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Jerry Murdock’s Shortlist

Published on December 27, 2011

The Shortlist article series is your opportunity to learn about the films that inspire intellectual, artistic and activist leaders – leaders like Jerry Murdock. We asked Jerry to share his favorite films and his thoughts on the power of film to change the world.

So what films make Jerry’s Shortlist? Keep reading to find out.

Who is Jerry Murdock?

Jerry Murdock was born and raised near Cooperstown in upstate New York. Although Murdock received his teaching degree from SUNY Fredonia in 1992, he decided to try his hand at acting before settling into a career in the classroom. After participating in many theatrical productions in his hometown, Murdock moved to New York City in 1997 and ventured into the independent horror film world. Beginning with a convincing dual role in Alan Rowe Kelly’s I’LL BURY YOU TOMORROW, Murdock developed a reputation for his diversity in tackling an assortment of different characters on the big screen: a gung-ho cop in Kelly’s THE BLOOD SHED, a hit man in Stolis Hadjicharalambous’ CROSSED, a homophobic hillbilly in Kelly’s A FAR CRY FROM HOME and a conflicted priest in Anthony Sumner’s LEWIS.

By Her Hand, She Draws You Down
In 2009, Murdock was tapped as Best Supporting Actor at the Dark Carnival Film Festival for his role of William Bertram in Bart Mastronardi’s Award Winning VINDICATION. The supporting actor recognition was followed up in 2010 with two Best Actor Awards – both for the role of Joe in Anthony Sumner’s By Her Hand, She Draws You Down. In 2012, Murdock will be both producing and acting in STATE OF DISORDER, which he adapted from the short story written by Douglas Smith. Although Murdock continues to work in independent cinema, he is a full time teacher and dean at Renaissance High School of Technology and the Performing Arts.

Jerry Murdock on the Power of Film
Over the years, I have seen films that have had very different meanings for me. I have enjoyed them for mere escapism, (STAR WARS, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY), to be thrilled, (THE EVIL DEAD, THE SHINING, THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE) to laugh (ANIMAL HOUSE, CADDYSHACK, THE BIG LEBOWSKI) or to inspire (CHARIOTS OF FIRE, GANDHI, THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION). However, the films that have had the greatest impact for me are the ones that make me think, and gives me greater understanding about the world I live in. I think film can be a powerful tool in that respect, and there are some that have left a mark long after I have left the theater.

Jerry Murdock’s Shortlist:

BARAKA
BARAKA, with its breathtaking cinematography and mesmerizing music, is an extraordinarily fascinating visual narrative on the relationship between Man and the Earth. Without the use of dialogue, BARAKA relies on a series of hypnotic images, shot in 24 countries around the world, to portray the complex relationship between man and nature, and foreshadows the potential outcome of that relationship. The final scene, a panoramic view of the stars in the sky, made me think about what was most likely primitive man’s first thought: “What is Life” and “How do I fit in it”? Perhaps that’s the greatest message I took away from BARAKA: our capacity as humans to contemplate that eternal question, to look to the stars and the world around us to see ourselves as part of that mystery.

Waking Life
The animated film WAKING LIFE is very much a like dream itself: the film moves fluidly from scene to scene without much explanation, but with the implied notion that the state of dreaming allows what reality does not. This is a film with people talking about the meaning of life, and forces the viewer to re-examine their own meaning. Richard Linklater’s WAKING LIFE follows the exploits a young man (Wiley Wiggins) who is faced with the realization that the life that he living is not only a dream, but a series of dream states with an unknown purpose. The film follows Wiley as he participates in and witnesses candid conversations with over sixty intriguing characters, covering some fairly esoteric subjects: collective memories; memory control created by evolution; the symbiotic integration of man and machine; the purpose of God and death; and the role of free will in a person’s life. During these interactions, Wiley slowly uncovers his own destiny within the dream state, and ultimately, the consequences one must face with such understanding. Deeply profound, WAKING LIFE demonstrates cerebral state-of-the-art moviemaking that challenged me to examine the nature of existence and reality. Heady stuff.

The Thin Blue Line
Errol Morris’ documentary THE THIN BLUE LINE clearly demonstrates that the shortcomings of the American criminal justice system, and showed me that a nightmarish Hitchcockian situation could happen to anyone who finds themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. Slowly, the viewer is pulled into the surreal world of Randall Adams (the accused), David Harris (the accuser), and a small Texas town’s justice system. Morris lays out the story deliberately: Adams picked up Harris, and was eventually pulled over by patrol officers for a routine traffic stop. Adams’ version of the event, (the eventual truth proven in the film), is that Harris reached over and shot the approaching officer dead. However, it was Adams who was charged with the murder and received a death sentence. Morris allows everyone involved, the suspects, witnesses, police officers, and judges to freely talk, and in doing so, leaves us with a deeper understanding of the complexities of the perception of truth. The film itself doesn’t really dwell on the facts it presents to prove Adam’s innocence, it deals with larger philosophical questions such as the perception of truth, and primarily, the arbitrary nature of fate: in this case, how a picking up a hitchhiker changed Randall Adams’ life.

Fight Club
On its face, FIGHT CLUB appears to be a story of a bunch of frustrated guys who beat up on each other to prove their manliness. However, David Fincher’s film contains a long list of subtexts and viewpoints on America’s ills: Indentured servitude to consumerism in a land of freedom, Social Darwinism in a land of community, violence in a land of justice, and the dangers of groupthink, to name but a few . However, at its core, the film is a bizarre exploration of human nature. While FIGHT CLUB is a kinetic, quickly paced and often bitingly funny satire on the soullessness of corporate America and the moral emptiness of consumerism, I see it as a study of what it means to value life. “The things you own end up owning you,” Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) warns “The Narrator” (Ed Norton), who spends the rest of the film learning that everyone is owned by everything, and fighting against that essential truth is like punching yourself in the face.

Restrepo
Having studied the Vietnam War extensively for my Master’s thesis, I am often surprised by the parallels with the American involvement in Afghanistan. However, I am most surprised by American’s lack of focus on the conflict, having becoming almost an afterthought after ten tears of conflict. RESTREPO offers a new perspective on the men in the front-line in Afghanistan, and should be viewed by more Americans. Filmmakers Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger embedded themselves for a year with Second Platoon on a tour of duty in the dangerous Korangal valley in eastern Afghanistan. The Platoon was ordered to build a forward outpost in the valley, which they name “Restrepo”, after one of their comrades, Private Juan “Doc” Restrepo, who was killed at the campaign’s outset. Hetherington and Junger simply allow the soldiers tell their story with no political undertones, and the stark footage of battle is riveting. The film certainly highlights American military strength and the capabilities of our soldiers, but it also shows that even with all the US fire power and bravery, our country is facing an uphill battle against the Taliban insurgency. Anyone who watches RESTREPO and doesn’t come away with a greater respect for the men of the armed forces needs to put their humanity ahead of their politics.

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