Classic and Indie Film Series: THE THIN BLUE LINE (1988)

We as a society are only now starting to come to terms with how the police and prosecutors do their job. In the days before DNA analysis was a thing, and even afterwards, police have had to rely heavily on circumstantial evidence and hazy eyewitness testimony to get convictions. The nature of this type of evidence, and the standard interrogation techniques used by police investigators and prosecutors, made such evidence subject to manipulation or just plain error. We here in Austin had a front row seat to one such spectacle with the so-called "Yogurt Shop Murders", in which four young men were jailed and convicted of one of the most horrific crimes in Austin's history, only to have their convictions overturned over a decade later by DNA evidence that eventually led to the real perpetrator being discovered just a few weeks ago after 35 years.

Such cases have become the main stock and trade of most of the streaming TV services (and especially Netflix) as well as a growing number of true crime podcasts.

I would argue that this trend began in 1988 with this documentary by then relatively unknown and quirky doc filmmaker Errol Morris. Controversial at the time for its use of "re-enactments" (now a staple of true crime shows), THE THIN BLUE LINE (1988) wasn't even considered for the Academy Award for Best Documentary because of those re-enactments despite most critics belief that it was one of the best documentaries of the 1980's and the fact that it even led to a court to order a new trial for the main subject of the film.

Based on the murder of a police officer in Dallas after a traffic stop one cold night in November of 1976, Morris tries to unemotionally examine every element of the crime, painstakingly recreating every piece of eyewitness testimony and physical evidence, looking for either confirmation or contradictions with other testimony or evidence. He also interviews most of the people involved, from those eyewitnesses to the police and to the judges. The one notable missing interview was the Dallas District Attorney at the time, who had made a long career based on the fact that he never lost a case and by god wasn't going to.

All the while, Morris' camera remains coolly impassive, never really taking a stand on the defendant's guilt or innocence, although it becomes fairly clear, especially in later interviews after the film became a sensation, that he had an opinion. In those interviews, Morris said he originally went into the project assuming Randall Adams, the defendant in the case, was guilty, and he was simply trying to do a film on the criminal justice system in Texas. It turned into much more than that, and it operates as one of the most chilling examinations of the perhaps inevitable weaknesses of how evidence can be shaped and presented by both prosecutors and the accused. The film also serves as the de-facto model for for scores of true crime docs that continue to this day.

I'm not sure this is Errol Morris' best film, but it is certainly his most influential. Come see if you agree.

Presenting our Indie & Classic Movie Series, where we'll all get together to watch a variety of classic and independent films.

I have the movies. I have the projector. I have a big 10 foot roll down screen and nice padded chairs and room for about 15 people in my living toom

I'll have some stuff to nibble on and some drinks, but feel free to bring other stuff if you want. Per policy I do not serve alcohol (don't want the liability), but feel free to bring your own.

We'll socialize for about a half hour before the movie, which will start promptly at 7:30.

CARPOOLS - My parking around here really is limited thanks to overbuilding on nearby lots, so carpooling is encouraged.

In keeping with the general idea of this group, we will have a short discussion about the film and the filmmakers before and after the movie. I hope you'll participate.

Hope to see you there.