Film: Titicut Follies

Yale Film Archive: Wisemania Film Series Titicut Follies (Frederick Wiseman, 1967, 16mm, 84 mins) Banned from public exhibition for nearly a quarter century, Wiseman's first documentary is one of his most famous, and arguably his most consequential. Filmed in a state hospital for the criminally insane, it exposes practices that cross the line from care into cruelty, raising questions about dignity, authority, and society’s treatment of the most vulnerable. “An extraordinarily candid picture of a modern Bedlam, where the horrors are composed of indifference and patronizing concern” (Vincent Canby). Few films have looked so directly at institutional power, or demanded so much from their audience. 16mm print from the Yale Film Archive. Yale Film Archive's Wisemania series is a multi-year exploration of the works of documentarian Frederick Wiseman. Yale Film Archive screenings are always free and open to the public. See the full film schedule here.