I think Errol Morris is one of the best documentary filmmakers to have ever come out of America. Heck, one of the best to ever strap on a camera, period. I also think that he's entirely underrated. He never gets his due. I mean, what's up with that?

The thing I love most about Errol Morris is that he profiles incredibly interesting people. One thing I've always been interested in is the fact that everybody has a story. Sometimes, you start talking to somebody at random, and it's just interesting to hear their spiel. Sure, there are those who are incredibly droll and vapid, but there are also those out there who are fascinating characters. Morris takes the most seemingly random people and makes them entirely interesting to listen to.

One thing that I find interesting is the eccentricity and quirkiness of Errol Morris' subjects themselves. Who else would consider profiling the owners of a pet cemetery, or a man who thinks his pet turtle is a gopher, or somebody who works in a museum of human deformities? At the same time, he never casts these people in a negative light. He has a talent for taking whose who would be easy to ridicule, and presenting them in an entirely respectful, dignified way.

Last week, MGM released The Errol Morris Collection on DVD, which contains his three earliest films, Gates of Heaven, Vernon, Florida, and The Thin Blue Line. The discs themselves are bare, with only trailers for extras, aside from The Thin Blue Line, which contains an episode of Morris' show, First Person. Speaking of which, MGM also released First Person - The Complete Series last week. It's a 3-disc set, with no extras, containing all 17 episodes of the great show.

Gates of Heaven (1980)

Gates of Heaven was Morris' first film. He finished it due to the encouragement of German New Wave genius Werner Herzog (who would subsequently eat his shoe). It profiles the folks who established a successful pet cemetery in California and their subsequent move of all the animals to another cemetery. As a first feature, it shows immense progress. Morris forgoes most of the usual trappings of a traditional documentary feature. His shots are very still, often framing his subjects in their own environments. He doesn't cut out anything a little extraneous, allowing us to get a glimpse into the hearts and minds of these people, as well as learning about their experiences.

In addition to those behind the scenes of the cemetery, he interviews those with pets buried in the cemetery. They really help you to realize that a pet cemetery is not absurd in the least, if you had any doubts. Morris shows these people in such a touching, poignant way, that it's hard not to feel emotion for them, and think about your own pets differently.

In Gates of Heaven, Errol Morris doesn't focus as much on the narrative as much as he does the people themselves. His films are very artistic, especially for documentaries. I think Morris works more towards developing an emotional link to his subjects than he does on telling a particular story. There's a scene at the very end of the documentary which just shows a slideshow of pet tombstones from the cemetery. You're able to read what their owners have had engraved into them, and see their photos, and it's hard not to get emotional yourself. No one else but Errol Morris.

Vernon, Florida (1981)

Vernon, Florida is the weakest of the films here, but it's still a very interesting, compelling look at the residents of the small town. Among them are an elderly couple who is convinced the sand in their possession is growing, an expert on turkey-hunting, and an old man who thinks his pet turtle is really a gopher.

Once again, easy people to laugh at (and you will), but Morris delves deep within them, and shows that they're simply human, just like everybody else. Sure, they're a little eccentric, but who isn't? He treats them with respect, as he does all his subjects. It's not as interesting or as deep as his other films, but it's still a good film to watch, and a good meditation on small-town life and the nature of eccentricity in general.

The Thin Blue Line (1988)

The Thin Blue Line is unquestionably Morris' greatest work. In it, he reconstructs the murder of a Dallas Police Officer, which occured in 1976. A man had already been imprisoned for the murder since then. The entire story is told in way of interviews with those present and well-done reenactments, based on the eyewitness accounts.

It's very different from Morris' other work, but it represents another facet of his style. I remember reading somewhere that he regards himself as more of a detective than a filmmaker, and The Thin Blue Line proves this idea. In fact, he's done a much better job than those on the case did.

In the film, Morris presents testimony from those involved, and then subsequently proves what they say to be truth or fabrication. In that respect, it's almost a Rashomon-like experience, because everyone involved has their own story as to what actually happened. It's an incredibly gripping story, and it really hooked me from the get-go.

It's hard to say much about The Thin Blue Line without spoiling the story. You really have to see it for yourself. But, I highly recommend that, whomever you are, you should go see it immediately.

First person - The Complete Series (2000)

First Person is a television series that Morris developed for the Bravo Network in 2000. Basically, he finds interesting people and simply interviews them. He uses a device he calls Interrotron, which is basically a camera attached to a small monitor. This allows the subject being interviewed to maintain eye contact with Morris while they speak, but also look directly into the camera. The effect it gives is great, as you get the feeling that the person is speaking to you directly, hence the name, First Person

As a series, it's very good. Not what you'd expect to see on TV, in terms of content or interviewees. Most of the characters Morris gathered together for these 17 episodes are fascinating to watch and listen to. Not only that, they teach you quite a bit about whatever it is they're interested in. A fairly-completeepisode listing is available at TV.com, and I've offered my thoughts on each one below.

Mr. Debt - Mr. Debt acts almost like a modern-day Robin Hood. He's a lawyer who represents those crippled by debt of credit card companies. He's an interesting character, very charming and makes a lot of good points. Personally, I think he's for real, but that's just me.

