Vernon, Florida (film)

1981 film by Errol Morris

Vernon, Florida

DVD release cover

Directed by| Errol Morris
Produced by| Errol Morris
Cinematography| Ned Burgess
Edited by| Brad Fuller
Music by| Claude Register
Distributed by| New Yorker Films

Release dates

* October 8, 1981 (1981-10-08) (New York Film Festival)
* January 15, 1982 (1982-01-15) (New York City)

Running time

| 55 minutes
Country| United States
Language| English

Vernon, Florida is a 1981 American documentary film produced and directed by Errol Morris profiling various residents living within the town of Vernon, Florida.[1] Originally titled Nub City, this follow-up 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. After Morris's life was threatened by the subjects of the film, he re-worked Nub City into Vernon, Florida.[2]

## Background and "Nub City" controversy

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After reading an article about the citizens of Vernon, Florida's propensity for collecting insurance money after losing limbs in accidents, Errol Morris, with financial help from filmmaker Werner Herzog, spent most of a year living in the town. During this time, he tried to interview the residents about these accidents and was met with hostility, even receiving a death threat.[3]

In 1980, following the release of his first film Gates of Heaven, Morris secured funding from WNET and ZDF and returned to Vernon with the intention to make the "Nub City" documentary. After receiving further threats from the residents, including an incident in which someone tried to hit his cinematographer with a truck, Morris decided to move forward with the documentary without the "Nub City" angle, electing instead to produce a documentary about the eccentricities of the town.[3]

## Reception and legacy

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The film was met with critical acclaim,[4][5] earning 100% from Rotten Tomatoes.[6]

A review in the January 16, 1982, issue of The New York Times said of Morris' approach to the film

> "He lets it all go on a bit too long, but his film is humorous, idiosyncratic and fond. The fancifulness of his subjects is something he appears to appreciate and enjoy."[7]

Various clips of the film would later be included as intro/outro segments for The Heart, She Holler.[8]

## Home media

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It was released on DVD by MGM in 2005.[9] It is available on Criterion Collection alongside Morris' 1978 film Gates of Heaven.[10]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Gates of Heaven/Vernon Florida|The Criterion Collection
2. ^ "Errol Morris: Profiles". www.errolmorris.com.
3. ^ a b Resha, David (8 April 2015). The cinema of Errol Morris. Middletown, Connecticut: Wesleyan University Press. ISBN 978-0-8195-7535-7. OCLC 904598386.
4. ^ Wilkinson, Alissa. "Vernon, Florida". The New York Times.
5. ^ Ebert, Roger. "Vernon, Florida Movie Review & Film Summary (1982) - Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com.
6. ^ "Vernon, Florida". Rotten Tomatoes.
7. ^ "Film: 'Vernon, Florida'". The New York Times. 1982-01-16. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
8. ^ "Clips from Vernon, FL - Adult Swim Message Boards". Archived from the original on October 2, 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
9. ^ "Vernon, Florida". 26 July 2005 - via Amazon.
10. ^ "Vernon, Florida". The Criterion Collection.

## External links

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* Vernon, Florida at IMDb
* Vernon, Florida at AllMovie
* Vernon, Florida at Rotten Tomatoes
* Gates of Heaven and Vernon, Florida: Bullshitting a Bullshitter an essay by Eric Hynes at the Criterion Collection

* v
* t
* e

Errol Morris

Documentary films|

* Gates of Heaven (1978)
* Vernon, Florida (1981)
* The Thin Blue Line (1988)
* A Brief History of Time (1991)
* Fast, Cheap & Out of Control (1997)
* Mr. Death (1999)
* The Fog of War (2003)
* Standard Operating Procedure (2008)
* Tabloid (2010)
* The Unknown Known (2013)
* The B-Side: Elsa Dorfman's Portrait Photography (2016)
* American Dharma (2018)
* The Pigeon Tunnel (2023)

Feature films|

* The Dark Wind (1991)

Other|

* First Person (TV series, 2000)
* They Were There (short film, 2011)
* A Wilderness of Error (book, 2012)
* Wormwood (miniseries, 2017)
* The Ashtray (Or the Man Who Denied Reality) (book, 2018)

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