Nevertheless, Morris acknowledged that it would have been nice to stand before the world and thank the people who made it possible--"Sue Weil at PBS, who believed in me and the project and found a way to keep us going when no one else was willing; Lindsay Law at American Playhouse, who got involved and made it possible for me to do the re-enactments, to hire (composer) Philip Glass and turn the interview material into a movie. . . . "
Morris, who has worked as a private investigator between documentaries, said he and Randall Adams are "ahead of the game," that he's got a new lease on his film career and Adams a new lease on life. But that's not enough for those people who think their victory should have been toasted with an Oscar.
"His film is as good a look at that part of America as I have ever seen," said director Michael Apted, pointing out that the academy bestowed a batch of nominations (seven) on "Mississippi Burning" while ignoring a documentary that puts the spotlight on a more recent example of Southern injustice. "It's shameful that fellow members in the industry don't give it the acknowledgement it deserves."
The final upshot of "The Thin Blue Line"--the overturned conviction--came after the Oscar nominations were announced. Workman wonders how his colleagues on the committee felt as they read the front-page news stories about that ruling.
"I think those people are embarrassed now," Workman said. "Wouldn't it be nice if every time you see (the Randall Adams case) mentioned, it says, 'The Academy Award-nominated film'?"
But another member seemed to be speaking for the majority when he said, "I'm thrilled that an innocent man is going to get out of jail. But that doesn't mean a badly made picture should get an Oscar . . . or even a nomination."