Eyeball to Eyeball - This episode centers around Clyde Roper, who's making it his life's work to be the first human to ever see a giant squid. Giant squids exist, and there's no shortage of them in the ocean. We've recovered plenty of proof including numerous corpses, though nobody's ever seen one alive. A great episode with a wealth of interesting facts and plenty to learn.

Stairway to Heaven - Stairway to Heaven focuses on the woman who designed the ramps that are used today to lead cows into slaughterhouses. She's been autistic all her life and feels she relates more to cows than humans. It's interesting to see how she came to plan the ramp system out and how it leads the cows easily.

The Killer Inside Me - Pretty screwed up. A woman dated a man in High School who ended up being a serial killer. So, she contacted him from jail to get information from him to write a tell-all book about him. Other criminals tried to get her to write their stories, one of which she falls in love with.

I Dismember Mama - Episode about a man who works in cryogenics. He talks a lot about the process, relating some stories. Evidently, his Mother was frozen and he stole her head and is now keeping it in a safer location. Yup.

The Stalker - The Stalker is a very chilling episode about a former Postal Worker. One man who worked under him got fired and blames everything on his former employer and begins to stalk him, making threatening phone calls and eventually coming to the Post Office and murdering people. Despite his stalker's death, he's still living in fear to this day.

The Parrot - The Parrot feels more like The Thin Blue Line than the other episodes. It involves the murder of a woman in which the only witness was a parrot who calls out "Richard, no no no!" The woman has a friend named Richard, but the police ignore the parrot and instead lock up another friend of the woman's. Two women who knew the imprisoned man offer conflicting viewpoints and tell the viewer the other woman isn't to be trusted. Great episode.

Smiling In a Jar - This episode is about a woman who runs a Museum dedicated to human deformities. She's got a lot of interesting views on just about everything. A decent enough episode, but it just might turn your stomach.

In the Kingdom of the Unabomber - Gary Greenberg is a psychologist who decides he wants to make a name for himself, so he begins to write to the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski. The two begin to correspond, but another psychologist begins to write to Kaczynski to sabotage Greenberg's efforts. Another really cool episode.

The Little Gray Man - The Little Gray Man was a good episode about a former CIA secret agent. He discusses his career and how you have to be a non-descript 'gray' person to successfully blend in.

You're Soaking in it - This episode centers on a woman who works in the field of cleaning up violent crime scenes. She got started when her son killed himself and she had to clean up the mess herself. She comes across as a very strong person, willing to step up and do something that would revolt most.

Mr. Personality - Michael Stone studies the personalities and the psyches of serial killers and other psychopathic individuals. For you crime buffs, this is a must-see, as Stone really knows his stuff and it comes across in this fascinating episode.

The Only Truth - Not a great episode. This one involves a lawyer for some really bad criminals. He simply relates a few choice stories and then preaches his own sermon about truth and the American court system.

Harvesting Me - I was misled on this one. I went in, thinking that this guy would be some kind of nut who worshiped Gilligan. Actually, Gilligan merely serves as a symbol for the worship of Television in our age. He's a surprisingly intelligent and relatable guy who lives his life, by choice, on Television, much like in The Truman Show. Pretty good, interesting episode.

One In A Million Trillion - Here's a great example of Morris' style, because I absolutely hated the guy in this episode. All he does is whine and complain that the answers he GUESSED on a TV Game Show weren't correct. It's interesting to see such an obsessive person, but this guy's just annoying and bitchy to me. But, that's a great example of what Errol Morris films can do, present an objective portrait of a human being and let each viewer make his or her own decisions.

Leaving the Earth - Incredible, easily the best episode in the series. It's an hour long, and focuses exclusively on Denny Fitch's story. He was an off-duty Airline Pilot, taking a flight home, when disaster occurs on his plane. He's forced to help out the best that he can under inconceivable conditions. He recounts his story in such vivid detail, and it's so compelling to watch. I was affected deeply by his harrowing story. Great great episode.

The Smartest Man in the World - A decent episode centering on a nightclub bouncer who has an IQ around 200, making him the smartest man in the world. This one's a bit preachy too, but he's got some interesting views on culture in general, so it's pretty interesting.

Fast, Cheap and Out of Control (1997)

I don't remember a whole lot about this one, because I'd seen it a few months ago, but I do remember it was great. The best thing about the film is that it presents four individuals who don't have much in common, on the surface. Though, watching the film, more abstract connections arise in your mind. You realize that these men are all obsessed, in their own way, with their own fields. They all strive to manipulate the world around them, be it via robotics, lion taming, topiary sculptures or studying the naked mole rat.

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I hope that somebody reads this sometime and becomes interested in Morris. Like I said, he's one of the best documentary filmmakers of all-time, and still relatively unknown in the grand scheme of things. If I've piqued your interest, go rent one of his flicks and give it a viewing with an open mind. Hopefully, you'll be able to appreciate the genuis behind it.

If you're interested, DVDTalk Radio has a PodCast featuring Morris himself, and I can't wait to give it a listen.