The Lie Detector
“A Truly Unbelievable Story”
2023•53m•8.0•Released
DocumentaryHistory
In the first decades of the 20th century, when life was being transformed by scientific innovations, researchers made a thrilling new claim: they could tell whether someone was lying by using a machine. Popularly known as the “lie detector,” the device transformed police work, seized headlines and was extolled in movies, TV and comics as an infallible crime-fighting tool. Husbands and wives tested each other’s fidelity. Corporations routinely tested employees’ honesty and government workers were tested for loyalty and “morals.” But the promise of the polygraph turned dark, and the lie detector too often became an apparatus of fear and intimidation. Written and directed by Rob Rapley and executive produced by Cameo George, The Lie Detector is a tale of good intentions, twisted morals and unintended consequences.
Director
Rob Rapley
Writer
Rob Rapley
Languages
English
Studio
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Cast
Andre Braugher
Narrator (voice)
Production
Company
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Producer
Rob Rapley
Producer
Emily L. Harrold
Producer
Susan Bellows
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