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Frederick Wiseman

Frederick Wiseman

Frederick Wiseman is an American filmmaker, documentarian, and theatre director. Documentarian Frederick Wiseman has been noted for his ability to capture the nuances of life in American institutions such as prisons, hospitals, welfare offices, and high schools. He started out in 1963 by producing a fictional feature film, The Cool World, an examination of the lives of Harlem teenagers. In the beginning, Wiseman was a staunch social reformist, and his films were calls for change. Titicut Follies, his first documentary, is an exposé of life in a prison for the criminally insane in Bridgewater, MA. It was controversial and left Wiseman with the reputation of being a muckraker. His four subsequent documentaries were all exposés of other tax-supported institutions designed to show the ineffectiveness of the bureaucracy that not only threatens to destroy them, but also dehumanizes the people they were meant to serve. Wiseman toned down his message and began focusing more on American culture to point out the symbolism of daily activities in his film Primate (1974). In the ‘80s, he began examining institutions as they relate to ideology. Unlike other documentaries, Wiseman’s work does not progress chronologically; rather, the segments are arranged thematically, like an essay, and are linked via rhetorical devices such as comparison and contrast to create a patterned structure. His films are never narrated, thereby forcing viewers to make connections between the sequences themselves. Wiseman has occasionally returned to fictional films, albeit in a non-fiction performance style, as with Seraphita’s Diary (1982) and La Derniere Lettre (2002).

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Menus-Plaisirs, les Troisgros

Menus-Plaisirs, les Troisgros

2023

Editor, Producer, Writer, Director

A Couple

A Couple

2022

Director, Writer, Editor

City Hall

City Hall

2020

Director, Producer, Editor

Monrovia, Indiana

Monrovia, Indiana

2018

Director, Editor, Producer, Sound

Ex Libris: The New York Public Library

Ex Libris: The New York Public Library

2017

Director, Producer, Editor, Sound

In Jackson Heights

In Jackson Heights

2015

Producer, Editor, Sound Director, Director

National Gallery

National Gallery

2014

Writer, Editor, Producer, Director, Sound

At Berkeley

At Berkeley

2013

Editor, Director, Sound, Producer

Crazy Horse

Crazy Horse

2011

Editor, Producer, Director

Boxing Gym

Boxing Gym

2010

Director, Editor, Sound

La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet

La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet

2009

Director, Editor, Sound Director, Writer, Producer

Haiku

Haiku

2009

Director

State Legislature

State Legislature

2007

Director, Editor, Producer

The Garden

The Garden

2005

Director

Domestic Violence 2

Domestic Violence 2

2002

Director, Editor, Producer

The Last Letter

The Last Letter

2002

Director, Writer

Domestic Violence

Domestic Violence

2001

Director, Editor, Producer

Belfast, Maine

Belfast, Maine

1999

Director, Editor, Producer

Public Housing

Public Housing

1997

Director, Editor, Producer

La Comédie-Française ou L'amour joué

La Comédie-Française ou L'amour joué

1996

Director, Producer, Editor

Ballet

Ballet

1995

Director, Producer, Editor

High School II

High School II

1994

Editor, Director

Zoo

Zoo

1993

Sound, Editor, Producer, Director

Aspen

Aspen

1991

Director, Editor, Producer

Central Park

Central Park

1990

Director, Editor, Producer

Near Death

Near Death

1989

Producer, Editor, Director

Missile

Missile

1988

Director, Editor, Producer

Multi-Handicapped

Multi-Handicapped

1986

Director, Editor, Producer

Adjustment & Work

Adjustment & Work

1986

Director, Producer, Editor

Deaf

Deaf

1986

Director, Editor, Producer

Blind

Blind

1986

Director, Editor, Producer

Racetrack

Racetrack

1985

Director, Editor, Producer

The Store

The Store

1983

Director, Producer, Editor

Seraphita's Diary

Seraphita's Diary

1982

Director

Model

Model

1981

Director, Producer, Editor

Manoeuvre

Manoeuvre

1979

Director, Producer, Editor

Sinai Field Mission

Sinai Field Mission

1978

Director, Editor, Producer

Canal Zone

Canal Zone

1977

Director, Editor, Producer, Writer

Meat

Meat

1976

Director, Producer, Editor

Welfare

Welfare

1975

Editor, Producer, Director

Primate

Primate

1974

Director, Producer, Editor

Juvenile Court

Juvenile Court

1973

Director, Editor, Producer

Essene

Essene

1972

Director, Writer, Producer, Editor

Basic Training

Basic Training

1971

Director, Editor, Producer, Writer

I Miss Sonia Henie

I Miss Sonia Henie

1971

Director

Hospital

Hospital

1970

Director, Editor, Producer

High School

High School

1969

Director, Editor, Producer, Writer

Law and Order

Law and Order

1969

Director, Editor, Producer, Writer

Titicut Follies

Titicut Follies

1967

Director, Editor, Writer, Producer

The Cool World

The Cool World

1963

Producer

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