ma “Ethnography in the First Person” Frederick Wiseman ’s Titicut Follies Barry Keith Grant Tica ates (1967) 8 a powerful documentary that exposes the apaling Condions a Bridgewater, sate instiuion forthe criminally sane im Bridgenater. Masachusets The fit in series of documentaries about “American inttional life by Frederick Wiscran i has ls Been one of his ‘ost controversial. Tesyig tts power is he tangled istry of Ugation engender! Wiseman began making fis a tbe 19, working cone oranevus)y wi auch filmmakers as Richard Leacock, DA. Pennebaker fu David and Albert Maples ding the great period of American direst ‘inema, Bt be has developed is vn distinc le and vision, one already tien in Tica Flies. Like bs subsequent ns, Ten Follies nt on pls the stution at Brdgevater, bat defy uses its subjet metho fall to explore brond weil issues as well as the eis! implication of ts fen proach to documentary ‘Observational Cinema and Personal Expression ‘Wiseman ses his Ms aa seis of works hat presents a natural Hisory ofthe way me live” (quoted in Eames 97), ad, a sens, hs work consti A erm of etmoprptic cinema that loks atthe Ammaker's own culure ater than another Each his fins focses ona diferent American inst ‘ion, In he twenty-seven eure-enathdacimentres Wiseman as mid in {ay yeu, he has ranged from examining sitions concentrated within individual buiings (His Schoo 1968) wo thee iterations in cope (Sina Fld Mision 1978), from specific government istutons of soca service (dene Court, 1973; Welfare, 197) to thse Jess tangible ones organi by principles of ideology and culture (Canal Zone 1977: Model 1980). He has broadly defined an iataton a4" series of otitis ta kplan a limite geographical aca with sor re connie soup of people being imvved™ (uct ip Rexel 69). Unlike the ich and fous ivi ‘oni inthe fms of Leacock, Fouacbaker, and the Male, Wiseman ‘sims to wat to make documentaries in which "The insu Ml be the Star" (Rosenthal 6) “Two scene five-year contacts with WNET, New York's PBS sta tio, allowed Wiseman to make one fear fom 1971 to 1981, beginning with Frsene (1972) without constant a ose miter or euing tine General, the WNET showings hie ben followed rational PBS boa casts and, wih the exception o Tite Flies, all of Wiseman's documenta ries hve been broadcast on PBS ston. As well they have heen shown on ‘clevsin fn aumeroas European sounts Inall hse fms, Wiseman combines dtacod obsration and expres sive manipulation, merging observational cinema's actbetic ofthe seemingly "uninvolved bystander” (Ramow 253-55) with an expesne ase of mise> csctne and montage. The rose i what Jean Roch has called “eth fsrphic cinoma in the ist person” [quoted i Eaton 25) This unique 2p- [each hat pers consson prs from apprise exes who hone ‘alle him “the mos sophisticated itligence im docuremtary™ (Kael 204) Sa even “tbe most interesting of American econ” (Bromwich $0) Tee Foes ae shot ty etnogaphic maker In Meshal (he ‘Hamers, 1938), aoc which suggess a Wiser = approach to Briss ate is that of a Geta ebserer Yet the aso cf struct to advance ie maker's peronal seme of moral outage, Wiseman sys he tbegun making ms ou of an urge for scl efor, en Tt Folie is Snst i, im fact his most overly aida. Before becoming kr, ne taught courses in criminal aw, family la, egal medicine. and pryehisty nd the law at Boston and Brandeis Uniserites begining in 1958 Wiseman tthe idea for Tite! Foleo visits he mae wih is sents Bridge ater, feling that hey should koow where they might be sending convict ‘riminls leon when they became dirt atorneys and jadges. He says that “the idea ofthe movie came out ofthe sbulte sens of sock abot whee Bridgewater wa abou” (quoted in Rot 25) and the film works to ‘voke a similar esponse in mow viewer In Tic Foes, as always, Wisean ass lgheight, ortabe 6m ‘cmerat and syne-soumd equipment, Riming wih & handheld camera rather2 Sony Kat Grn than a trp, and captarng events as they happen, without sri. The spk implies hoi that ie cape om fil spontaneounly—"he cage wn svar” as ign Vertov petit dl) ~is ore reveling. more th othe ‘complexes of experience than ther fiston or docuetay recomsraction Te requiresthe fauna to be particu ateaie tothe mune of po Ami eens ger te catch mera that “works” cnet Wiseman operates the tps