Criterion collection #751

Criterion collection #752

Title from container

Errol Morris changed the face of documentary filmmaking in the US, and his career began with two remarkable tales of American eccentricity: Gates of heaven (1978) (82 min.) The first uses two Southern California pet cemeteries as the bases for a profound and funny rumination on love, loss, and industry; Vernon, Florida (1981) (55 min.) the second travels to a languorous southern backwater and meets a handful of fascinating folks; a determined turkey hunter, a curious minister, a laconic policeman, engaged in individualistic, sometimes absurd pursuits

Gates of heaven, fullscreen (1.33:1)

Vernon, Florida, widescreen (1.66:1)

Gates of heaven originally released as a motion picture in 1978; Vernon, Florida originally released as a motion picture in 1981

Special features: New interviews with Morris; Werner Herzog eats his shoe (1980), a twenty-minute film by Les Blank featuring Herzog fufilling a bet intended to inspire Morris to complete his first feature; Footage of Herzog professing his admiration of "Gates of heaven" at the 1980 Telluride Film Festival; An essay by critic Eric Hynes

DVD

In English, with optional English SDH