Originally titled nub city, this followup to gates of heaven initially focused on residents of the southern town who cut off their own limbs as a way to collect insurance money. May 23, 2015 this is the second film in the disc with gates of heaven, so the rating below is for both discs combined. Vernon was featured in the errol morris documentary film vernon, florida produced in 1981 highlighting the eccentricities of the people who lived there. Vernon, florida is a 1981 documentary film produced and directed by errol morris profiling various residents living within the town of vernon, florida. Jul 02, 2018 long before i moved to florida, i knew there was a lot more to the place than disney world, miami beach, daytona beach and fort lauderdale, thanks to this errol morris documentary. The first uses two northern california pet cemeteries as the basis for a profound and funny rumination on love, loss, and industry. Early errol morris documentary intersplices random chatter he captured on film of the genuinely eccentric residents of vernon, florida. Brad fullers editing is superb, and the sound is crisp throughout the film as well. Vernon, florida is an utterly captivating musing on the work of filmmaking, and the wandering that goes into choosing subject matter. Aug 07, 2015 morris did eventually get a film out of his time in the townthe 1981 documentary vernon, floridabut not the one he originally set out to make. The story of floridas nub city, where residents cut off.
Like gates of heaven, it is a seemingly deadpan but actually very involved record of a group of people and their obsessions. Director andrew jarecki and his cinematographer, marc smerling, have acknowledged that. Because hes done so much good, the film is criminally underrated, but for any fans of his work or documentary in general vernon, florida is a mustsee. Morris was originally drawn to the town because of its reputation as nub citymany of its residents would actually cut off their own limbs as part of a large insurance scheme. The film s narrative is told through interviews with several loveable and unusual people, who have oftenamazing viewpoints. According to documentary filmmaker errol morris web site, he originally started work on vernon, florida, because the citizens of this little panhandle town were famous for cutting off their limbs for cash. Vernon, florida was completed in 1981 and received limited distribution the following year, and screened only on pbs prior to its release on home video in 1988. Gates of heaven and vernon, florida the early documentaries of errol morris on netflix. Vernon, florida is a 1981 documentary film produced and directed by errol morris profiling various residents living. Three early films from errol morris reveal how he reshaped. It features such quirky residents as an obsessive turkey gobbler and an eccentric preacher. Larger towns in that part of florida are defuniak springs and marianna. After morriss life was threatened by the subjects of the film, he reworked nub city into vernon, florida.
Vernon, florida 1981 errol morris doc that intercuts random. Errol morris is one of the most celebratedand most distinctivedocumentary filmmakers of our time and his interest in unconventional portraits and offbeat subjects began with his first films. Saw this film on ifc years ago and found it again recently. As ever humane yet sharply focused, morris lets his camera subjects pontificate and perambulate the environs of this seemingly unremarkable little community. Vernon is a town in the florida panhandle surrounded by swamps. Morris followed up gates of heaven with vernon, florida, a documentary about the town of the same name and its idiosyncratic residents.
Vernon is a small town in the florida panhandle not too far south of the alabama border. The strange and utterly fascinating talent of errol morris, director of gates of heaven, the haunting documentary about pet cemeteries, will be featured on the first two programs of the new facetscolumbia cinematheque, a joint venture of columbia college and facets multimedia, an alternative film showcase. Movie info for his second documentary feature, errol morris originally set out to chronicle vernon, fl, because it had the highest rate of a particular sort of insurance fraud dismemberment. Originally titled nub city, this followup to gates of heaven was initially focused on residents of the southern town who cut off their own limbs as a way to collect insurance money.
For his second documentary feature, errol morris originally set out to chronicle vernon, fl, because it had the highest rate of a particular sort of insurance fraud dismemberment performed for. Vernon, florida 1981 is a documentary, comedy movie starring albert bitterling and roscoe collins. Some of the residents really touched my heart, some didnt. Henry shipes, albert bitterling, roscoe collins and. Vernon, florida reminds me of that in many ways as it highlights peculiar people that live in vernon, florida. Vernon is a city in washington county, florida, united states. Census bureaus 2004 estimates, the city had a population of 757. The inaugural program is the new morris documentary vernon, florida, produced for. The film at first almost seems condescending quirky smalltown southerners are an unfortunately easy target for artistes, and stereotypes are so, so tiresome. The preacher giving a sermon on the definition of the word therefore, and the obsessive turkey hunter who speaks reverentially of the gobblers he likes to track down and kill. Among the handful of residents that morris gets on film, the central idea that all of them express is a sense of patience, and the importance of getting lost.
