''Waco, the Big Lie'' is a 1993 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 ...

directed by Linda Thompson that presents video-based analysis regarding the

Waco siege The Waco siege, also known as the Waco massacre, was the law enforcement siege of the compound that belonged to the religious sect Branch Davidians. It was carried out by the U.S. federal government, Texas state law enforcement, and the U.S. mi ...

. The first film made about the Waco siege, ''Waco, the Big Lie'' gained significant notoriety when it was viewed during the trial of American domestic terrorist

Timothy McVeigh Timothy James McVeigh (April 23, 1968 – June 11, 2001) was an American domestic terrorist responsible for the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people, 19 of whom were children, injured more than 680 others, and destroyed one-third o ...

. As part of the defense, McVeigh's lawyers showed ''Waco, the Big Lie'' to the jury. In 1994, the film was followed by a feature-length

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

titled ''Waco II, the Big Lie Continues'', aimed at addressing criticisms of the original. Thompson's films made a number of controversial allegations, the most famous of which was her claim that footage of an armored vehicle breaking through the outer walls of the compound showed a

flamethrower A flamethrower is a ranged incendiary device designed to project a controllable jet of fire. First deployed by the Byzantine Empire in the 7th century AD, flamethrowers saw use in modern times during World War I, and more widely in World ...

attached to the vehicle, setting fire to the building. As a response to Thompson, filmmaker

Michael McNulty Michael Robert McNulty (born September 16, 1947) is a retired American politician from the U.S. state of New York. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1989 to 2009 representing New York's Capital District and was chair ...

released footage to support his counter-claim that the appearance of light was a reflection on aluminized insulation that was torn from the wall and snagged on the vehicle. McNulty accused Thompson of "creative editing" in his film ''Waco: An Apparent Deviation''. Thompson worked from a VHS copy of the surveillance tape; McNulty was given access to a beta original. However, McNulty in turn was later accused of having digitally altered his footage, an allegation he denied. John Young of the ''

Waco Tribune-Herald The ''Waco Tribune-Herald'' is an American daily newspaper serving Waco, Texas, and vicinity. Background The newspaper has its roots in five predecessors, beginning with the ''Waco Evening Telephone'' in 1892. The ''Tribune-Herald'' took its curr ...

'' criticized the film, questioning the evidence behind Thompson's claims.

References

External links

* 1993 films 1990s English-language films American documentary films Waco siege Documentary films about conspiracy theories Films about religious violence in the United States 1990s American films {{US-documentary-film-stub