Errol Morris
Errol Morris: A Cinematic Visionary
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Full Name and Common Aliases
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Errol Morris is an American documentary filmmaker, screenwriter, and author. His full name is Errol Andrew Morris.
Birth and Death Dates
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Errol Morris was born on February 5, 1948.
Nationality and Profession(s)
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Morris is a naturalized German citizen with American roots. He is primarily known for his work as a documentary filmmaker, but he has also ventured into screenwriting and writing non-fiction books.
Early Life and Background
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Errol Morris was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho. His family moved to Iowa when he was young. He developed an interest in filmmaking at an early age and studied philosophy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After graduating, he worked as a journalist before transitioning into filmmaking.
Major Accomplishments
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Morris's breakthrough film, "Gates of Heaven" (1978), was a documentary exploring human relationships with pets. However, it was his next project, "The Thin Blue Line" (1988), that catapulted him to fame. This documentary re-examined the case of Randall Dale Adams, who was wrongly convicted of murder. Morris's investigation and reconstruction of the events led to Adams' exoneration in 1989.
Notable Works or Actions
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Some of Morris's most notable works include:
"The Fog of War" (2003): a documentary on Robert S. McNamara, former US Secretary of Defense during the Vietnam War.
"Standard Issue" (1994): a series of short documentaries examining the nature of truth and deception in interviews.
"Tabloid" (2010): a biographical drama about Joyce McKinney, an American tabloid celebrity.
"A Brief History of Time" (1985): an adaptation of Stephen Hawking's book on cosmology.
Impact and Legacy
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Errol Morris has made significant contributions to the world of documentary filmmaking. His meticulous approach to storytelling and exploration of complex themes have raised the bar for documentary filmmakers worldwide. Through his work, he has not only shed light on important issues but also brought attention to cases that would otherwise have been overlooked.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
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Morris is widely quoted and remembered for several reasons:
His thought-provoking documentaries often challenge societal norms and encourage critical thinking.
His meticulous approach to filmmaking, which includes extensive interviews and archival research, has set a new standard for documentary storytelling.
* His work has been recognized with numerous awards, including an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for "The Fog of War".
Errol Morris's dedication to uncovering truth and shedding light on human nature through his films continues to inspire audiences worldwide.
Quotes by Errol Morris
Errol Morris's insights on:
You can’t really trust anybody who doesn’t talk a lot, because how would you know what they’re thinking?
War is such a peculiar thing – inaugurated by the whims of few, affecting the fate of many. It is difficult, if not impossible, thing to understand, yet we feel compelled to describe it as though it has meaning – even virtue. It starts for reasons often hopelessly obscure, meanders on, then stops.
I envy certain writers, because there are writers who do go into a kind of different zone, where the writing isn’t controlled anymore.
I actually like doing commercials. I don’t like doing them to the exclusion of everything else, but I like doing them. The 30-second format is very hard. I sometimes call it American Haiku. And I think some of the commercials I’ve done are not so bad.
Listening to what people were saying wasn’t even important. But it was important to look as if you were listening to what people were saying. Actually, listening to what people are saying, to me, interferes with looking as if you were listening to what people are saying.
I used to say that interviewing others was perhaps the way I could stop talking and start listening. It’s a kind of enforced silence.
I’m really interested in self-deception. Really interested in how people live in bubble universes. How people can fail to see the seemingly obvious.
I don’t believe that you can talk about a photograph being true or false. I don’t think such a claim has any meaning.
When you start talking about the known knowns and the unknown unknowns, you’re thrown into a crazy meta-level discussion. Do I know what I know, do I know what I don’t know, do I know what I don’t know I don’t know. It becomes a strange, Lewis Carroll – like nursery rhyme.
People think in narratives – in beginnings, middles and ends. The danger when you edit something too severely is that it no longer makes sense; worse still, it leaves people with the disquieting impression that something is being hidden.