Waco, the Big Lie

Waco, the Big Lie
The film claims that footage shows a tank with a flamethrower (circled), however it's been claimed that this footage has been manipulated.
Directed by	Linda Thompson
Production company	American Justice Federation
Running time	31 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Waco, the Big Lieis a 1993 Americandocumentary filmdirected byLinda Thompsonthat presents video-based analysis regarding theWaco siege.The first film made about the Waco siege,Waco, the Big Liegained significant notoriety when it was viewed during the trial of American domestic terroristTimothy McVeigh.As part of the defense, McVeigh's lawyers showedWaco, the Big Lieto the jury.

In 1994, the film was followed by a feature-lengthsequeltitledWaco II, the Big Lie Continues,aimed at addressing criticisms of the original.

Thompson's films made a number of controversial allegations, the most famous of which was her claim that footage of an armored vehicle breaking through the outer walls of the compoundshowed aflamethrowerattached to the vehicle, setting fire to the building. As a response to Thompson, filmmakerMichael McNultyreleased footage to support his counter-claim that the appearance of light was a reflection on aluminized insulation that was torn from the wall and snagged on the vehicle. McNulty accused Thompson of "creative editing" in his filmWaco: An Apparent Deviation.Thompson worked from a VHS copy of the surveillance tape; McNulty was given access to a beta original. However, McNulty in turn was later accused of having digitally altered his footage, an allegation he denied.

John Young of theWaco Tribune-Heraldcriticized the film, questioning the evidence behind Thompson's claims.

External links

• Waco, the Big LieatIMDb