reorder andthe cares during sting ue determines where the Camera goes though 4 series of had sina worked out with Nis cameraman in advance by leading te camera wih the microphone, He lms ths method sve im pea freedom ee wht is around him than if he wee looking 3 oie event hh th ie finder o the camera. inviews wih Halberd 19, and Levin 318) He ‘ends fo work somsisiendy wit he Same camera operator Wiliam Bye for ten fin, rom Law and Order (198) thogh Sina Feld Mission, Ian Davey since Manoewre (1979)-thas allowing forthe communication be ‘ween the two crew mombers 19 Recome wil eb. Certainly one of \Wiseman's seat skills a an obsratona mraker—a tale 9 which his fs Tica Foles. amply testis that be Knows where 1 lok and ow to cpr images om film that esate with meaning esp the wc tolled ccumsances mich he shoo ‘Yet editing is also aerial feature of Wiseman’ cinema, bath within Individual sequences and nthe suuctutl elation Betwesn there Wiseman ‘is his fms himsl,deyoung a coasiderable amount of time tothe tsk For ach fl he spends from fur w six weeks shooting on Testo, bt as ‘many moat or more inthe eng ro siting though and giving shape to ts focage Ii the process of eiting this “Uhinkngtcogh the ara” tat Wiseran engages ina Kind of second eer looking. Wiseman eu ams the creative manipulation in his lms se hs own description of the as “tay dreams" o “elt tions” ieview wt Graham 35, Rsea {hal 72. The inivdual shots themseles organ he eal wold ys ‘Wiseman, in tems fier they “really thy have no mening escep in {ars yu impose afer om them ineriew with Graham 35) ahi eiting proces lements of promi reality are compressed, ordered, and omit, ‘eating what Vert called a "Rin-abject” ("On Kips 48), anaes thetic constroction tha ike an esi, ances aeherel argumet Tal his ns, wile te tha the promi event ar ways rea never stage, recreate, of eerie forthe camer, te footage remains fo ‘Wrseman oly a eco ofthe event exallymeatngless util be strates at teeing ble Heels that be enters on ttation with sone nia be preconceptions or teretypes atest butte fist expenence reveals to him gener compleny there (interiew with Wexin 48 nthe eiting he works cua "theory" about the cvety, whichis then elec i the Mims strc. He sees ho prcest 2 4 “Soyage of discover.” and the end esl 28 "a report on what I've found” interview wath Gram 39, By contrast, mos of he practioner of dtc inna have insisted hat ‘hei work must be organized eonoloialy i drt ean allo sible wo the profinc evens. Leak, or eal, claims tha he doc ‘menor flmmaker should avid noncronolpial eng "ke the plague” (1D, wile AI Miyses as declared, Inthe ong ron wha wks esta end areles coming tack to itis having I happen jes the Way hap ened” (Mayses and Maysies 77) When chronology is volte, as Steps ‘Mare has pointed out regarding he wrk of the Dew Associates, for the purpose of gating ono the meal conventions native srt, uct as protagonists overcoming obstacles to achieve goals (140) By contrast, Wiseman's ns cel are stared according 16 pisi= les othe than chronology ard narrative, Rater, they are designed int ma cr tht Bil Nichols descries as «diane “mosaic” srctore (ecology 25-3). Fr expesive purposes, the eronlogy of po events is bu ‘ed in his work, sometimes rascal. As Nichol poses, while in ech lin ‘he inivdul sequences. the facets o tesserae ofthe moss ae organize by naratve codes of construction, siming for & xnoth few of te and space the relations Benen these facts re eganiee y principles thats more strc. Sequenes in Wises ns may tlt, for example, "ers of somparson, const, pralleisa version, ony eveoce, suena ‘om, anno on AL the same ime, Wiseman sys he never pusbes his point of view on the audience, fr he abhors didactic. Ineo it vt thi evel of overall ‘wt hatte viewer must wk o grasp the lms lope Wiseman’s cin ‘emai therefore netic one, lays volving the viewer in teasing out ‘meaning ter than documenting able thn Thc Polis, alway in Wisenan’s wo, there i no arate, ite within the profimic eves 38 voice-over. Nether are there makes of tempol relations between se sguences—wipes, disses, tides, Ths, ins sense the views is fered i) "epeat Wiseman’ own proces by discovering the rac! log ofthe fas arts and exploring their implications. In Wiseman words, viewers “have Fete fk hey