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DEADLINE:What does this retrospective mean to you?
Its certainly very prestigious and well-deserved.
FREDERICK WISEMAN:There couldnt be a better place to have a retrospective in America than at Lincoln Center.
Frederick Wiseman and his films. Clockwise from top left: ‘Model,’ ‘Hospital,’ ‘Juvenile,’ and ‘The Store’Zipporah Films
The retrospective is the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval for what Ive been doing, lo these many years.
Im very pleased that theyre showing 40 films.
WISEMAN:I have a hard time generalizing.
Fred Wiseman films L-R ‘Aspen,’ ‘Deaf,’ ‘Central Park,’ ‘Basic Training,’ and ‘Ballet’Courtesy of Zipporah Films
So, I dont think I can answer that because I dont know how.
DEADLINE:One thing that has changed, certainly, are HIPAA privacy laws.
Its almost impossible to imagine makingHospitaltoday, for instance.
I think youre right.
I think it would be very difficult to make them now.
But I was able to do it, and naturally Im pleased that I had the chance.
WISEMAN:Thats what I think, right.
I work extremely hard on the structure…
DEADLINE:After seeing your films, I still dont understand how you do it.
Part of it, I think, is pacing.
Theres not an obvious arc to the films, and yet they are as gripping as any great novel.
Theres such incredible subtlety about the way you do it.
WISEMAN:Thank you.
It shouldnt be obvious.
DEADLINE:Does the structure really emerge in the edit bay?
Or does that all emerge in the edit?
WISEMAN:It all emerges in the editing.
Am I likely to use it however is a consequence of the editing… A movie any movie, mine or anybody elses is made up of thousands of choices.
And the term observational cinema somehow suggests youre just sitting in the corner and watching whats going on.
But thats not the case.
It could be physical ailment, often its psychological duress, and its so poignant.
Its a very dramatic scene.
I think Ill just go home to Minnesota and get a job, its funny, but its sad.
WISEMAN:I dont add music.
DEADLINE:Right, you dont add music.
WISEMAN:But theres a lot of music collectively in the films.
Ambient music, for instance, in the rehearsal space inBallet.
DEADLINE:And you dont use narration.
Have you ever been tempted to use voice-over or score?
WISEMAN:No, no.
I think the sequences speak for themselves.
DEADLINE:The titles of your films are very brief, succinct.
Its not, for instance, the Misty Copeland Story or something like that.
Why do you think youve been drawn to these larger questions of how people function within institutions?
WISEMAN:I dont know that I have a good answer to that question.
The few biographical documentaries I saw, I didnt particularly like.
And it seemed to me that I could cast a wider net if I didnt follow one person.
I am sure some people made very good biographical films following only one person.
DEADLINE:Early on in your career, the greatNew Yorkerfilm critic Pauline Kael took notice of your work.
What did that mean to you?
As a result of that review, I got to know her a little bit.
She was a very smart, very tough woman and very funny.
WISEMAN:I like it.
Obviously, I like it.
In fact, Im depressed when Im not working.
I like to be completely absorbed in work, in a film…
I sit in a chair for months at a time and live in the world of the film.
Ive never felt it tiring because editing is fascinating work.
I see how the movies going to come out.
Its nice to have an opportunity to follow the flow of my ideas, such as they are.
DEADLINE:And on that score, are you planning another film?
At the moment, theres no other film in prospect.
I think Ill just be there for the talk and then screening on the 15th.
DEADLINE:I hope you enjoy the retrospective when youre there with the audience.
WISEMAN:Im sure I will.
