Frederick Wiseman

Documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman takes us inside the Massachusetts Correctional Institution Bridgewater, where people stay trapped in their madness.

Documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman takes us inside Northeast High School as a fly on the wall to observe the teachers and how they interact with the students.

An unobtrusive and naturalistic examination of the goings-on of a children's court, Memphis Juvenile Court 616.

Also known as The Greater Good, this series of vignettes focuses on the day-to-day work of Kansas City, Missouri police covers the range of circumstances they encounter and the variety of social roles they are asked to play. More than simply chasing down criminals, the police act as counselors, negotiators and arbitrators of civil injustices, minor altercations and petty crimes. Filmed in 1968 at the height of an anti-authoritarian age, the policemen shown are more frequently reasonable, patient and fair than sadistic, inhumane or incompetent. When a policeman does step out of line, the fact that he knows he is being filmed is as revealing as the unguarded asides or unnecessary violence captured by the camera. This is well made, with content similar to the Pittsburgh Police films shot by Wiseman's former collaborator, John Marshall in 1969 and 1970. But because Law and Order was funded by the Ford Foundation for television release, and not for training police officers, it does not feature as many situations that are likely to cause disagreements about how they should have been handled.

Daily life in a Benedictine monastery.

Explores the complexity of the welfare system, highlighting issues like housing, unemployment, and medical problems. It shows both welfare workers and clients struggling to navigate the laws and regulations that impact their lives.

Renowned documentarian Frederick Wiseman takes an intimate and nuanced look at the Ida B. Wells housing project in the south side of Chicago, Illinois.

An intimate look at the daily activities of medical staff and patients in New York's Metropolitan Hospital.

Renowned documentarian Frederick Wiseman profiles the doctors, nurses, physicians, and patients at the Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, as he watches medical staff work around the clock trying to provide care and comfort for patients possibly experiencing the last moments of their lives and console family members of the patients in addition.

Frederick Wiseman observes basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky in the Vietnam era. Recruits are seen receiving instructions on everything from brushing their teeth to killing enemy soldiers in hand-to-hand combat.

A group of volunteer American soldiers go to Germany to participate in a practice in combat maneuver tactics.

This film casts a forensic observational eye over researchers working with primates. After a time watching it is possible to wonder which ones of these two sets of primates is the more strange.

mid 70's documentary that shows how livestock are raised, sold, and processed in the United States.

On the one hand, you have the Panamians, but Frederick Wiseman shows them as the Americans see them: from a distance. They are poor and of no particular interest to them even if Panama is THEIR country. But the Canal Zone belongs to the USA and what really matters is THEMSELVES living in closed circuit, worshiping the standards of American culture, God and Coca Cola, money and nationalism...

Capturing Maine city workers - lobstermen, tugboat crews, teachers, hospital staff, and shopkeepers - using Wiseman's signature style without narration or music.

Jackson Heights, Queens is one of the most culturally diverse communities in the US where 167 languages are spoken. IN JACKSON HEIGHTS explores the conflict between maintaining ties to old traditions and adapting to American values.

A look at the employees and shoppers at the Neiman-Marcus department store in Dallas, Texas during the holiday season.

The film documents the daily life and activities of the people who live, work, visit and play in Aspen, a town famous in the 19th century for silver mining and now known for its scenic splendor and fashionable people.

A window into New York City's prestigious American Ballet Theatre - its relentless rehearsals, its administrative gears, the lives of its dancers and instructors, and finally, its public performances.

La Comédie-Française is the oldest continuous repertory company in the world, founded in Paris in the late 17th century. This is the first time a documentary film-maker has been allowed to look at all the aspects of the work of this great theatrical company. Sequences in the film include sections of plays, casting, set and costume design, administrative meetings and rehearsals and performances of four classic French plays, Don Juan by Molière, La Thebaide by Racine, La Double Inconstance by Marivaux and Occupe-toi d'Amelie by Feydeau.

Locked away in the Jewish ghetto of an occupied Ukrainian town in 1941, a mother revisits her life in a last letter to her son.

Renowned documentarian Frederick Wiseman turns his observational camera on The Spring, a Florida shelter for battered women and children. For one-hundred and ninety-six minutes, Wiseman profiles the women and children that have been victim to domestic violence, showing them endure therapeutic, thoughtful lectures and learn from the tireless social workers employed at The Spring that their sanctuary has been found.