BERTILLON

The Man Who Measured Crime

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Alphonse Bertillon is a fascinating and underexplored figure who sits at the crossroads of forensic science, criminology, surveillance, and civil liberties.

 

Before fingerprints, DNA, and surveillance cameras, there was Alphonse Bertillon—a meticulous French police clerk who, at the dawn of the 20th century, transformed criminal investigation with little more than a ruler, a camera, and a fierce belief in order.

 

The Man Who Measured Crim is a feature-length documentary that explores the life and legacy of Bertillon, the eccentric inventor of “anthropometry”—a system of measuring and cataloging human bodies to identify criminals. His innovations, including the standardized mugshot and the modern crime scene photograph, revolutionized law enforcement. But his obsession with classification, data, and “scientific policing” also foreshadowed troubling questions about surveillance, race, and the misuse of forensic authority.

 

Through rare archival images, expert interviews, and stylized reenactments, the film traces Bertillon’s rise in Belle Époque Paris, his role in major criminal cases—including the infamous Dreyfus Affair—and the enduring influence of his ideas in today’s age of biometric surveillance and algorithmic profiling.

 

As relevant today as ever, The Man Who Measured Crime tells the story of a man who sought to bring order to chaos—and whose methods continue to provoke debate over where science ends and human rights begin.

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Genre: Limited documentary series

Format: 3 one-hour episodes

Tone: Cinematic, compelling narrative, history

Influences: Chef's Table, The Chef's Show

Platform Target: Netflix, Hulu, PBS