In 1931, the bondurant brothersforrest, howard, and jackare running a successful moonshine business in the piedmont region of virginia. The three brothers, known as the bondurant boys, were among the most notorious in the trade. Kentucky had the highest population of bondurant families in 1840. Pick up your bottle today at a virginia abc store near you. Lawlesspreviously published as the wettest county in the worldwas a new york times editors choice, and one of the san francisco chronicles 50 best books of the year. Bondurant brothers distillery virginia is for lovers. We get the story behind the story from the familys grandson who wrote the book upon which the movie is based while working as a professor at a local university. The true history of the bondurant boys only came to light in the late nineties. He was 65 years old when he had his throat slit from ear to ear at one of his bootlegging waystations. Each of the fictional bondurants has a different reason for needing money and for losing himself in. Matt bondurant, the author of lawless, on which john hillcoats film was based. In 1986, a 24yearold woman named gwen dugger was reported missing by her family in ardmore, alabama.
Based on the true story of matt bondurants grandfather and two granduncles, the wettest county in the world is a gripping tale of brotherhood, greed, and murder. During the prohibition period, the bondurant brothers were legendary for running moonshine. The screenplay by australian singerscreenwriter nick cave is based on matt bondurant s historical novel the wettest county in the world 2008. Ohio is there to report on the saga of the bondurant brothers and their bloody defiance of corrupt attorney charles carter lee.
And in the man who gave up his name, a man named nordstrom is unable to relinquish his consuming obsessions. Matt bondurant uses the history of his own family to tell the story of moonshining during the 20s and 30s in his book the wettest county in the world. In 1840 there were 8 bondurant families living in kentucky. They are the main characters in the 2012 film lawless and in matt bondurant s novel, the wettest county in the world. Aug 25, 2012 matt bondurant, the author of lawless. Based on a true story, lawless tells the tale of the 3 bondurant brothers howard, forest and jack. Based on the true story of his grandfather and two granduncles, matt bondurants novel is a gripping tale of brotherhood, greed, and murder. The film, like the book, plays with the mythology of the seemingly invincible outlaw, in this instance forrest bondurant, the middle brother. Drawing on his real life relatives and actual events, bondurant the third translation, 2005, etc. The brothers use their gas station and restaurant as a front for their illegal manufacturing business with the assistance of jacks disabled friend and engineer, cricket.
The wettest county in the world is a 2008 historical novel by matt bondurant, an american. So much so that a movie, lawless, was made about them. History vs the movie lawless with matt bondurant an audio. Set in the rocky mountains, legends of the fall is the epic tale of three brothers and their lives of passion, madness, exploration, and danger at the beginning of world war i. Based on the true story of matt bondurants grandfather and two. Bondurant brothers are usually a name that comes up. On this episode of based on a true story we chat with author matt bondurant about the historical accuracy of the movie lawless. Charlie rakes is a special agent sent from chicago sent to crack down on illegal bootlegging in franklin county, virginia during the time of prohibition. Lawless the true story of the wettest county in the world. The bondurant brothers ran a massive moonshining operation in the mountains of southwest virginia during prohibition, detailed in the book, the wettest county in the world, by matt bondurant, a see more of bondurant brothers distillery on facebook. The story of the bondurant brothers running moonshine during prohibition is interwoven with. Fast forward 80 years, jack bondurants grandson, robert, has taken over the family tradition of distilling moonshine, but legally this time.
Author matt bondurants family legend is brought to. They are the main characters in the 2012 film lawless and in matt bondurants novel, the wettest county in the world. So much so that the movie lawless was made in 2012 based off of the bondurant brothers illegal moonshine business as written by matt bondurant, one of jacks grandsons, in his bestselling book. We discovered grandpa jack had a dark history matt bondurant, the author of lawless, on which john hillcoats film was based, says his familys role in the moonshine business.
His most recent nonfiction piece, the real thing was selected for the 2017 best food writing anthology. During the prohibition period, the bondurant brothers were legendary for. Bondurants characters are richly drawn, and the relationship between the brothers at the centre of the story bursts into life off the page. The bondurant boys become the heroes of the mountain area as they fight to preserve their product and property. E veryone in my family was aware that my grandfather used to run liquor when he was a young man.
