# Director who only let his films be screened once on pbs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 11, 2008, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/director-who-only-let-his-films-be-screened-once-on-pbs/437135 "2008-02-11T07:44:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2008, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/director-who-only-let-his-films-be-screened-once-on-pbs/437135/1 "2008-02-11T07:44:23Z")
Anyone remember the guy? Drawing a blank. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2008, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/director-who-only-let-his-films-be-screened-once-on-pbs/437135/2 "2008-02-11T07:46:07Z")
Yeah, I remember him. ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2008, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/director-who-only-let-his-films-be-screened-once-on-pbs/437135/3 "2008-02-11T07:59:44Z")
I guess I should mention that he made documentaries, if that helps. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/director-who-only-let-his-films-be-screened-once-on-pbs/437135/4 "2008-02-13T17:33:24Z")
Hey, I actually might win a game of “Stump the Dope!” Documentary, PBS, gotta be Frederick Wiseman. The most likely candidate is [Meat](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074886/). According to the comments page, it wasn’t shown again. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/director-who-only-let-his-films-be-screened-once-on-pbs/437135/5 "2008-02-13T17:53:53Z")
[QUOTE=ftg] Hey, I actually might win a game of “Stump the Dope!” Documentary, PBS, gotta be Frederick Wiseman. The most likely candidate is [Meat](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074886/). According to the comments page, it wasn’t shown again. [/QUOTE] Many of Frederick Wiseman’s films have screened theatrically, though always in revival and arthouse venues (MOMA, Pacific Film Archive, etc.), including _Meat_. So if there is some alleged stipulation that he’s made that they only show on PBS, it has been routinely violated over the years. He may stipulate that they “premiere” on PBS, but I’m fairly skeptical of that as well (given his prominence in the doc community and the proliferation of niche festivals available to show these films, highly in demand for those who know his consistently terrific work). ---
**Author:** ![Mike\_Fun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a9adbd/32.png) [@Mike\_Fun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Fun)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/director-who-only-let-his-films-be-screened-once-on-pbs/437135/6 "2008-02-13T17:58:48Z")
Was it Wiseman’s [Titicut Follies?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titicut_Follies) ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/director-who-only-let-his-films-be-screened-once-on-pbs/437135/7 "2008-02-14T01:45:20Z")
Yes, it’s Wiseman. Thanks! I was under the impression that he only allowed his films to be screened once because he wanted to generate discussion, and he wanted everyone to see it on the same day. Now that I see his website, you can get them all on DVD, so maybe he has relented. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/director-who-only-let-his-films-be-screened-once-on-pbs/437135/8 "2008-02-14T02:45:16Z")
Wow, I’d say $30-40 is a good bargain, given the consistently high quality of [the films he made](http://www.zipporah.com/films) and the extended running times of quite a few of them (my favorite remains **Belfast, Maine** , which I saw in the theater–all 4 hours of it). ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/director-who-only-let-his-films-be-screened-once-on-pbs/437135/9 "2008-02-14T02:56:55Z")
[QUOTE=ArchiveGuy] Wow, I’d say $30-40 is a good bargain, given the consistently high quality of [the films he made](http://www.zipporah.com/films) and the extended running times of quite a few of them (my favorite remains **Belfast, Maine** , which I saw in the theater–all 4 hours of it). [/QUOTE] Yes, this is a recent development. I corresponded with Wiseman last year, trying to get some of his movies for my vidstore; he was only offering VHS, starting at $240 a pop. It’s nice to see some sanity return to him. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/director-who-only-let-his-films-be-screened-once-on-pbs/437135/10 "2008-02-14T03:45:57Z")
Robert Frank made _Cocksucker Blues_, a 1972 documentary film about a Rolling Stones concert tour. When the Stones saw the finished product they hated it and tried to halt its release. Part of the settlement allows Frank to show the film once per year and he has to present when it’s shown. ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2008, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/director-who-only-let-his-films-be-screened-once-on-pbs/437135/11 "2008-02-16T06:10:02Z")
Arrgh. Now I want to buy some. This board costs a lot more than $15 a year. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2008, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/director-who-only-let-his-films-be-screened-once-on-pbs/437135/12 "2008-02-16T06:54:56Z")
Wikipedia says that _Titicut Follies_ could be shown in educational contexts even during the ban, but we tried to get a copy during the ban, and even after, for an educational screening and could not–we were told that there was pretty direct pressure on the school to stop seeking a copy. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2008, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/director-who-only-let-his-films-be-screened-once-on-pbs/437135/13 "2008-02-16T18:17:39Z")
> [@](#): > > Yes, this is a recent development. I corresponded with Wiseman last year, trying to get some of his movies for my vidstore; he was only offering VHS, starting at $240 a pop. It’s nice to see some sanity return to him. He’s apparently now selling videos for home viewers. Many people don’t realize that businesses and organizations do not pay the same price for movies that the general public does. They pay a much higher rate because they are either going to be renting or publically showing the movie. Wiseman’s prices reflect this. He is selling _Titicut Follies_ for $34.95. But if you want to buy a copy that includes that right of public showings, it’s $500 ($250 if you’re a high school or volunteer organization).