“First Person”: Like a head cheerleader snubbing the artsy loner in the hallway, Oscar’s documentary folks don’t recognize Errol Morris. One of the standing cultural jokes is that his visionary true films, from “The Thin Blue Line” to the current “Mr. Death,” have never been nominated for filmdom’s highest honor. It says a lot more about the documentary-selection process, and those doing the selecting, than it does about Morris.
TV viewers who like to get outraged about injustice, as well as those who just like good documentary work, can see what all the fuss is about. Morris’ is the hand behind this superb half-hour series debuting Wednesday (9:30 p.m., Bravo).
He made 11 episodes, and each brings viewers up close to a person with an intriguing life story, beginning with “Stairway to Heaven,” the tale of Temple Grandin, the autistic woman who became a college professor and pioneer in humane slaughterhouse practices. Next week’s second episode is about a woman whose high school boyfriend grew up to become a serial killer.
These are exceptional little films, made with the same production values and some of the same techniques that turn Morris’ features into such extraordinary experiences. Not to put too much emphasis on awards, because quality work is its own, far more significant honor, but maybe he can win an Emmy.
