#753: MORRIS, Errol: The Thin Blue Line (1988)

MORRIS, Errol (United States)
The Thin Blue Line [1988]
Spine #753
Blu-ray


Among the most important documentaries ever made, The Thin Blue Line, by Errol Morris, erases the border between art and activism. 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. Incorporating stylized reenactments, penetrating interviews, and haunting original music by Philip Glass, Morris uses cinema to build a case forensically while effortlessly entertaining his viewers. The Thin Blue Line effected real-world change, proving film's power beyond the shadow of a doubt.

102 minutes
Color
2.0 Surround
1:78:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2015
Director


Errol Morris was 40 when he directed The Thin Blue Line.

Other Morris films in the Collection:

#751: Gates Of Heaven (1978)
#752: Vernon, Florida (1981)
#699: A Brief History Of Time (1991)

The Film

A

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

The Booklet

Twelve-page wraparound featuring an essay by film scholar Charles Musser.

Commentary

None.

Interview 1

With Morris.

Interview 2

With Joshua Oppenheimer, director of The Act of Killing.

NBC report

From 1989 covering Adams’s release from prison.

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

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