The great American documentary filmmaker, Frederick Wiseman, first drew attention in 1967 for his Titicut Follies about patient treatment at a psychiatric hospital. Since then, he has been making exceptional movies about everything from the city of Belfast, Maine, to a Russian Jewish woman's last letter to her son after the Nazis take over her city in the Ukraine (The Last Letter, pictured).
What's been frustrating for fans is how inaccessible these films have been. There have been retrospectives galore, and you can watch the movies at the Museum of Television & Radio in NYC and L.A. But the videos of these films have educational licenses and are not really available to the general public.
The great news is that the company that controls distribution of the movies, Zipporah Films, has said they are in the process of transferring the works to DVD, and they will be available for individual purchase this fall. If you want the company to notify you of availability details, you can send Zipporah your email address here.
We're thrilled that a hidden treasure trove of American cinema is about to come to light.
written on Tuesday Aug 14, 2007
trove,
restoration,
dvds.