Matt bondurant author of the wettest county in the world. This was about 22% of all the recorded bondurants in the usa. The film stars shia labeouf, tom hardy, gary oldman, mia wasikowska, jessica chastain, jason clarke, and guy pearce the film is about the violent. Lawless is a 2012 american crime drama film directed by john hillcoat. Nov 09, 2008 the three brothers, known as the bondurant boys, were among the most notorious in the trade. Based on the true story of matt bondurants grandfather and two granduncles, the wettest county in the world is a gripping tale of brotherhood, greed, and. Matt bondurant is the author of three novels, the most recent of which is the night swimmer. Aug 23, 2012 bondurant admits to being thrilled when he discovered that the latent violence hed sensed as a child could be fleshed out with a dramatic, bloody, reallife history. Last year, my first cousins robert and joey bondurant, buoyed by the press and buzz surrounding the movie made from my book, renovated an old warehouse in chase city, virginia. Aug 25, 2012 the film, like the book, plays with the mythology of the seemingly invincible outlaw, in this instance forrest bondurant, the middle brother, who, as the violence around him escalates, somehow. The bondurant boys were a notorious gang of roughnecks and moonshiners who ran liquor through franklin county, virginia, during prohibition and in the years after.
Bondurant brothers matt bondurant, also a grandson of. D uring the prohibition period, the bondurant brothers of franklin county, virginia howard, forrest, and jack were legendary for running moonshine. Aug 23, 2012 later this month, hollywood releases the movie lawless, based on the reallife story of a notorious virginia bootlegging family. The book tells of the trio during the depression and prohibition in rural virginia, who made a living bootlegging moonshine. The screenplay by australian singerscreenwriter nick cave is based on matt bondurants historical novel the wettest county in the world 2008.
Bondurant brothers distillery 9 e 3rd st, chase city, virginia 23924 rated 4. The three bondurant boys shia labeouf, tom hardy, jason clarke, along with their sultry new hire jessica chastain, command the most lucrative bootlegging operation in franklin county, virginia. Virginia at the time of these brothers would come to be known as the wettest county in the world. Bondurant boys as appalachian gangsters blue ridge. His familys ancestral home was in franklin county, virginia. The most bondurant families were found in the usa in 1880. Vicious 1980s murders committed by tennessee brothers, the. The history of this story is fastenating and horrifying. Now a major motion picture, lawless, starring tom hardy and shia labeouf. Some moonshine is legendary and some is made by legends, ours is both. His first novel, the third translation, was an international bestseller, translated into fourteen.
After a lengthy investigation, the bondurant brothers were arrested for her murder. In the film, set in 1931 during prohibition when moonshine was shipped out of the county to large cities, the bondurant brothers stand up to a violent special agent from chicago who demands a. Based on the true story of matt bondurants grandfather and two granduncles, the. Bondurant family has mixed emotions about lawless local. In these articles, my grandfather and his brothers, called the bondurant boys, were. History vs the movie lawless with matt bondurant an. Lawless is not so much a true story as a true myth. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the wettest county in the world. The main source of the bootlegging business in franklin comes from the bondurant brothers, forrest, howard, and jack. These bondurant brothers were the stuff of legend in franklin county, va. Oct 14, 2008 matt bondurant uses the history of his own family to tell the story of moonshining during the 20s and 30s in his book the wettest county in the world. Tom hardy shines as forrest bondurant, the oldest and smartest of the brothers.
Our history the bondurant high performance driving school, which is owned and operated by stig investments, has earned a powerful reputation for offering the best highperformance driver training and safety programs in the world. Forrest bondurant is in a roanoke hospital with a wound alleged to have been inflicted by officer rakes when rakes and abshire halted two automobiles driven by the bondurant brothers at magpie creek bridge on the redfordrocky mount road. Matt is the grandson of jack bondurant, the man portrayed by shia. The wettest county in the world, or lawless audiobook by. This is the same white corn my grandfather used in the 1930s. Posted mar 28, 2014 pete and pat bondurant featured on evil. How old was the real forrest bondurant when he died. The true story of the wettest county in the world youtube. Posted mar 28, 2014 pete and pat bondurant featured on. Bondurant does an excellent job painting a picture of the hardscrabble lives of people in virginias franklin county.
Pete and pat bondurant are twin brothers who murdered a series of victims in giles county, tennessee in the 1980s. He stars in the new film lawless, based on my novel the wettest county in the world. Matt bondurant, the author of lawless, on which john hillcoats film was based, says his familys role in the moonshine business only came to light in recent years. The three brothers, known as the bondurant boys, were among the.
The story hinges on jack and opens with the brothers as boys in a pig pen. Lawless helps grow virginia bootlegging trios legend. Oct 17, 2008 matt bondurant recreates, or i should say largely imagines, the circumstances and events that led to a fatal confrontation between the bondurant brothers and a corrupt local syndicate bent on. To tell their story, i relied mostly on newspaper articles or court transcripts, which provide a scattered picture. The morning delivery december 19, 1930 surviving the shootout moonshine continues forrest bondurant nov. The book that was adapted into the movie lawless and tells the story of his grandfather jack bondurant, as well as his two grand uncles.
