Post by klep on Oct 3, 2016 6:42:44 GMT -6
MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 10/3: The Thin Blue Line
The name of Errol Morris' groundbreaking documentary The Thin Blue Line comes from a line in the closing argument of the case it is about. The prosecutor in the case described the police as a thin blue line, standing between society and chaos. The prosecutor meant to make a statement about the vulnerability of these officers in a case involving a cop's murder - to highlight the importance of bringing someone to justice in such a case. But Errol Morris exposes another side to that idea. If the thin blue line is capable of standing between society and chaos, what happens when that thin blue line goes wrong?
The Thin Blue Line paints a portrait of the criminal justice system as a freight train: once it gets moving, it's very hard to stop and when it goes runaway, heaven help you if you're in its path. It didn't take much. Cops under pressure to close a case find a scared local kid (David Harris) who tries to pin it on a drifter. The cops believe Harris, and from that moment on all of their efforts are bent on convicting the drifter, and little would turn their heads. Harris knew where the murder weapon was and had a history of violent crime, Randall Adams did not. Randall had a detailed timeline of events, but only the 10 minutes of driving he didn't remember clearly was important to the police. Harris was coached on his testimony. The murdered cop's partner's story changed over the course of an IAB investigation. Surprise witnesses of zero credibility were introduced, and their credibility was not allowed to be questioned. A psychiatrist spent all of 15 minutes with Randall and named him an irredeemable violent criminal, and so Randall was sentenced to death. Randall's death sentence was overturned, and so his sentence was commuted to avoid a retrial and keep him in jail.
Morris lays all this out methodically - repeatedly introducing evidence against Randall and then impeaching it up until a final taped interview which leaves little doubt as to his innocence. But what makes The Thin Blue Line so powerful is the techniques he uses to do it. There was no footage of the murder, so Morris decided to stage recreations of it with actors, leaving the viewer to decide the credibility of various accounts and witnesses as new information is learned and the re-enactment changes. He has his interview subjects look directly into the camera rather than off to the side, allowing the viewer to find a connection with the subject and more readily determine credibility. And Philip Glass' pulsing score always underscores the story - except when it dramatically drops out for the police and their allies.
While The Thin Blue Line was snubbed by the Oscars, it's had a lasting influence on the craft and the world that any filmmaker could be proud of. The staging of re-enactments was so effective that it is now commonplace, and more importantly it set Randall Adams free. He was released the following year and lived a free man until his death in 2010.
David Harris was convicted of a later murder (the commission of which caused him to miss an interview with Morris for this film) and was executed in 2004.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 10/10: Gremlins 2: The New Batch
Gremlins becomes the first Movie of the Week to have its sequel also become a Movie of the Week as we tackle the outrageous excess of Gremlins 2. Gremlins 2 is available for rent on Amazon Instant Video, though it is not free for Prime members.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 10/4: Wait Until Dark
The Next Picture Show podcast is back after TIFF, and is pairing the recent horror release Don't Breathe with this Audrey Hepburn film. Wait Until Dark is available for rent on Amazon Instant Video, though it is not free for Prime members.
The name of Errol Morris' groundbreaking documentary The Thin Blue Line comes from a line in the closing argument of the case it is about. The prosecutor in the case described the police as a thin blue line, standing between society and chaos. The prosecutor meant to make a statement about the vulnerability of these officers in a case involving a cop's murder - to highlight the importance of bringing someone to justice in such a case. But Errol Morris exposes another side to that idea. If the thin blue line is capable of standing between society and chaos, what happens when that thin blue line goes wrong?
The Thin Blue Line paints a portrait of the criminal justice system as a freight train: once it gets moving, it's very hard to stop and when it goes runaway, heaven help you if you're in its path. It didn't take much. Cops under pressure to close a case find a scared local kid (David Harris) who tries to pin it on a drifter. The cops believe Harris, and from that moment on all of their efforts are bent on convicting the drifter, and little would turn their heads. Harris knew where the murder weapon was and had a history of violent crime, Randall Adams did not. Randall had a detailed timeline of events, but only the 10 minutes of driving he didn't remember clearly was important to the police. Harris was coached on his testimony. The murdered cop's partner's story changed over the course of an IAB investigation. Surprise witnesses of zero credibility were introduced, and their credibility was not allowed to be questioned. A psychiatrist spent all of 15 minutes with Randall and named him an irredeemable violent criminal, and so Randall was sentenced to death. Randall's death sentence was overturned, and so his sentence was commuted to avoid a retrial and keep him in jail.
Morris lays all this out methodically - repeatedly introducing evidence against Randall and then impeaching it up until a final taped interview which leaves little doubt as to his innocence. But what makes The Thin Blue Line so powerful is the techniques he uses to do it. There was no footage of the murder, so Morris decided to stage recreations of it with actors, leaving the viewer to decide the credibility of various accounts and witnesses as new information is learned and the re-enactment changes. He has his interview subjects look directly into the camera rather than off to the side, allowing the viewer to find a connection with the subject and more readily determine credibility. And Philip Glass' pulsing score always underscores the story - except when it dramatically drops out for the police and their allies.
While The Thin Blue Line was snubbed by the Oscars, it's had a lasting influence on the craft and the world that any filmmaker could be proud of. The staging of re-enactments was so effective that it is now commonplace, and more importantly it set Randall Adams free. He was released the following year and lived a free man until his death in 2010.
David Harris was convicted of a later murder (the commission of which caused him to miss an interview with Morris for this film) and was executed in 2004.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 10/10: Gremlins 2: The New Batch
Gremlins becomes the first Movie of the Week to have its sequel also become a Movie of the Week as we tackle the outrageous excess of Gremlins 2. Gremlins 2 is available for rent on Amazon Instant Video, though it is not free for Prime members.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 10/4: Wait Until Dark
The Next Picture Show podcast is back after TIFF, and is pairing the recent horror release Don't Breathe with this Audrey Hepburn film. Wait Until Dark is available for rent on Amazon Instant Video, though it is not free for Prime members.