Errol Morris is one of the most interesting documentary filmmakers. His films are in the "real life is stranger than fiction" category. Gates of Heaven and Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control are special favorites and highly recommended.

Links:

Official Site (www.errolmorris.com)

Stairway to Heaven - The Unofficial Errol Morris Fan Page

Interview with William Phillips (It's good and long - click on the numbers at the bottom of the page)

Excellent interview at the Onion's AV Club

Article in News-Observer 04/04/99

IndieWIRE Interview 01/27/99      IndieWIRE Interview 10/02/97

Filmography:

Gates of Heaven (1978) 85 minutes
Documentary about a couple of pet cemetaries and the people behind them. Awesome. One of my favorite films. Roger Ebert says it is in his top ten of all time (definitely in mine, too). Here is his review. Video is out of print (soon to be rereleased). And here is a link to the pet cemetary featured in the film: Bubbling Well

Vernon, Florida (1981) 72 minutes
Documentary about people in Vernon, Florida. Video is long out of print (soon to be rereleased).

The Thin Blue Line (1988) 103 minutes
Documentary about the murder of a policeman in Texas and the man wrongly accused and imprisoned. This film resulted in his release and saved him from the electric chair. Video is back in print.
Roger Ebert Review    Amazon

A Brief History of Time (1992) 80 minutes
Documentary about physicist Stephen Hawkings.
Roger Ebert review    Amazon

The Dark Wind (1993)
Non-documentary feature film starring Lou Diamond Philips.
Amazon

Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control (1997) 82 minutes
Documentary weaving four stories together - a robot scientist, a topiary gardener, a lion trainer, and a guy who studies mole rats.
Roger Ebert review.     Review at Nitrate.     Review at US News Online
Official Site at Sony     Amazon

Mr. Death - The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr. (1999) 91 minutes
Documentary about Fred Leuchter, an engineer who specialized in designing and repairing electric chairs, gas chambers, lethal injection systems and gallows. His life was ruined when he got involved with neo-Nazis who wanted him to prove that the holocaust never happened.
Roger Ebert Review      CNN Review      NY Times Review      Amazon

The Fog of War (2003)



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Revised 01/16/04