If you enjoyed this movie, I would also recommend: Dear Zachary. I did not sue Errol Morris for any money or any percentages of The Thin Blue Line, though the media portrayed it that way. And it's a long, complicated story, but I guess when people are involved, there's always a mess somewhere. David Harris MOVIES - The Thin Blue Line (1988) END - Full HD. Perf. [14] It was during this preliminary research that Morris met Randall Dale Adams, and learned of his case. Within this notion Sherwin notes sociologist Jean Baudrillard's interpretation of the postmodern media landscape as "flattening" meaning as well as the impossibility of the existence of "truth, authority, and history". Brother’s Keeper The Thin Blue Line is also part of Doc 7's list of documentaries that have changed the world. The "thin blue line" in the title "refers to what Mr. Morris feels is an ironic, mythical image of a protective policeman on the other side of anarchy". The film presents a series of interviews about the investigation of the shooting of Dallas police officer Robert Wood and a re-enactment of the crime based on the testimony and recollections of Adams, Harris (the actual murderer), the judge presiding over the case (Donald J. Metcalfe), and several witnesses (including Emily Miller and R. L. Miller), as well as detectives (including Gus Rose, Jackie Johnson, and Marshall Touchton). [20], In a 2008 retrospective of documentaries, Variety credited the film as "the most political work of cinema in the last 20 years". And one of the nice things about Cambridge, Massachusetts is that "Baudrillard" isn't in the phone book. ... P.C. [21] On the weekend of that murder, Morris had an interview scheduled with Harris. JSTOR. "[4], The film is strongly associated with a sort of non-fiction film noir, and is an investigation into the facts of a murder case. [48] The district attorney's office declined to prosecute the case again,[49] and Adams was subsequently ordered released as a result of a habeas corpus hearing in 1989. The Thin Blue Line is part of the filmmaking sub-genre of Documentary 7. [31], The Thin Blue Line made its DVD premiere in July 2005 from MGM. W.P.C. [46] As a result of publicity around the film, Adams (whose death sentence had been overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1980 and subsequently commuted to life in prison by the Governor of Texas, Bill Clements) had his conviction overturned by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals,[47] and the case was returned to Dallas County for a retrial. Update: I've just watched this film again, just tonight, primarily because I wanted my wife to see it. [15], Morris later chose to refocus his research efforts into an investigation on the circumstances of Randall Dale Adams' conviction. [17] Once fascinated by the Adams/Harris case, he applied those skills to his research on the film. [20] In 2001, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The Thin Blue Line is a 1966 film directed by William Friedkin.It was the second of three documentaries Friedkin made for producer David Wolper. "Op-Ed Films for the Ages." Charleen or How Long Has This Been Going On? Errol Morris. Referring to theorist Fredric Jameson's framework, film critic Linda Williams writes that documentaries that seek only to reveal the past support the notion of an "intensified nostalgia for a past that is already lost". App. He’s the master of existential dread.’[19], Marketing the film was not an easy task, as Morris wished to avoid having the label of documentary attached to his film. 26 Nov. 2010. "[38] Desson Thomson gave the film a perfect score, saying the film was "more like a waking nightmare than a docudrama. The thin Blue Line is a series which sets up in a small town of england called Gasforth where the cast resides mostly at their work station i.e. [16] Although the film recreates several versions of the shooting, it does not recreate one in which David Harris shoots the officer, the interpretation which it argues is true. Created by Ben Elton. | After Adams' release from prison, he ended up in a legal battle with Morris concerning the rights to his story. [23], The final scene, in which Morris and Harris are only heard, while shots of a tape recorder appear from various angles, was not originally planned. [24], The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, National Endowment for the Arts, Program Development Company Productions Inc., public television stations, and The Chubb Group of Insurance Companies funded the documentary. Ct. Crim. He died of brain cancer in October 2010 at the age of 61, but lived in such anonymity that his death was not discovered by the media until June 2011. [3] Roger Ebert "attributed its rejection to the inability of academy voters to appreciate innovative film making. He says Morris presents one plot through the construction and ordering of the non-linear story, revealing an easy-to-follow narrative implicating Harris instead of Adams, not unlike the story that implicated Adams in the first place, because it presents an easy-to-believe retelling of history. I did not sue Errol Morris for any money or any percentages of The Thin Blue Line, though the media portrayed it that way. Errol Morris. Grigson does not appear once in the final cut of the film.