have o vay, "What te el's he eying to say with ts? Anil they have to think dough their arn rltionship fo wha they're seeing” Gierviee with Gen 37). ‘The “Titicut Follies” in Tita Folies his engagement i then sep fre, the viewers wot allowed © maintain te comfortable invisibility ofthe unacknowledged "ty on the wall.” The lim challenges cur wu phy sial postions voyeurs22 Bony kath Ge ‘well as our moral postion as possessrs of knowledge. This striking ase of the abservalonal approach fs reset immediatly fo the Al's pening sequence, part ofthe anal musical show perfinmed by the inmates st Bragewait I begins by xbowing some darkens a nt nds fae the ‘camera pans fom pet the eX, namely binging each face out oF the nguling darkness the ph nly to dsappear into darkness ain outside {he fame The ight ssl sees gal its ure har fotights emanating from below, asin te conventional lghing design of honor Blas. Wile Shee’ descpion of the proton as "ative ofthe lates Zick as imerected by Tappst monks” (55) only begins to cape is eet ali. “These sly faces sing the Geshwne”sndent "Ske up the Band.” a= noancing thir presence wih onc pp and circumstance Tm rerospect tsa a call asking us top Heed te sci bens the fim gos on chronicle: This oping Sequccerelenvly expresses the Almmaker’s svaeness ofthe ethical ses semounding Observation ite ‘ma Because depicts a performance, and one thal excessively marked 5 Sch, the sequence ls adesse the deat bout how the camera lft the profi eves, and io what extent the people being photograph inci Pformforst For som, the presence of the carers makes people either sl- onscius ang inhibited, comersely, allows them an epportunty 10 pee fom, tut in neither eave are peopl tng natural. For Wiseman, thighs for Rosch, the camera mote an acoskeranr thn a rake, Wiseman believes that people do ot sigan ater hr Boavir forthe cers, that they ae made sl conscious by is presence they il end to fll ack on Behoe thats comvortable “rather than increase the discomfort By trying xt ne rolex” Ths, one ofthe iplcsons ofthe oping sequence a Tew Ft ass that peuple may, and sometines d,pero, bat this doesnt neces iy value the observational metho. Indes, the posmoder view weak hve it dha he mature of our being it he wold ur very Hen. 6 more performance than execs “The camera views the show Fram the pascal pasion of the sence a the sos, stung ou point of vw into the space ofthe eve asi the Peformance pt on forthe viewer. We ae even thanked a hm’: en in the Iyics of the “Bale.” fr being 4 spectator. But ay seme of vapcuritic Javits i rctbodialy under nthe Hn. Suveane emer pest periodically inthe background mori our own act of waiching. Furth. the fm preven us fom maining 2 uid pot of ew when te tle Son camer our tention in the ime, ping orground aa back round, 35 one inmate tempts to sing “Chinato, My Chinatown” while ‘Nant Mouskouri singson TV Bein hi, Also, Wiseman occasional allows is camera's lok to be returned by inmates. The mor powsfl instance oo cas when the camer follows the ake ex ichooltescher im, who goes io fis eel and dels in corer ying 10 cover hs genta ith ie Rand, Jin’ fle tempat modesty signals is anarenes ofthe camera's presence, a8 does his ook, dict etre ofthe camera's pa. The shot maining ‘he lok of gazes been Jim and she camer el foe several exerting seconds, Inevitably, we become painflly are ofthe camera ofc) Intros pesene- One i reminded of Norman Boes's verbal tar Ma. lan Crave in Hitchcock's Paycho (1960) when she euphemastcally suggests hesend his ailing moter to “someplace " His acknowkstement ef hor acta eidancesedenly makes us, along wih Maron fel ashame and we ale ‘mae to respond smal i Tica oles. The ms implication of is \sholy appropriate: Recause Bsidgewatr our nso, cent bya ad ‘ur ta delay, he fm a8 Richard Busum notes, “exposes more aboot ws han i ds about Bridgewater” (278). And, more gency im's disco Faring rum of ou lok acknowledges the inevitable pics of documen ‘ary, wherein power Belang othe Bro the lok Rebinowie) The Foes ends ast begin, by showing part ofthe same musical show: This framing device Serves several uncinssultineusy Fs the concluding performance isa departing gesture (lak bumorons. with is Insc "We've had our show / The best that we could do/To ake your eats ‘azlov") reminding ws thatthe fim we have been washing is consated ‘epresenaion. At well becuse of ts emphasis on musa performance, we ‘4 sovited to consider the fm in the context ofthe Histol gem ofthe ‘sical. But where the casi! mass vison, lel aut ough ‘ts performances, Is of ahamonious, utopian communi Tut Flies pe ‘cats a dystopian collection of alienated individ, Fully, thes Suc ‘ural symmetry wth performances bot th begining aden. Unerscores "he seme of entrapment that itl document th act hat he pert ‘nce at the end “eps th one atthe Repnnng-tht i infect, the same performance broken up with oe footage in tetwcen-—furhe ogget the timelessness the infinite ease of lent, that for Wisetman charter ves Brdgewatet ‘The concluding performance, moreover, srry sums up the mi ‘performance thats mais theghoit Tit Fate. The fl suggests that he inmates are forever on stage," a they ae alas und cbse by the staff As Mice Foucault has argued nthe metal stain aptly Aescrbed by Noman Bates a apace with mel eyes stadying yeu") the behavior of people labeled insane i always Being observed and jug by those in contr, "a sort of invisible tribunal in ermancatsesshe™ (255) This is made explicit im Vadis unsaccessfil esting with the stall. He args (on god empirical evidence it would sem) ht he came to Bidgewa ter "for observation.” but has ben thee fora year anda al, an tha he ‘nsitaion’s envrnmeat is barmingriher than helping him. Moc of is argument canna belp but appear seasible o viewers given what we've seen ‘otis point, buceveryiing Vind says, evn is a of posible rehabton is ntpceted aa sga of Sepening mena illness be dsl wth by increased dosages of mediation Thewere we amas i a vn of pefomanes sae on tines oe able mater dessin from soaboxes. pip trombones. an Sing, Alt ving is bath seems orl es gard wh ply Ls ing Vadis tying too hart convince the sf hat be sane and sho Se sent buck to pion, imately overly hs ale, ith the esti that his ‘et ded: Eon Boe of ah em ahi es reer i ng be he Flin sa nie sce eth ee, Aris ne ne ty eu os ato "| wth thea! Houck Thea seasonal vaudeilian and then eats The fin’ tle, vitally aloe among Wiseran's documents, es sno indication of fis subject, ands sgniicance (tthe name ofthe in SR tre) no aed Ev we pen ope s mpowsile to ktow with ay dee people me are showa ae thee all amas, rae some of the mt puts ‘e'do nox discover tat Ei in facta uni hoy thera, bon in ater sequence eis gmpsed walking bythe camera in his uniform, ta his review of the film, Robert Hach complained abou the Ban's nepuaae hocase it rubes but also answer wo nay question “ithe show spat of thei therapy, how des the aacence respond Oe isnot single std ‘he house isthis regular feature ofthe honptl fe” (46) But ofcourse this ue othe point, forthe sequence atacks out comfortable orion se ‘spectators from reveal nk tence Ales Via ken fom the staff meting, soil oer aes "heicommen view ta "Heargues ina perf paranoid pase It you acopt his sie premise the rst of 8 lie! fut the tai premise untrue (Might not the same be sid of the linac?) When we hear he sas Ineretation and respoase we ae ike to wonder who, fas paranoid Aller the ale, Ee, as MC, with Unintentional ony ask, "Weren they tetio™ These ae the fin’ ast wos leaving ws nt the ques of Jes ‘mining the mature of cu espe to, a julgnent abot be mates ad the onions they endure A the same time asthe fn fret people in this specie ination a Tnvied by the tex to vow Bridgewater meuphoially, 36 socal microcosm, what Wiseman calls" tral spo” Wiseman say be is “interested in hw instars rele he larger carl hue,” and hat he is “ying to ae if ou can pickup rete ons ofthe larger issues of society inthe nso (que in Mamber 217) One pate identiiedin Wiseman’ wasps Kamdny) dain eisows monologue thar expiiy makes an analogy beeen Bieter and America itself The counyy's itary aggression is he sya, esto frustration of being “sex cry—the sue onion Dr. ons te see ofender Mitch. The courtyard debate between Iwo inmates tt Americas inervestion in Viet isa crazy minor ofthe "hawks nd doves gure tha at the time the fil was made were diving Americans everywhere The film also suggest lager mplcatns the gh ternal refer x Sever writes ave compared Tica Fest Peer Wess play MoruSade (1964), which bad been mace iio soccessfal