''Vernon, Florida'' is a 1981 American

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...

produced and directed by

Errol Morris Errol Mark Morris (born February 5, 1948) is an American film director known for documentaries that interrogate the epistemology of its subjects. In 2003, his documentary film '' The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara ...

profiling various residents living within the town of

Vernon, Florida Vernon is a city in Washington County, Florida. The population was 687 at the 2010 census; according to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2018 estimates, the city had a population of 690. Vernon is named for George Washington's Virginia home, Mount Verno ...

. Originally titled ''Nub City'', this follow-up to ''

Gates of Heaven ''Gates of Heaven'' is a 1978 American documentary film produced, directed, and edited by Errol Morris about the pet cemetery business. It was made when Morris was unknown and did much to launch his career. Production After a trip to Florida ...

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

Background and "Nub City" controversy

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 Werner Herzog (; born 5 September 1942) is a German film director, screenwriter, author, actor, and opera director, regarded as a pioneer of New German Cinema. His films often feature ambitious protagonists with impossible dreams, people with un ...

, 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. In 1980, following the release of his first film ''

'', Morris secured funding from WNET and

ZDF ZDF (, short for Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen; ; "Second German Television") is a German public-service television broadcaster based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. It is run as an independent nonprofit institution, which was founded by all fe ...

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.

Reception

The film was met with critical acclaim, earning 100% from

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

. A review in the January 16, 1982, issue of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' 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."

Home media

It was released on DVD by MGM in 2005. It is available on

Criterion Collection The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films." Criterion serves film and media scholars, cinep ...

alongside Morris' 1978 film ''

''.

References

External links

* * *
''Gates of Heaven and Vernon, Florida: Bullshitting a Bullshitter''
an essay by Eric Hynes at the

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vernon, Florida (Film) American documentary films Films directed by Errol Morris Films produced by Errol Morris Washington County, Florida Films set in Florida 1981 documentary films 1981 films Documentary films about Florida 1980s English-language films 1980s American films