New at Reason

Jesse Walker talks documentaries with legendary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman.

Comments

An Ottawa Reader | November 16, 2007, 4:27pm | #

Is Titicut Follies available on DVD?

An Ottawa Reader | November 16, 2007, 4:28pm | #

his company, Zipporah Films, is preparing to release his movies on DVD

Serves me right for not RTFA carefully.

SxCx | November 16, 2007, 5:12pm | #

A sincere thanks to Jesse and Reason for bringing this man to my attention. I checked out my local library shortly after reading the piece and discovered they have around seven of his films on VHS, including Titicut.

On the other hand, I'll be patronizing a wasteful public institution...

JBinMO | November 16, 2007, 5:17pm | #

What a different world we live in today. That was just 50 years ago.

sage | November 16, 2007, 5:23pm | #

What a different world we live in today. That was just 50 years ago.

You must have missed the part where Jesse drew the comparison of Titicut with Abu Ghraib.

Or did you mean how we treat the mentally ill? God, I hope we're still not doing that stuff.

LarryA | November 16, 2007, 6:24pm | #

Or did you mean how we treat the mentally ill? God, I hope we're still not doing that stuff.

Na. Most of them have been "released," quit taking their meds, and are now homeless. My hometown has a wonderful new program for them, as we've been blessed with state funding for a couple of new bridges and a recent flood keeps the city diligent on keeping brush and trash cleared out of the riverbottom.

In addition, when it rains they send a cop around to warn everyone about flash flooding.

mk | November 16, 2007, 7:45pm | #

For more recent MH goofiness, see "The Satanic Panic" and "repressed memory syndrome".

I work at a Mental Health Center. I do manage to keep my mouth shut for the most part.

John Gatti Jr | November 16, 2007, 9:11pm | #

No human being should be treated in such a manner.

Massachusetts instead of modernizing facilites for the chronic ill, mentally ill, and schools fo the retarded literally destroyed them.

The state became a buyer of services instead of a provider of services establishing an out of control Human Service Industrial Establishment riddled with waste, fraud, and abuse containing little or no accountability or oversight.

Vendors, providers, and consultants continue to ply their poor services or no services to those in need and continuing to rip of taxpayers.

The time has come for a factual updated documentary of what has and is happening in Massachusetts.

Investigative journalists, documentary filmakers, and research collaboratives, consider yourselves invited.

BakedPenguin | November 16, 2007, 9:57pm | #

One of the great innovators in documentary film making. Film History by David Bordwell & Kristen Thompson has a great discussion of his works. Unfortunately, it's a textbook, and really pricey.

John C. Randolph | November 17, 2007, 6:58pm | #

Michael Moore has never made a documentary. He makes socialist propaganda, and he's the best director in that field since Leni Riefenstahl.

-jcr

The Libertarian Guy | November 18, 2007, 10:33pm | #

"Michael Moore has never made a documentary. He makes socialist propaganda, and he's the best director in that field since Leni Riefenstahl."


But... but... what about the children???

stephen the goldberger | November 19, 2007, 5:26pm | #

I'm not a huge fan of Wiseman. He makes movies for intellectuals, films that are more interesting to talk and write about afterwards than actually watch. Hence why this article was infinitely more interesting than any of his works (especially "Zoo" wow that was boring).

rudecrusade | November 21, 2007, 9:14pm | #

Oh, the "but what about the children?" thing has so become a favorite sarcastic interlude of mine as well.

People fear monger on the left and fear monger on the right. Just because you believe in one side more does not negate the fact that it is a detriment and not the way education should be spread.

And all movies are for intellectuals. I learned more from old school disney than any documentary I ever saw. And plus, if it pleases you, many movies can show you what idiots people are. But that wouldn't be too intellectual I guess.