Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Cinema Clips: Tower

Posted By on Tue, Nov 29, 2016 at 3:30 PM


This documentary about the 1966 tower shooting at the University of Texas takes a unique approach in using rotoscope-type animation and performers, combined with archival footage and interviews.

The words being said by the performers are actual words taken from interviews with real survivors, who are also featured in the movie, non-animated. It’s a unique approach by director Keith Maitland, and it’s very effective.

The lone Texas gunman took the lives of 16 people, injuring many others. The film goes into great detail about the events of that day, and their aftermath. In the fifty years since this happened, many more mass shootings have occurred on American campuses. Unfortunately, the University of Texas proved to be just the start of a horrible, continuing trend. The movie is one of the year’s best documentaries.

The Loft will be presenting the film on Monday, Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m. There will be an onstage discussion of the film and the events of that day with film subject and shooting survivor Claire Wilson James, Lucy Wilson, Ph. D. (a Tucson psychologist and Claire’s sister), and producer Hillary Pierce.