Tower
August 1st 1966 was the day our innocence was shattered. A sniper rode the elevator to the top floor of the iconic University of Texas Tower and opened fire, holding the campus hostage for 96 minutes in what was a previously unimaginable event. TOWER combines archival footage with rotoscopic animation of the dramatic day, based entirely on first person testimonies from witnesses, heroes and survivors, in a seamless and suspenseful retelling of the unfolding tragedy. The film highlights the fear, confusion, and visceral realities that changed the lives of those present, and the rest of us, forever - a day when the worst in one man brought out the best in so many others.
"This is a Must-Own documentary."
Firmly Recommended to established fans and newcomers alike.
"Very strongly recommended!"
"Highly recommended. ...The Kino Lorber Blu-ray of Tower is an excellent encoding of this show, that has made a vociferous fan of most everyone who has seen it."
New York Times Critics' Pick "Ingenious. The animation gives Mr. Maitland a lot of creative freedom, allowing him to take Expressionistic leaps." -Manohla Dargis, New York Times
"A piece about adrenaline, bravery, grief and memory that stands as one of the year's crowning achievements in emotional, illuminative storytelling." -Robert Abele, The Wrap
"Boldly imaginative ... 'Tower' plays like a historical Hitchcock film about ordinary people thrust into extraordinary circumstances." -Richard Brody, The New Yorker
"Tower is explanatory journalism and history, but also personally expressive, and the two impulses never cancel each other out." -Matt Zoller Seitz, RogerEbert.com
"Words can't do justice to the singular power of Keith Maitland’s documentary Tower, a you-are-there reconstruction of the harrowing 1966 mass shooting at the University of Texas at Austin...You might not see a more emotionally shattering film this year." -Bilge Ebiri, The Village Voice
"A tense, reflective and uniquely cinematic reconstruction of the 1966 sniper shootings that rocked a Texas university campus." -Variety
"A gripping combination of oral history and stylized reenactment." -The Hollywood Reporter
"Tower is a fascinating blend of suspense and journalistic inquiry." -Indiewire
"Revolutionary documentary on the 1966 UT Tower shootings." -Austin Chronicle
"[A] true-crime thriller that’s enriched by a rare depth of inner experience. The effect is as much intellectual as emotional..." -Richard Brody, The New Yorker
Louie Arnette
Blair Jackson
Produced by Megan Gilbride , Susan Thomson, Luke Wilson (Executive Producer ) , Pamela Colloff (Executive Producer ) , Amy Rapp (Executive Producer ) and Meredith Vieira (Executive Producer )