fm by Peter Brook the year Befoce Wisemae's and was sot in a proudodaect Cac style (Armstong 29-30, Barsam 274, Gill), Roth Wiser fim ané Wen’ lay af sein mena insttaton, bth feature pet of performance win ‘he text a both explore te nature of madness nthe context of pie nd the sate But an equalyrsoaat comparison might he mae vo Ken Key's ovel One Flew over the Cacho est (1962) 3 shares wth Wier fim a iew ofthe mera insttion as metaphor fv the “larger cult Ines" of contemporary Arnedca. Thomas Benson an Carlyn Anderecast and crew of Mile Foran's 1975 ot Folieseepeatly before on ta, according wo Wiseman fim adaptation of esy's noel watched Sepinig rstion (30 fos el concious “American heme” is eps by Kesy's insistent bing the Nae Asan mame fore Bde Sires Bet xs foes ones ofemasulation toagh eda Tu te ne ton aes th Sc meh Soe bat wrk, aly, quexion ow very Sefton of mes an sn So" using hc dco the yr. De Ros stringy dels hat he © cone in pedicing that i least Vln wl tun o Bzewaer tame en you en pt ony face” Vln epost he seme epson, “Wy sal. thi” ae abc a he viewers Hii wo be tts morc the dst, ke Kesy's Nar Rathed, secs the ma ema ter times. the bavi some fhe gas ike he a sctminn Vadim ako seems nthing orto ea oe Ter Flic, weve. ss testing, cond hos tity of «Big Nu than the banality of common callousness, an the wun ing of Ji about his dry room and the tcuing of Albert inthe tlt “iad ke tbe novel's Billy Bibb, can out ony a meak protest the Inevitable response o which iinoressed mediation, His newapube poston is poignantly suggested by the tick wll bind him en be es reson with Dr. Ros and foe mach ofthe sot, they ate graphically vied athe frame ty a dark drinppebeeween thm) In Kesey ok, MEM omy sere a a scifi act tht redeem the Che fom his muteaes inthe end, Beomden escapes the insta to ean wo his and“! een stay a Tong tm.” he sas i the novel's ast line 11), Bt the vision Tusa Foles is considerably darker, fer scm ta the oly way oot Re is tough deh. Vii want eine, bt cant, mle fa We ae Shan ony corpse i allowed to dear, te funeral ina graveyard jst tbefote he finale, the nly mete camera eaves te grou In Wiser > ‘sion ofthe American “snake pi there no boaters pia embod ‘nent of theif pincipte wo ego Kesey» eobt Randal Patrick McMapy Nor spitiual solace fers by rcs bli The fins two scenes of Chitin ta aoa ites an aneralssvice presumably Yow Mal ows, te dying inmate who refuses to ea aough aan he abit i richly suggestive. Wiens intraaces Crsia clement athe sardonic] ‘ting fom x plpsically dysfunc nme picking his ose to dhe had ‘ofthe poet, Father Mlle, performing the lat it. Toward th en one ‘inmate stands om his Head inthe yor, snging of ce ery, the wpe ‘dwn close-up ofthe man's Tae sugges tht the works word of Fe Foles—is psy ure, forts work! where mol a pista ales ane Moral Indignation and Expressive Editing ‘The dat vision of Tica Flies ix ley signalled rom the out by the ‘word "Fotis inthe i'l. tne, Wiser ries the conditions a Brigevater with a use of eng that fr fom sable Immediately ster ‘he opening performance, ther sa guck sho of agus onering ania © get his cles. This sflloued by Mish’ interview with Dt Ross, who ‘qcaions him in a Blum way hat seoms unduly callus As the imei process, Wiseman euls sent to some par spscaching Ney "ved inmates. The fll then rms to the itr, whee De o's gus Tins tecome mare agressive, perp cientingsd with eruey. Viewer Sympathy here is moe key to align ist witht ptico. whe wilingy adits hs poblms and seks hel, thin withthe det. who says weak Perhaps even beprugingy, “You'l wst i here, V gust” Tein, ins "eview ofthe lm Arthur Knight described him as “a German secented doctor ho licks his ips over every sex question” while Amos Vogel called iwDr. Stagcove ppc (187) The eri sot of te pis stip ping ofthe matefen an ctviws comparion brn te wo proce ite Dp Ron's imrrir th Mc, hea, 4 ppd) mpg. Sov of he tata mpersns cold odin that rile compaion tr sofort As Fost iy of the scene of metal disease i dvs ine insttn of he any, two abays be bertion and lai den never slog 250, ‘Similar tne to he weet ofthe ies nthe stipe se pence i Wises present of Maiowsly, the maw fore {ed bec he a fied nt Lik thm, the man naked sgn of is tls and powerlines As tebe aed sd pushed gh ne of Malinowai' noua 