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ACS: Versace's weirdest moment really DID happen

Photo credit: FX
Photo credit: FX

From Digital Spy

Even before The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story had premiered in the US, the Versace family had hit out at Ryan Murphy's show by calling it a "work of fiction".

Like The People v OJ Simpson, the show is based on a book by a respected journalist – Maureen Orth's Vulgar Favors – but even she said in a recent podcast that in the TV show "there are a few places where things didn't happen at all".

Murphy responded to the Versace family's criticisms by saying that his show is a "work of non-fiction obviously with docudrama elements", adding that he wasn't "making a documentary", and there are definitely elements in the first episode where you think Murphy is adding his own flourishes to the truth.

However, the weird thing is that the strangest moments really DID happen in real life.

One element that stands out during the premiere's largely wordless opening sequence is the presence of a white dove, which we see get hit by one of the bullets fired by Andrew Cunanan (Darren Criss) as he shoots Gianni Versace (Edgar Ramirez).

The dove is seen later in the episode next to Versace after he's shot and is even brought into the morgue as a coroner takes out the shrapnel from his body.

The immediate assumption we made was that Murphy is using dramatic licence and the dead dove is a heavy-handed symbol of love and peace being shattered by Cunanan's actions, but no: there really was a dove in real life. Although it might not have been white.

Photo credit: FX
Photo credit: FX

At the time, it was reported that a dead mourning dove was found next to Versace's body after a bullet passed through him, struck the metal gate of the mansion and splintered, leading to one of the fragments striking the dove and killing it. "Talk about bad timing," commented former Miami Beach police chief Carlos Noriega.

It was such a notable detail that police reportedly thought that the dead dove was a sign that Versace had been killed by the mafia.

And that's not the only stranger-than-fiction element of the first episode.

In the aftermath of the shooting, we see the worst of people as they gather around the scene and try to exploit it, such as one opportune passer-by using his Polaroid camera to take a shot of Versace's body and trying to sell it to the press, starting a bidding war at $30,000.

Photo credit: Copyright 2017, FX Networks
Photo credit: Copyright 2017, FX Networks

There's also a disturbing scene where someone rips out a Versace advert from a magazine and uses it to soak up some of Versace's blood. Again, you'd think it was Murphy embellishing the truth to make a point about the nature of fame and the depths people are capable of, but both elements happened.

In her book, Orth writes about the "profiteer" with the Polaroid camera, while the Miami Herald spoke of "one ghoulish souvenir gatherer".

If anything, the first episode is less lurid and sensationalised than you might expect from Murphy, who has carved out a niche as one of the most reliable producers around, delivering shows that are often elegantly melodramatic and a little bit trashy.

That's not to say there aren't such moments in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, but the first episode sets up a more intriguing premise in that it looks to get inside the head of spree killer Andrew Cunanan, rather than focus on his bloody acts.

Photo credit: Copyright 2017, FX Networks
Photo credit: Copyright 2017, FX Networks

Glee star Darren Criss is genuinely chilling and charismatic in his portrayal, whether he's celebrating after shooting Versace or trying to echo someone's horrified reaction to the news of Versace's death.

Where The People v OJ Simpson built up to its memorable moments, Murphy gets the big one out of the way before the title sequence which, as the season goes on, has hopefully allowed him to explore more nuanced territory than we've come to expect from him.

Sure, it might not all be 100% factually accurate – even if it's closer than you think – but when the result is this compelling, it doesn't matter all that much.

The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story airs on FX in the US. BBC Two will air the show in the UK, but there's no confirmed date as of yet.


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