New York Public Library, study area for filmmaker Frederick Wiseman

Immerse yourself in the “New York Public Library”, in other words in the great public library of New York. This is the subject of Frederick Wiseman‘s documentary, Ex Libris: New York Public Librarypublished in 2017.

On this subject, the filmmaker gave an interview to Marie Richeux in October 2017, in the show “Par les temps qui court”. Like many of his documentary films, Frederick Wiseman chose to look at American society through an institution, this time the New York Public Library. An institution that he says represents the good side of America: a public service dedicated to culture and its dissemination, welcoming people from all social backgrounds, of all origins and of all ages.

While he remembers how he approaches the shooting of his films, their editing which is an exercise close to writing, Frederick Wiseman tells how he looked at the daily life of the New York Public Library, from the perspective of the people -used also as employees and managers. But, true to himself, he admits that he is reluctant to say, in a few words that are inevitably less, what his film expresses, because only watching the film can reveal it.

Find the entire program archive “Frederick Wiseman, as an American Novel”suggested by Albane Penaranda.

• By Marie Richeux
• with Frederick Wiseman (filmmaker)
• Directed by Milena Aellig
• In These Current Times – Frederick Wiseman for his film “Ex Libris: the New York Public Library” (1st broadcast: 10/30/2017)
• Web edition: Radio France documents