3 wal ein he dtr as een whan aderiseretfor “Pfeton Os) she fone, Wieman Inserts quick sts of the ame man bing pepe fr his fneal t+ Inte dteThe shaving othe core comects th testo Malin Yo the ears rough shaving of Tins ae, which caved es cle den hi hi an as Seen Mart tes, enlly sgt ta Malin teehes mor ateaton nth than edi when alive 219 Sera of hese thot dow resins on als betwen thee posta when fe ake ip nt oo, here an rid sho he dead Malnowaky Being thus when Wiema's camera pas othe naching eyes of he uur teiding Lindow thr is a ah ofthe dnd man's ees bing fed with conn: when Dr. Ross mover he ibe front Malnwsy's nse the Shot of he ssving pees comple th posers concins with towel thing ad whem Many ss. here sah the ly tein plc in toa th gu Pally, wl fre feng he rane, ‘De Ross smoke set, longa ape hy the camer in lose 9 agin preity aver the fone eh which the patent seine Ii foo, Like te elgaree and lr inte Ban ofthe crore ed oF Stn Brkhage’s The At of Scing wih One's Own Eyes 107) the nage 2 pout cj cola of stinuona detachment "Wise farther undencoes he const Hee by his eg of the sound ach fo the fending procedure i acorpuid by acer sve trie nd vices wie enh of he aang sol sly ee Inked ‘Wiseman leap paps oe estin to he sud ck ed Te Folie ism exception, Comider agai, for example he opening of he im. The fst image are ssompaie by an fey perorance of "Sie p te Be” octet on ndcaton Wat somthing tai ater hen guard als abot bo thy esd 1 a tins aking ie et, 3 ew ote of wat sounds ike Ell Garner's "Misty te heed coming irom the ai he oom Such anes, Hower ae ea more sig ‘at han ply rm. Te Isto "Chicago Town” frntanc, sn by ate and Wii cnr the wish tbe acl “On, wba ay be oly boy") who delights in amusements (I want wo side on the shoot deshoot ‘And the mery-goound") of the big city (That's where T Tong w Fe") Unfortunatly, acceding t0 Vind al tht i ailabe tothe mates of Brigevater nd we see nothing to contrast ths Mies)" Bal nd love Wie he inmates rein fat equal eae ike le of. Ar Stra) itis als signicant that the wish of he song intel sharply wih ‘he stalin rity of he insation, Moto the mascn mambers ature Innes about “lsewhere™ Hk the irony of "Chicago Tow.” the tombone rendition of for imtance, "My Blue Hessen” in he yard contrasts potedly ‘this pga reaity of peopl aimless milling sown Lav, Ethies, and Polities “he sar, unseting power of Tc Fotis embed Wiseman ina lengthy lepl bate that severely Lite ts sccesnibity. Before the cours essen, however, Tica Follies was screened as paft of he “Social Change "Ameria" program ofthe New York Film Festiva in he fil of 1967 a then had sind commercial ran. But geseal the ln resened poor reviews ‘One critic aw the lin a exploiting the inmates tering Vl" view.” Sheed 82), while anecher thought it vilated "commen deceney” and ‘ven falsely accused Wiseran of shooting with hidden cameras (Kg). Yet 2 third claimed it as a sickening Hl fon Sart nish an hat "has ‘no justiiwtion for existing except t0 the exten that i intended o have lepsative an ote nom arhete consequences” (Gil 168, Such responses wot suprising, or Tita less peaps the cletest ‘sample of what Niels hs called Wiseman's “utes” his de pard for “the ieclogial contains of politeness, respect fr privacy, queasiness inthe fae ofthe grotesque or boo” (deatgy 209), The face foding of Malinowsky andthe insistent Bning ofthe ke Fim ae parca rd Instances ofthis “tatlessness.” so pronounced in Tita Fler ta the po= siding judge inthe ital case agains the thn, Harry Kal, called te fn 's ighimare of ghoulish obscenities” (uote in Wise interviow with Westin 63) The result ofthe extended legal bale wha the Bln ll became the focus of atenom rather than the cenions at Bridgewater. The ‘ochpablicized hiaton may have ganed Wiseman some notoriety eat his are, batt ite to improve conditions the dota was fe ‘ore bythe pes inthe sping of 1987, twenty years afer Wiseman’ lm, that fie inmates had died that year alone at Bridgewster. thie of them by uc and ater that sure (August 25) the inttton asthe subst on ABCIV'S Nightline, with Wiseman a oe ofthe ges ‘Wiseman’ distinctive insititional emphasis in Fitct Foes, all is documenta, reflects a social concer that Flos in the tation ofJota Griron, Like Grier, Wiseman conceives of the documentary within