TITICUT FOLLIES

(1967) Director: Frederick Wiseman

Available on DVD

SUMMARY:

The film is a stark and graphic portrayal of the conditions that existed at the State Prison for the Criminally Insane at Bridgewater, Massachusetts. TITICUT FOLLIES documents the various ways the inmates are treated by the guards, social workers and psychiatrists.

VIDEO:

A scene from TITICUT FOLLIES:



REVIEWS, INTERVIEWS, CREDITS:

• The Follies of Documentary Filmmaking - Vice Magazine
• Reason Magazine interview with director Frederick Wiseman
• Bio of director Fredrick Wiseman from Museum of Broadcast Communications

NOTES:

• Created in 1966 the film was banned until 1991.
• "...cinema verité is just a pompous French term that has absolutely no meaning as far as I'm concerned." -Frederick Wiseman
• Frederick Wiseman has made 36 films in 38 years, many of them considered by documentary historians to be masterpieces of the form. His films have become longer and longer as his career progressed, with many of his films being more than 3 – some more than 4 – hours long. In spite of their length, all of his films are shown on PBS, which is one of his primary funders.