Many masters are moving on. Sometimes, as with the recent death of David Lynch, they pass on suddenly and leave us reeling. Some artists have the luck of bowing out with the attention they deserve and an invitation to old fans and newcomers alike to immerse themselves in the work. That's what Film Form did with the great Ken Loach, screening more than 20 of his movies in a film series as the director announced his retirement. And that's what the documentary master Frederick Wiseman is doing in some ways, having spent roughly five years meticulously digitizing and restoring much of his work, which has been screening as a massive retrospective around the country, currently as Frederick Wiseman: An American Institution at Film at Lincoln Center in New York.
The series runs through March 5, 2025. It features dozens of Wiseman's films, 33 of which, "from his second feature High School (1968) to State Legislature (2006), have been newly restored in 4K from their original camera negatives and sound elements by Zipporah Films and overseen by Wiseman," as noted by Film at Lincoln Center. It's a crucial look at one of the most historically important and interesting American filmographies, which may have come to an end. As Wiseman told MovieWeb in a recent interview:
I'm 95, so my energy level is not quite the same, and I've been sick. So unless I get my energy back, I'm not sure I'll do another film.
This means that Wiseman has made six decades of incredible documentaries, with the 2023 masterpiece Menus-Plaisirs -- Les Troisgros serving as his likely final feature film. In hindsight, it makes a lot of sense as a swan song for the great director's career. "When I was making it, I didn't think it was, that it might be the last one," explained Wiseman, "but I'm pleased with the way it came out. So if it turns out, as is likely, to be the last one, so be it." In a sense, Wiseman speaks just like he makes movies -- in a matter-of-fact and direct fashion without frills, but with each word being meaningful and thoughtfully chosen.
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With Film at Lincoln Center's retrospective putting his career on display, we wondered if any specific films in the series were particularly meaningful to him (which, when looking at 60 years of incredible work, is a fairly silly question). "Strangely enough, I tend to like them all," said Wiseman with a smile and great patience. "I guess at different times in my life, I've had different favorites. They're favorites, but they have less to do with what the film is like than what the experience of making the film was like." He elaborated:
"The experience of making a film in the monastery [Essene] was really great; it was very strange, but it was really great. Or the experience of spending time in a welfare center [Welfare]. I learned -- putting aside whatever may be in the film -- I learned an enormous amount about the lives of other people that I didn't know before. I was a middle-class boy, I never spent that much time with people who were that much different than me -- struggling to survive on a daily basis [...] I learned something about their lives and it added to my understanding -- at least, I hope it added to my understanding of human nature and contemporary politics."
So with all that knowledge, all those years documenting the systems, structures, and people of America, when Wiseman looks back on his career, does he feel fully satisfied? "I don't feel satisfied with what I learned. Each movie is a different experience, with different people in situations that I have never experienced before. So I hope that in each case, I've learned something which, in turn, has affected my behavior, my judgment of human experience," explained Wiseman. Now, with this retrospective and his many films being easily accessible for the first time (now streaming on Kanopy), it's time for people to learn from him. This career, that's his gift to the world.
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If you haven't seen a Wiseman film, everywhere is a good place to start. The director shared his warm invitation to audiences: "I hope they see the films in a relaxed attitude and I hope they enjoy them! I think each film speaks for itself, and I think they might find the films thematically related." He continued:
I like it when people think about the ideas in the films. In each film, there is the literal aspect and the abstract aspect. And I like it when people respond to the film at both those levels.
Whether you enjoy the text, analyze the subtext, or weave the two together, every Wiseman film is worth seeing. If you want to dip your toes into this great oeuvre or do a downright belly dive, you can find more information on the films and tickets here.