the comeut of soil refer and sce i na potential some f infraction forthe purpose of creing an informed and responsible chienship. One of ‘he primary Tanetioes of documentary. for Wiser eo provide pbc es sation and avarenee He bar discussed doumetary a analogous 10 the ‘pws, al considers fms 2 sly preety the First Amendment (interviews with Westn 60, a Levin 319), As be poitedly explained when asked by Te Keppel on Nightline why he was oppose to a publi een of censored version of Ttcut Foes, “The cetuaing of Tic Fetes ot ny ether him prevents people sm «democracy from acces to infomation ‘which they might ike that in orto mae up their minds aout what Kin of soviet hey’ ke ote nis simple ash.” BAN Wiema's documentaries re news, they asa syed as oi Vals as arguments about the isitions wo which he reprint this level tht his fms work policaly for they democratically alow the spectator considerable “space” as ext radar. Wiseman’s dint mo fie stucure scouriges empathy or dena with specie iid sking ws instead Yo eonsider the ogi f bch insiatoml organization snd ‘nematic onsraction, Even inthe bref moments when we emptize ith someone, 88 ikely o with im, fr example, the foes remains ise ough 9 thatthe possibility of sine iertiicaion dwar The ay fence of voice-over nanation further obliges s o watch Tw Fis, ke Wiseman eter sn this shor. we eros nn owety obo spestatrl ponion, bu mus sca te aleve to he ext So. even without a rbust MeMupy fig, Tien Folie sat relly ss bleak sit might sem to be, Fors significant sages hove tht Wie the eamera dacs nt lave the Bridgesater srw except in he ce oF deat the viewer of Tea Files does. Our peypesive 3 est the rulipe pois of ew generated by the mos suuctue is wade than Uk fay nial within the fin. We ae Ff contempt the hi a its implications. For Nichols, ths aspect of observational cinea is poesia probe fort “appears to leave the eivng tow” and; herefore, ene ca espn 0 arto a Rorschach tnt (Nichols, “Voie” 20,31) Some eis have dined ‘Wisean's ms because. they comend, thes suustral sublets alow bin to avo aking a clear positon, leaving it viewers to interpret hes as ‘hey wish (Wiseman ioervsew with West 49-50), But s clove exiination Df most of em would show, a has this nals of Tie Folie, that they Shave 3 dete pin of view ‘Wiseman’s ims have becn seen a8 pitaly speci age part be cause they seem not to acknowledge thei involvement or complet) ithe cof decumenation and 30 mits the Viewers “imaginary” soni tothe images (Nichols, Zdolony 738) Inresingly, in Thomas Wash sm Tewtfoter 81 portant antoogy onthe “sommited” documentary, Show Us Life (1984) ‘Wiseman is weled ony in parsing and dispragingly—nbich i carious ven hat his work fll ll ofthe egirerent the Boks combats pat forth as ncesary fr progressive politcal documentary hmmaking nl ‘ng the absence of an aurtate naar ae dominant ida ss, a Feoe of stacre reflecting the compleniy of evens an hi use vale is 2 caulyt for dacansion? Certainly Wiseman does ot eat himself weft ‘is wih eas tat his politics are Marist Bu more Groh than Ka ‘YetT woul argue tht Wisenan's se in fac constates profoundly pois cal cinema because ofthe “open” way i engages viens Teis te that ius Fols typically shows ws dsilusioned and sha ‘ered people rete impersonal and dsdainfly In Wisems’s ms, tbe mination of stato! lopic so contain individuality and orton ine illerence as inthe dismissive dlagnoss of Vian They al thal the ‘Ganser syndrome"). The image of im ting oribly shaved metaphorically sogesis the conforming pressures of asians poceing Telling, varia tins on this image appear in such later Wiseman hn 8 Hospital (1970), Basie Taning (197), Pranaie (1974), apd Meat (1976 «Melfort worth oun was made betneen Primate and Meat the ms cromoogica oder ia farther example ofthe ager mosaic srctre ofthe series, a these ms together ehonicl the ay iattions treat people a es than baman—tbat 1s lke meat ia ener submit a estimeny inthe Ftc Foles Ign, ‘Wiseman sai the fl is “about aris forms of mids (uted in Aner son 18). America, Wiseman’s fs suggest, is elf in some ways seal tlm, no longer seam of opportunity ut a mighmare of nfm "Yet despite the bleknes ofthe ition a preooc in Ptow Fties and in some of his oer lms, Wiseman encodrages democrat patpation from viewers