The brothers also were convicted in two murders they. Lawless helps grow virginia bootlegging trios legend the. He is the youngest son of the late jack bondurant, one of three franklin county moonshinemaking brothers portrayed in the film, which is based on his nephew matt bondurants book the wettest. Bondurant admits to being thrilled when he discovered that the latent violence hed sensed as a child could be fleshed out with a dramatic, bloody, reallife history. Evil twins show details brutal, merciless 1980s murders. A novel based on a true story ebook written by matt bondurant. The wettest county in the world is a 2008 historical novel by matt bondurant, an american writer who features his grandfather jack and granduncles forrest and howard as the main characters in the novel. The bondurant family name was found in the usa, and canada between 1840 and 1920. These infamous moonshiners in prohibitionera franklin, virginia race throughout the county fighting the law and battling gangsters. Vicious 1980s murders committed by tennessee brothers. The real story behind lawless by matt bondurant newsweek.
In revenge, love causes the course of a mans life to be savagely and irrevocably altered. Howard, forrest and jack, were bootlegging brothers during the prohibition era. Bondurant was born and raised in alexandria, virginia near washington, dc. The wettest county in the world by matt bondurant kirkus. We discovered grandpa jack had a dark history read the above link haters. The film stars shia labeouf, tom hardy, gary oldman, mia wasikowska, jessica chastain, jason clarke, and guy pearce.
Aug 29, 2017 on this episode of based on a true story we chat with author matt bondurant about the historical accuracy of the movie lawless. Shia labeouf plays jack bondurant in lawless in theaters aug. Many descendants of the late jack and howard bondurant attended the premiere showing of lawless at the eagle cinema in rocky mount wednesday night. The wettest county in the world book by matt bondurant official. Reminiscent of just about every depressionera gangster film, lawless shares the story of the bondurant boys, a real trio of brothers known as the most prolific moonshine peddlers in. I loved this book an effective symbiosis of style, substance, and narrative. Drawing on his real life relatives and actual events, bondurant the third translation, 2005. Matt bondurant is the author of the wettest county in the world 3. Bondurants historical novel, the wettest county in the world, was inspired by the story of his grandfather and greatuncles, who were. These brothers were known for their ruthlessness and passion for moonshining in franklin county virginia. Bondurant brothers prohibition franklin county virginia. Lawless with matt bondurant based on a true story podcast.
I think my grandfather would be delighted at being portrayed by as talented a young actor as shia labeouf. Sep 05, 2012 the bondurant boys become the heroes of the mountain area as they fight to preserve their product and property. We know that the bondurant boys arrived at the maggodee creek bridge on a snowy winter day and found a roadblock waiting for them. Later this month, hollywood releases the movie lawless, based on the reallife story of a notorious virginia bootlegging family. Matt is the grandson of jack bondurant, the man portrayed by shia labeouf in the film, as well as the author of the wettest county in the world, the book the movie is based on.
Jason clarke standing, tom hardy left and shia labeouf are the bondurant brothers, reallife bootleggers from 1930s virginia, in the new film lawless, based on the book by mount vernon. Evil twins show details brutal, merciless 1980s murders committed by bondurant brothers. Id gone in expecting a tough, bossy big brother, but hardys quiet portrayal of the strongest brother was a pleasant surprise. Bondurant brothers distillery hand grinds hickory king corn, an heirloom sweet corn, all of it grown in virginia. During the prohibition period, the bondurant brothers of franklin county, virginia howard, forrest, and jack were legendary for running moonshine. The novel is told from both the perspectives of the three bondurant brothers. Founded in 1968, the school today is the largest purposebuilt driver training facility of its. Bondurant said the acting was good and he liked the characters. Based on the true story of matt bondurant s grandfather and two granduncles, the wettest county in the world is a gripping tale of brotherhood, greed, and murder. Bondurant has sold three original screenplays and in 20 he secured a development deal with hbocinemax to write and executive produce an original onehour dramatic series. Forrest, the middle brother, was their talisman, reputed to be invincible. While lawless graphically recounts the conniving violence and brutality that naturally came along with such successful criminal activities, it also delves into the nuances of the. Bondurant brothers distillery distillery chase city.
The real story behind lawless by matt bondurant by matt bondurant on 82712 at 1. Fast forward 80 years, jack bondurant s grandson, robert, has taken over the family tradition of distilling moonshine, but legally this time. Outlaws in the american old west learning history in southeast kansas and the fourstate area there is so much wild west history, i have a hard time keeping these posts short. Based on the true story of matt bondurants grandfather and two granduncles, the wettest county in the world is a gripping tale of brotherhood. When looking into the prohibition and bootlegging as a whole the bondurant brothers are usually a name that comes up. These 3 men bootlegged gallons and gallons of moonshine all. Matt bondurant recreates, or i should say largely imagines, the circumstances and events that led to a fatal confrontation between the bondurant brothers and a corrupt local syndicate bent on.
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