[14]. Year: 1988. Official Sites Web. A work of meticulous journalism and gripping drama, it recounts the disturbing tale of Randall Dale Adams, a drifter who was charged with the murder of a Dallas police officer and sent to death row, despite evidence that he did not commit the crime. The film makes use of dramatic re-enactments, a composed score, and interview testimony that takes the place of a narrator. The film's title comes from prosecutor Doug Mulder's phrase during his closing argument that the police are the "thin blue line" separating society from "anarchy". Web. The Thin Blue Line is one of the films that helped make documentaries a viable entertainment option for arthouse moviegoers during the indie-film boom of the 1980s and '90s. The Thin Blue Line, a documentary film by William Friedkin about the police and the problems they encounter; The Thin Blue Line, a documentary film by Errol Morris concerning the murder of a police officer; The Thin Blue Line, a 1995–1996 British sitcom set in a police station With Rowan Atkinson, Mina Anwar, James Dreyfus, Serena Evans. Web. Two attorneys (Edith James and Dennis White) who represented Adams at the trial where he was convicted also appear; they suggest that Adams was charged with the crime despite the evidence against Harris because Harris was a juvenile at the time, whereas Adams, as an adult, could be sentenced to death under Texas law. Questions like these are not up for grabs. In almost every instance, Dr. Grigson would, after examining a defendant, testify that he had found the individual in question to be an incurable sociopath, who he was "one hundred percent certain" would kill again. Instead, the end of the film abandons the "acausal" plot by returning to the easy-to-believe narrative, that which paints Harris as the perpetrator. It will immerse you in the tale of a complete miscarriage of justice. Among the most important documentaries ever made, The Thin Blue Line, by Errol Morris, erases the border between art and activism. Web. The other plot, Sherwin says, is an example of "postmodern skepticism". "[52], Despite being wrongly imprisoned for twelve years, Adams received no payment from the state of Texas. JSTOR. Synopsis: "The Thin Blue Line" is the fascinating, controversial true story of the arrest and conviction of Randall Adams for the murder of a Dallas policeman in 1976. I knew what Thin Blue Line was about and I had some idea of its real-world implications, as that seems to be the central discussion surrounding the film the majority of the time but holy shit - what an absolutely transcendent piece of documentary filmmaking. In The Thin Blue Line, it was of all-consuming importance to figure out who was driving that car; who pulled the gun out from underneath the seat, who shot the cop. Conversely, The Thin Blue Line suggests Adams' innocence by clouding a previously established history.[55]. In Australia, the film was released on DVD by Umbrella Entertainment in June 2007. The poster for the film gave it the feel of a whodunit, with the tagline: "A softcore movie, Dr. Death, a chocolate milkshake, a nosy blonde and The Carol Burnett Show. Film & Television Literature Index with Full Text. And he felt as though I had stolen something from him. And he felt as though I had stolen something from him. The film's re-enactment scenes were built carefully from witnesses' statements. The matter was settled out of court after Adams was granted sole use of anything written or made on the subject of his life. With Randall Adams, David Harris, Gus Rose, Jackie Johnson. 1989) (. Stanford Law Review 47.1 (Nov., 1994): 39-83. E rrol Morris’s The Thin Blue Line (1988) is widely recognized as a monumental achievement in the documentary tradition. Death' says license won't be affected by allegations", "Study: State relies too much on 'killer shrinks, "Errol Morris Speaks Out! Release Dates The Thin Blue Line is a Documentary directed by Errol Morris. I knew what Thin Blue Line was about and I had some idea of its real-world implications, as that seems to be the central discussion surrounding the film the majority of the time but holy shit - what an absolutely transcendent piece of documentary filmmaking. The thin blue line is a colloquial term for police forces.. Check out Jonathan Kim's review of Errol Morris' documentary THE THIN BLUE LINE, which is considered one of the best documentaries ever made. National Board of Review Award for Best Documentary Feature, Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse, Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills, National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Non-Fiction Film, New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Non-Fiction Film, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Thin_Blue_Line_(1988_film)&oldid=1017254480, Documentary films about miscarriage of justice in the United States, United States National Film Registry films, Documentary films about crime in the United States, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WorldCat-VIAF identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 11 April 2021, at 18:52. [ 58 ], Despite being wrongly imprisoned for twelve years, received! In any traditional sense documentaries ever made, the film 2nd on their list of documentaries. 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