The Man Who Tells Dead Men’s Tales — CORONER TO THE STARS
by William J. Hammon, ActuallyPaid.com
Part of the fun of the Slamdance Film Festival is its alternative nature, sort of like being Sundance’s cool cousin. It’s not exactly iconoclastic, but a large reason why it’s so enjoyable is because the featured films explore different angles and perspectives in cinema while still maintaining a mainstream sensibility.
Such is the case with Coroner to the Stars, a documentary about the life and career of Dr. Thomas Noguchi, a forensic pathologist who was the Chief Medical Examiner-Coroner for Los Angeles County, presiding over some of the most noteworthy postmortem investigations of the 20th Century. It’s not that much of a stretch to say that he was, for a time, the most famous medical examiner in the world, due to his proximity to celebrity deaths, earning him his titular nickname.
It’s a motif that fits in perfectly with Slamdance’s ethos, evidenced by it winning an audience prize at the festival. We’re all aware of death, but it’s not a subject most of us like to talk about. We also, for better or worse, have a societal obsession with Hollywood and its various superstars, to the point that when they pass away, there’s a fascination with the circumstances surrounding their loss, especially if there’s something unusual about it. You can take the death of Gene Hackman as a recent landmark example.
The film, directed by Ben Hethcoat and Keita Ideno, shows both the humorous and damning sides of these facts. Noguchi came to prominence after performing the autopsies on the likes of Sharon Tate and Robert F. Kennedy, earning praise for his thoroughness as well as his pursuit of absolute truth (or as close as can be approximated), even if it conflicted with official narratives from law enforcement and politicians. His work became so well-known, and his expertise so sought after, that he may have become the inspiration for the classic TV program, Quincy, M.E. This theory is seemingly reinforced by the inclusion of a Japanese assistant to the lead character.
That said, the filmmakers also don’t pull punches when it comes to the consequences of Noguchi’s unwanted notoriety. He caused controversy for contradicting the official line that Sirhan Sirhan fatally shot RFK, concluding that the bullet that killed him came from behind the Senator and at closer range. Sirhan started the fracas, but Noguchi believed that RFK was actually killed by friendly fire. Calls from Hollywood’s A-list began coming in for him to be dismissed after he speculated that William Holden was drunk when he died, and that Natalie Wood’s death was an accident despite witness testimony that screaming was heard before she met her end. The methodology used by Noguchi (appearing in the film at age 98) is incredible, especially considering the resources available to him during his 15-year tenure between 1966 and 1981. Even if you don’t agree with his reports, his abilities can’t be reasonably questioned.
But where this picture reaches further is in exploring the ancillary details of his life and his time in office. An immigrant from Japan in the post-World War II era, when Japanese people were most certainly not welcome in this country, Noguchi became something of an unintentional trailblazer for the Japanese-American community, as noted by actor George Takei, who was himself imprisoned in an internment camp with his family during the war. When Noguchi was first appointed to the county position, he was not only the first minority to hold the job, but he was the only one in the office. When his job was threatened, it was his wife who encouraged him to fight against what could be interpreted as racial discrimination (and the movie certainly argues that it was), and his community stood behind him. When his time in office came to an end, he was still able to teach and inspire a whole new generation of pathologists.
It’s an excellent complement to the tragic glitz of his profession. In a world defined by high-profile death, where the movie really succeeds is in its depiction of a life well-lived, an inspirational, uplifting, and most importantly life-affirming portrait of a man who played the most unenviable of roles. He became famous, and infamous, through the ever-present lens of the media, but it was the joys of existing that kept him going. The film may have taken a couple of liberties here and there (for example, the first set of hearings to keep his job omit the fact that Noguchi initially offered a resignation but then tried to withdraw it, instead framing it as a vendetta from Lin Hollinger, a county official with whom Noguchi feuded over budgets and funding), but the overall message is wonderful, that even in the most morbid work, there is not only dignity, but grace and beauty.
Originally published at http://behindtherabbitproductions.wordpress.com on March 13, 2025.
