his assailants were. A stenographer was called in and took verbatim all Dutch said before he slipped into a coma and died. This film takes the transcripts in their entirety and using found footage – everything from 1930’s travelogues, FBI training films, silents, newsreels, television serials, pre-code films, to golden age 1930 era Hollywood films – explores the underlying meaning of the text; examining the rich complexity of inner life in the face of death and the complex nature of unconditional love. Ping-ponging through time and space Dutch’s ramblings are at times poetic, at times historic and personal, but as it nears the end it shows him receding back into childhood into the protection of his mother. Scroll to the bottom to watch the film in its entirety.