About this episode

The episode discusses the documentary 'The Thin Blue Line' and its impact on the justice system and documentary filmmaking.

We welcome back Oscar-nominated My Year of Dicks filmmaker Pamela Ribon this week for [gasp] our very first documentary episode! In 1988, Errol Morris made a documentary hit out of The Thin Blue Line. Detailing police corruption and bias that led to the wrongful conviction of Robert W. Wood for a police shooting, the film became a non-fiction landmark for unpacking the the case’s inconsistencies and ultimately led to Wood’s vindication. This episode, we talk about how the documentary branch overhauled their nominating process in the wake of snubs for films like this and Hoop Dreams. We also discuss the stigma of non-fiction reenactments, how the film would influence later true crime doc style, and Pam’s work on her upcoming documentary, One Act. Topics also include Morris’ Gates of Heaven, Werner Herzog eating his shoe, and what the hell a malt is.

People in this episode

Hosts: Joe, Chris

Guest: Pamela Ribon

Topics covered

• documentary filmmaking
• police corruption
• wrongful conviction
• true crime
• non-fiction reenactments
• Oscar nominations
• cinema history

Keywords

• The Thin Blue Line
• documentary
• Errol Morris
• wrongful conviction
• Pamela Ribon
• true crime
• Oscar nominations
• non-fiction

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Thin Blue Line, My Year of Dicks, Hoop Dreams, Gates of Heaven, One Act

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