tvough his “open” ssl. I anything, his fms have grown increasingly mae sable, showing even greter respct for viewers (Signi- andy, Prima isthe oly ther Wiseman documentary to hae aed ay ‘substantial controversy i, 0, ates ns roaching of he seni ese ‘medical esearch on animals) For Wiseman, The tr i hes balay hetnen the seren andthe min ofthe viewer” (quoted in “Tak ofthe Tow 32) nd so beefses to dicta the viewer by assuming an abril super- ‘eviy. Tn the end, the fn constitutes one person's “report”—po ess than ‘Viadimi's claims andthe t's agi tis an argent sed om 9 per epual prise. While it may he ue Dt his tessess may init mis Placed controversy or voyewie please (Nichols, deoiey 208), Tat Follies does not allow so ioventy enjoy that please nde tha the ight word, given the harrowing events Wiseman camera shows—fo i forces ust thnk about hat "smeplace” of which we ar all ware bat may refer nto ackrowtedge22 Say Kem Gros Notes ora ales ou fhe i's ep ist, eC Ane, xe ty Pheri: Peder Wisme's Tica Faes (Caen: Sis ater Pes 08), Devs McDoopall lees Tic Foes in his ist of eopapic Bln shoe sali tc rep oe Eg Fn ure ‘Gent Prk (1980s Bay Kh Gr, Vyas of Denes. The Cima of Predeck Wena (Uan: Unser of iPr, 192), 3. However to Wie aot he ba fle wif ew x= ives ser secession Lead nde (1969) and Hp 97, a es ced to make et fr sat 0 Bae Taming Ben ad A sis) 4 Dan Armstrong dca ti tof the fm in is sy, “Wins Rea of Tnageon” eter he at, aay 1989. Seu cape: Rcd Dy “Enema pin” Movie 24 rig ‘Se ese tbe esas by Chek Kohn, "Rm icy, Makers and Co ten Boch fr 4 Theory of Rad Poel Dorumenay and Jelanme Biron, “Dena Docume’ Medes of Ares he Lan Aenean ‘Cine, 158-72" "Show Us Life Toward « Mio and Aste he Goneited Dcemantary el. Toes Wah Meshes, W3. Souccow Pe 1960) Sin, See Works Cited Ander, "Cay, “The Cina of Competing Rig nF Fle.” ur raof he Unter Pn Aseciation 3 0 win 181: 15-22 Amting. Dan. “Wisman's Ream of Tesco: Tc Pale, the Sybi athe athe Spel of Canoemen™ inane Aral 2, no all 1989) ‘Bamowe, Br acumen: A Hy ofthe Som ftom Fil New Yk: Onfnd Univer Pres 998 ‘ar, itr Mera, Aft Fm Catia istry New Yk: Eaton, 1973, ‘Benson. Ths Wand Cay Anon: Realy Faso Te Flin of rede ian Cabo: Souter Unie Pe 98 Bromwich Davi "Decumenary Now" Dies (xh 1971) 507-12 aes, Das. "Wachng Whoman ich" Mew Tok Tener Menai, Oc 2, an, Micke. Anbroplogy—Ret Cinema Te Fins of Rach Lando Bris Fi ne, 1975 Fer Mol ads an Citi A History Isa i the Ae of Re tans Rican Howard Nev Yk Pantheon ook 1968 (i Badan, “The Conet Cine" New Nord (Octet 2 1967): 16-67 eutFotee 383 ac, Rabe Review Ta fies: The Nation 208 (Octo 30,1967): 45-46, Ken Putin Review of High Sho! In Prd Wieman eT Rin, ey, Kam Oe Flew orth Caron's Kes So Cth Pra New ok: o- lg Arr. “Chen Vr and Fs Th,” Soda Review 50S 9, "sen ty hanes Be Pr Cento? ng 8) Mente Sep Cin Vr Amer Ss be UnconrledDecametary. ‘Canbodge Mass: MIT Pes, 1975 Maple, Dav ant Alert Male. Thoughts em Cini Vera Dicsion wih th Mayes hes Iii James BE. in Comme 2,4 al Tat 22-30, ical Bil: ogy andthe Ie Bling: ena Ue Ps 58 STS the Woe of Dace.” Fe ua 36,3 apg 1983) 17-30 Repel in Moves nd Methoas,v Bs e Bl Nl, 28673 Bey: Un seriy a alfa Pres, 188 Rati, Pals They Mu Be Rpresoned. The Pls of Documentary. New "ks London Ver, 198. ‘ott Cision “Powe on Life” Beso Globe Maan, mary 23,1983, 15-1 ‘Bere: Unset of Callens Pe 1972 ‘Soe, Wie Revie of Pca ales pre. (March 1866 5, 8. "he ak fh wee ork Ostaber 21988 31-32 ‘ery, Deg “The Birth of the Kino Eye ta Rie Ee The Wiig of Doge Vira od Amite Michio, was. Kevin "Bs 0-12 Bee Une Calta es, 1988 “On Kinprnd” fs Kno fy The Weng of Dig Vr Ate Michelon, am Kevin O'Brien 2-87, Hehe Unierty of Calis Pew, Vogel Amos, A sg Subversive Ar NewYork: Random Hose, 17 ‘Wier Poder. “Fede Wino” nerve by Roy Levi, 33-28 ie "Document Explorations 1S Inns math Fn Meiers Gina Cy. NY. Dea 197 High Sha.” Ive with Aan Roehl a The Nw Documentary ie ‘Actin’ A Csebook Pi Mang, 2 seta. ere: Usivesty of Ca fea Pras 1972. an nevew wih Fd Wiseman” iteviw by a ahead Fimo rs Nevaener Yo. # Ray 1TH 19-28 “There Are No Simp Slaton Woman om Fe aig pd Po View ig ee yi Oia Frade emo Tha RA = Nu Sta OFT wih Brod’. Comesion with Film Maker Frederick ‘Wiseman Interview ty Alen Wes, Preench Warman ed That A [is 7-46 New Ya: Sinn and Schater1976.