Long before i moved to florida, i knew there was a lot more to the place than disney world, miami beach, daytona beach and fort lauderdale, thanks to this errol morris documentary. For his second documentary feature, errol morris originally set out to chronicle vernon, fl. The movie angered many residents of the city and surrounding areas who felt the documentary portrayed vernon in a negative light. Nov 28, 2017 because hes done so much good, the film is criminally underrated, but for any fans of his work or documentary in general vernon, florida is a mustsee. Settling in for some time off in his suburban home, ray. Released in 1981, morris second film profiles various residents in the town of vernon, florida, which first attracted morris attention when he discovered that vernon had a history of its. The first uses two northern california pet cemeteries as. I first saw vernon florida about 10 years ago, while living in a small town in the mountains of western north carolina, and it hit really close to home. Many of the residents of vernon literally cut off their own limbs in order to receive money from insurance companies. The inaugural program is the new morris documentary vernon, florida, produced for pbs. The director of the film, errol morris, was forced to change. With his trademark mixture of empathy and scrutiny, errol morris has changed the face of documentary filmmaking in the united states, and his career began with two remarkable tales of american eccentricity.
Gates of heaven is both the better film and has the better extras, especially because of the les blank documentary. And yet the film s distinctiveness, however stifled by the film s frivolity within morris otherwise scrupulous body of work, is immediate to those who see it. Vernon, florida was shown in last year s new york film festivalat lincoln center. In the 1980s, documentary filmmaker errol morris attempted to shoot a documentary about the town, but after he received death threats and was beaten up by the marine veteran son of a nub club member, he turned his movie into a slice of life documentary about the eccentric residents of the town entitled in a film called vernon, florida. Vernon, florida is a documentary that allows those folks to make themselves look like knuckledraggers just by allowing them to be filmed and quoted. It felt like the rl version of a city full of deliverance people. Nothing of that original idea survives in the film itself. The preacher giving a sermon on the definition of the word therefore, and the obsessive turkey hunter who speaks reverentially of the gobblers he likes to. While vernon, florida does not measure up, it is basically a second movie for the same price.
To get you ready for the uniquely hilarious documentaries that the 50th season of documentary now. Vernon, florida is an extremely quirky streamofconsciousness documentary by errol morris about a tiny florida town that time forgot, and the people who live there. Vernon, florida is an oddball survey of the inhabitants of a remote swamptown in the florida panhandle. The town had the highest reports of dismemberment insurance fraud in the country, and he set out to capture these greedy selfamputees on film. Gates of heavenvernon, florida the criterion collection. If youd like to experience the oddness first hand, head over to the sundancenow doc club and check out some great documentary filmmaking. Morris did eventually get a film out of his time in the townthe 1981 documentary vernon, floridabut not the one he originally set out to make. Morris did eventually get a film out of his time in the town the 1981 documentary vernon, florida but not the one he originally set out to make. For being a standout film in a tough genre and offering another look at how life should be, the rerelease of vernon, florida cements the film s place on the list of documentary classics.
In a case of fortuitous timing, criterion is releasing errol morris first three featuresgates of heaven 1978 and vernon, florida 1981 together on one disc, the thin blue line 1988 on anotherimmediately after hbos documentary miniseries the jinx unexpectedly became a cultural phenomenon. Here, errol morris found the quietly fascinating subjects for the followup to his galvanizing debut, gates of heaven. The documentary movie maker errol morris decided to make a film about the town back in the early 1980s that would be titled nub city. With his trademark mixture of empathy and scrutiny, errol morris has changed the face of documentary filmmaking in the. The first film by legendary documentary filmmaker errol morris, vernon, florida, follows the inhabitants of a small florida town. Vernon, florida is a documentary film that follows the eclectic residents of the american small town of vernon, florida. This is the second film in the disc with gates of heaven, so the rating below is for both discs combined. Director andrew jarecki and his cinematographer, marc smerling, have acknowledged. The preacher giving a sermon on the definition of the word therefore, and the obsessive turkey hunter who speaks reverentially of. Vernon, florida, 1981, errol morris criterion closeup. The inaugural program is the new morris documentary vernon, florida. This second effort by errol morris, originally titled nub city was about the inhabitants of a small florida town who lop off their limbs for insurance money. Does documentary filmmaking always have to be serious. Jan 16, 1982 vernon, florida was shown in last year s new york film festivalat lincoln center.
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