TV REVIEW : ‘Insanity’ Recalls Garfield Assassination Trial

“Insanity on Trial,” an “American Experience” segment airing tonight at 9 on Channels 28 and 15, is a problematic mix of documentary and “dramatization.” The documentary portion maintains the high level of quality we’ve come to expect from this fine PBS series, the dramatization portion less so.

“Insanity on Trial” is about the trial of Charles Guiteau, who fatally shot President James Garfield in 1881. His trial was a 19th-Century media circus--every event was chronicled, every minute statement reported and dissected.

It was an important trial, well worth remembering today, because of its battle over the legal definition of insanity. Guiteau claimed that the idea to assassinate Garfield came from God; his lawyer argued that he could not be held legally accountable because he didn’t have criminal intent. The argument is still reverberating in courtrooms.

Producer-director-writer Matthew Collins touches on all the great issues of the day--political, religious, medical, legal--in an America braced against the first winds of the modern age. But he fails to examine most of them seriously, in great part because he squanders so much of this hourlong effort on the dramatic re-creations. The scenes--based on court transcripts, letters and first-hand accounts--are accurate but are ultimately shallow and distracting.

As a result, “Insanity on Trial” is a frustrating show. If you believe that half a loaf is better than no loaf, it’s worth a look. If you don’t, there’s always the next “American Experience” to look forward too.