Films with: Wiseman, Frederick

At Berkeley

The University of California at Berkeley, the oldest and most prestigious member of a ten campus public education system, is also one of the finest research and teaching facilities in the world. The film, At Berkeley, shows the major aspects of university life, its intellectual and social mission, its obligation to the state and to larger ideas of higher education, as well as illustrates how decisions are made and implemented by the administration in collaboration with its various constituencies.

DVD 10350

Cinéma vérité defining the moment /

"The cinéma vérité (or direct cinema) movement of the '50s and '60s was driven by a group of rebel filmmakers tired of stilted documentaries. They wanted to show life as it really is: raw, gritty, dramatic. Rich in excerpts from vérité classics ... this is the first film to capture all the excitement of a revolution that changed movie-making forever"--Container. Includes commentary by filmmakers, and explores vérité's influence in everything from TV news to music videos to Webcams.

DVD 3959

Danse le Ballet de l'Opéra de Paris /

Follows the rehearsals and performances of seven ballets: Genus by Wayne McGregor, Medea by Angelin Preljocaj, The House of Bernarda Alba by Mats Ek, Paquita by Pierre Lacotte, The Nutcracker by Rudolph Nureyev, Orpheus and Eurydice by Pina Bausch, and Romeo and Juliet by Sasha Waltz. The film shows the work involved in administering the company and the coordinated and collaborative work of choreographers, ballet masters, dancers, musicians, and costume, set, and lighting designers.

DVD 11476

Dernière lettre The last letter /

In 1941, a Russian-Jewish doctor recites her final letter to her son as she awaits her destruction at the hands of the Nazis in a Jewish ghetto in German-occupied Berdychev. In her letter, she describes conditions within the ghetto and the futile but necessary efforts to maintain a semblance of normal life.

DVD 7390

Essene

About daily life in a Benedictine monastery and the resolution of conflict between personal needs and the institutional and organizational priorities of the community. In the Order, where the focus of life is the relationship of individual work and worship to the community as a whole, the brethren must cope with the same issues that arise in any community: rules, work, worship, values, love, and play.

DVD 7607

Ex libris The New York Public Library /

Frederick Wiseman's film, Ex Libris- the New York Public Library, goes behind the scenes of one of the greatest knowledge institutions in the world and reveals it as a place of welcome, cultural exchange and learning. With 92 locations throughout Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island, the library is committed to being a resource for all the inhabitants of this diverse and cosmopolitan city, and beyond. The New York Public Library exemplifies the deeply rooted American belief in the individual's right to know and the be informed. It is one of the most democratic institutions in America-everyone is welcome. The Library strives to inspire learning, advance knowledge and strengthen communities.

DVD 12657

Meat a documentary /

A documentary concerning the routine activities at a large meat packing plant and slaughterhouse.

DVD 7255

National Gallery

"Frederick Wiseman's National Gallery takes the audience behind the scenes of a London institution, on a journey to the heart of a museum inhabited by masterpieces of western art from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. The film includes shots of 255 of the Gallery's paintings and portrays the day-to-day work of curators, conservators, art handlers ... National Gallery is the portrait of a place, its way of working and relations with the world, its staff and public, and its paintings"--Container.

DVD 11477

Near death

Set in an adult intensive care unit of the Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, the documentary follows medical and nursing staff caring for mostly terminally ill patients and interacting with their families during a several day period.

DVD 7609

State legislature

Shows the day-to-day activities of the Idaho Legislature during the entire 2004 session. Lobbyists, lawmakers and their constituents are seen debating and discussing the concerns of the electorate, on issues that range from violence in schools, mad cow disease and video voyeurism to illegal immigration, second-hand smoke and the deregulation of telephone rates.

DVD 7608

Titicut follies

Filmed at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Bridgewater, this documentary shows harsh scenes of the life and treatment of the criminally insane inmates. Shows scenes of the daily life of the men, interspersed with shots from the inmates' talent show.

DVD 10784