State Legislature (film)
State Legislature (Directed by
Frederick Wiseman)/2007
Depending
on your interests, you will either find this (220 minute!) movie extremely tedious
or hypnotically interesting. If you are interested in American politics, the
legislative process or the inner working of the democratic process, then you
will love this movie.
Frederick Wiseman is a unique documentary maker. There is no music and Wiseman never speaks. He just watches people going about their business and then edits the footage to create the film. He has built his career examining institutions: hospitals, prisons, monasteries, boxing gyms and public housing estates. One senses he does not go into the filming process with a predetermined ideological agenda, but simply wants to capture the reality before him as it is. His movies are very calm and soothing, or maybe boring if you cannot relax into them.
This particular documentary looks at the Idaho House of Representatives and Senate debating policies and creating law. What struck me as a non-American was the high levels of intelligence and personal integrity of all the politicians. There are constant references to philosophies ranging from John Locke to Hinduism. The debate is robust: there is a constant exchange about the underlying philosophy behind a policy, much of this based on the extent to which liberties of citizens can be curtailed by government interventions. The dialogue of ‘rights’ and the associated limitations on state interference is central to American political ideology, and everyone seems to have a slightly nuanced idea on whether a particular state intervention enhances or depletes human rights.
America has suffered a lot of grief lately, and there is a large amount of cynicism towards the intentions of their politicians and the effectiveness of their government. If you feel this way, then watching this movie will give you fresh insight into how state politicians go about their business, and the positive work that is going on at the foundations of American politics.
Watching Wiseman’s documentaries is a strange experience. It feels weird at first to just watch people talking, walking and debating. I found his lack of personal interjection refreshing as the people on screen spoke for themselves. This style will not appeal to someone who thinks the documentary filmmaker should make an argument about what is on screen, or someone who likes the message packaged clearly. One could argue that no documentary could ever be objective. This is true, but I think it is an issue of scale: certain precautions can be put in place to strip the filmmaker out of the documentary as much as possible. Wiseman achieves this more than any documentary maker I have encountered.
Frederick Wiseman is a unique documentary maker. There is no music and Wiseman never speaks. He just watches people going about their business and then edits the footage to create the film. He has built his career examining institutions: hospitals, prisons, monasteries, boxing gyms and public housing estates. One senses he does not go into the filming process with a predetermined ideological agenda, but simply wants to capture the reality before him as it is. His movies are very calm and soothing, or maybe boring if you cannot relax into them.
This particular documentary looks at the Idaho House of Representatives and Senate debating policies and creating law. What struck me as a non-American was the high levels of intelligence and personal integrity of all the politicians. There are constant references to philosophies ranging from John Locke to Hinduism. The debate is robust: there is a constant exchange about the underlying philosophy behind a policy, much of this based on the extent to which liberties of citizens can be curtailed by government interventions. The dialogue of ‘rights’ and the associated limitations on state interference is central to American political ideology, and everyone seems to have a slightly nuanced idea on whether a particular state intervention enhances or depletes human rights.
America has suffered a lot of grief lately, and there is a large amount of cynicism towards the intentions of their politicians and the effectiveness of their government. If you feel this way, then watching this movie will give you fresh insight into how state politicians go about their business, and the positive work that is going on at the foundations of American politics.
Watching Wiseman’s documentaries is a strange experience. It feels weird at first to just watch people talking, walking and debating. I found his lack of personal interjection refreshing as the people on screen spoke for themselves. This style will not appeal to someone who thinks the documentary filmmaker should make an argument about what is on screen, or someone who likes the message packaged clearly. One could argue that no documentary could ever be objective. This is true, but I think it is an issue of scale: certain precautions can be put in place to strip the filmmaker out of the documentary as much as possible. Wiseman achieves this more than any documentary maker I have encountered.
