It was August 1997 and Ladyjustice was on an adventure…. ‘Off to a new start, a new residence in Phoenix and a future new career.  As a means of financial survival, this blogger accepted an unusual assignment as a speech language pathologist travelling over hill and dale – scary narrow roads, mountain crevices and breathtaking scenery to the little known town of Springerville, Arizona, in the White Mountains, close to the New Mexico border. Population at that time,  was probably half of its current estimated 2,005 residents.

This town was a time warp, whose claim to fame was John Wayne himself, former owner of the 26 Bar Ranch, as evidenced by many cardboard statues of the famous movie star!  If memory serves this writer, Springerville consisted of one Main street, one stop light, one combination motel and souvenir shop, one gas station, two restaurants, and one hospital.  That’s it! The motel manager proudly announced that they also had a hot tub for use.  When Ladyjustice inquired where, she pointed and said, “Right there next to the pickup truck.”

It was this blogger’s job to “work miracles of the speech pathology kind”- to administer treatment to Native American Indians at their small hospital.

As it turned out, that part of the assignment was impactful and rewarding.  However, little else about the experience was tolerable (even considering the significant two-week salary).  No one could ever again persuade this “suburban-city slicker” that civilization exists in such desolation called Springerville.   In fact, Ladyjustice nearly went out of her mind with lack of sufficient stimulation!  Little did she know that it was within this backdrop, that the Princess of Wales would have a final, fatal memory with this writer, in this place of all places….

In that lonely, dark and sparse motel room, Ladyjustice heard the announcement that made time stand still – Diana was gone!

And now, 14 years later, we learn of another attempt to “set the record straight” regarding the circumstances of beloved Diana’s death. In preparation for this blog, this writer had the pleasure to review the multi-part interview between Diana and journalist  Martin Bashir  on YouTube-CAMELOTHSPENCER beginning in November 1995. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RR00zvbz9hU&feature=related

The Ultimate Interview 

Ladyjustice was fascinated by Diana’s grace, her personal growth since her marriage at the age of 19 and her eloquence. She appeared to be so in touch with herself and offered a keen analysis of her role in the Royal family.  Diana did not evade questions, cover up mistakes nor hide her vulnerabilities.  She admitted her previous medical-personal problems, a past love within the bounds of marriage and her relationship with Prince Charles.  Diana was clear about her dedication to her sons and her goals to give back to the less fortunate.  Her interview demeanor was matter of fact, intelligent, charming, and sad at times.  There seemed to this blogger, that there was also an undercurrent of fear.

“Unlawful Killing” at the Cannes Film Festival

Keith Allen, a British actor and filmmaker has just taken on the British aristocracy at the Cannes Film Festival this month with his new documentary film, “Unlawful Killing.” The premise of the film relates to a cover up of the true circumstances  and provable conspiracy after the fact by “dark forces” of the British establishment.

The documentary has been described as “an inquest of the inquest” and a “forensic account of a legal process that doesn’t add up.”

According to accounts from the UK newspaper the Guardian, the Washington Post and the Huffington Post, the official inquest ruled that during  the former official inquest, the Princess was unlawfully killed.  In fact, Diana reportedly predicted to a friend in a 1995 letter that “my husband is planning an accident in my car.”   The Princess had the reputation as not only a very strong woman, but a “loose cannon” that would not be silenced. Keith Allen has hypothesized that Diana’s work against land mines was threatening the British arms industry and that the Royal family, the political establishment and the secret service conspired to murder her.

Mr. Allen actually  went under cover at the inquest , was “horrified by what he learned” and  subsequently interviewed many key people over three years in preparation for the film.  Mohamed Al Fayed, father of her boyfriend Dodi Al Fayed, was the major contributor to the financing of the $4 million film.  Reportedly, he felt  Diana’s death was “an attempt to scare and discredit her that went massively wrong.”

Writer Keith Allen places blame on those responsible for the time lag in providing immediate medical response, which may have saved her life.

The irony is that British citizens will not have the opportunity to see this innovative film due to the lawyers’ insistence on no less than 87 cuts.  Therefore, Americans will have the advantage of viewing it first.

What makes a film of good quality?  What makes a film memorable and intriguing?  Perhaps, it is precisely what the critics and supporters are agreeing about… that it raises more questions than answers   For instance, Why were all of the cameras on the freeway turned off or inoperable that evening? Who was in the mysterious white Fiat?  Were the paparazzi complicit in her death?  Will truth “be in the eye of the beholder” just as  was the beauty of the dearly missed  Diana ?

Do see the film and judge for yourself….  If justice cannot be revisited, perhaps continuing to raise questions is enough…for now.