Labor Goes to the Movies

High School (1968) 75 min. Frederick Wiseman
Cited by the Library of Congress as a National Treasure, Wiseman’s documentary of a Philadelphia high school quietly presents the effects of institutional education and the inevitable clash of generations. The themes and situations are specific to the late 1960’s and its social and political turmoil, and yet they resonate with anyone who has ever been to high school.

Wiseman’s simple style, without added music, titles or narrative, lends itself to the “fly on the wall” sensation as the viewer witnesses parent-teacher conferences, sex education lectures, gym classes and even a home economics beauty pageant.