Frederick Wiseman, Chronicler of the Western World, a new book by Philippe Pilard
Collection “7èmeArt/LeCerf/Corlet” – 252 pages.
"...Since the end of the 1960s the American filmmaker Frederick Wiseman has made, thanks to PBS, an exceptional group of 35 documentary films. From TITICUT FOLLIES to PUBLIC HOUSING, including HIGH SCHOOL, LAW AND ORDER, DEAF and BLIND. The institutions that he has filmed since the beginning of his career--a prison, a hospital, a school, army basic training, a welfare center, etc.--deal with complex problems that the filmmaker analyzes, not without humor: administrative complexity, conformism, inequality, problems acknowledged and unrecognized in American society (and in France), constructing an image of "the American dream" or an "air-conditioned nightmare," one or the other or both at the same time, making a larger inquiry about the human condition. Over the course of time, his work has become a classic of the western world, because for us Europeans now nothing that takes place in North America is very different than what happens in Europe... The book is a thorough and complete description of Wiseman’s films, from 1967 till now.” Ph.P.
Philippe Pilard is a film director : he has made a number of films (documentary and fiction) for public television (France Télévision, Arte ). - He has taught at Paris 7/Jussieu, and Paris 10/Nanterre, he is co-founder and president of the French Short Film Society. - He is a regular contributor to film magazines such as Positif, IMAGES documentaries, CinémAction. –
He has written several books about documentary and fiction films and directors :
Le documentaire passe au direct, (co./ G. Gauthier / S. Suchet - vlb, Montréal, 2003.) - Typiquement ‘British’ (co. N.T. Binh & Coll. - Centre Pompidou, 2000.) - Shakespeare au Cinéma (Nathan, 2000) - Kenneth Loach : Land & Freedom (Nathan, 1997) - Histoire du Cinéma Britannique (Nathan, 1996) - Stanley Kubrick : Barry Lyndon (Nathan, 1990) - Le Nouveau Cinéma Britannique 1979-1988 (Hatier, 1989) - Peter Greenaway (Dis Voir, 1987) - Etc. –
Please visit www.corlet-editions.fr for more information on ordering Frederick Wiseman, Chronicler of the Western World.
Philippe PILARD :
Auteur et réalisateur de films. - Licence es Lettres (Anglo-américain) à la Sorbonne - Diplômé CAV-ENS Saint-Cloud - Co-président de la Société des Réalisateurs de Films (1981/83) - Co-fondateur, et Président de l’Agence du Court Métrage à Paris. - Collabore à diverses publications littéraires et cinématographiques. - Il a enseigné à l’Institut Charles V de l’Université Paris VII, ainsi qu’à Paris-X Nanterre, et donné des conférences au Royaume-Uni, en Irlande et aux Etats-Unis. - Chevalier des Arts & Lettres. -
Il a publié notamment : Frederick Wiseman, chroniqueur de monde occidental, (Le Cerf/Corlet, 2006) - Le documentaire passe au direct, (co./ G. Gauthier / S. Suchet, vlb, Montréal, 2003.) - Typiquement ‘British’ (co. N.T. Binh & Coll. Centre Pompidou, 2000.) - Shakespeare au Cinéma (Nathan, 2000) - Kenneth Loach : Land & Freedom (Nathan, 1997) - Histoire du Cinéma Britannique (Nathan, 1996) - Stanley Kubrick : Barry Lyndon (Nathan, 1990) - Le Nouveau Cinéma Britannique 1979-1988 (Hatier, 1989) - Peter Greenaway (Coll. Dis Voir, 1987) - L’Angleterre et son Cinéma (co/ O. Barrot, Lherminier, 1977.) - Collaborateur du LAROUSSE du Cinéma. - Etc. –
Réalisations récentes : Neil Jordan : Portrait (Ciné Cinéma, 2006) - Mike Leigh : Portrait (Ciné Cinéma, 2005) - Peter Greenaway : Portrait (Ciné Cinéma, 2004) - Kenneth Loach : Portrait (Ciné Cinéma, 2003) - Oxbridge Re-Visited (théma Arte, 1998) - Serviteurs de Dieu (théma Arte, 1997) - Ciné/Bretagne (co. B. Tesson - FR3/COBB/Lazennec, 1995) - Citizen Barnes (La Sept/M’O, 1993) - Irlande/IrlandeS (théma Arte, 1993) - Liverpool (théma Arte, 1992) - Peter Greenaway : Painting and Cinema (FR3/Océaniques, 1991) - Moravagine (d’après B. Cendrars, FR3/La Sept/SFP/MTV, 1989) - Etc.