Intense and Powerful Trailer For TOWER, a Doc About The 1966 Austin Sniper Attack
A trailer for the upcoming documentary Tower has been released and this looks like an incredibly intense film! The movie revolves around the deadly sniper attack that took place in Austin, Texas in 1966. Charles Whitman shot 49 people that day and 18 of them died, including himself — he was shot and killed by police.
This looks like a powerful documentary and it was done in a unique visual style. Along with some of the actual footage from the event, the dramatization of it was done in a rotoscope animation style, like Richard Linklater’s Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly.
Tower has been getting rave reviews and it seems like everyone that has seen it says it's a must-watch film. Here's the synopsis:
August 1, 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.
The film was directed by Keith Maitland, and it will get a limited release next month, opening in NYC on October 12th at the Film Forum, and in L.A. October 14th at the Laemmle Royal.