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INTERVIEW

BBC Four: What drew you to making a film about this subject?
Frederick Wiseman: A lot of my films have been concerned with the subject of violence. Sometimes it's the external violence of the state. For example, Basic Training [army training during the Vietnam War], Missile [Minuteman missile crew training], or Manoeuvre [NATO war games in West Germany].

Other times, it is the internal violence that the state is supposed to have a monopoly on and which it uses to catch and punish people who have committed violent acts, such as Law and Order [the police], Juvenile Court and Titicut Follies [a prison for the criminally insane]. Domestic violence is another example of human violence and the way the state deals with it.

BBC Four: Did you have any difficulty getting the trust of the women you filmed at the shelter?
FW: No. The women were all quite co-operative. I don't think any of the clients in the shelter turned me down.

BBC Four: What do you think made them so keen to appear in the film?
FW: I talked to them about it during the shooting. Several of them said to me that they were happy to be in the film because they thought it might be helpful if other people could hear their stories.

BBC Four: Have they seen the film since it's been finished?
FW: The staff at the shelter have seen the film but not the clients. It was shot a few years ago and it's hard to round up the clients after this period of time.

BBC Four: It is a long film. What's your approach to ensuring audiences remain engrossed in such difficult subject matter?
FW: I think the material is quite strong and domestic violence is a common problem. It's not unique to the United States. I started off with 110 hours and I ended only up using about three percent of the material. If I cut the film to meet a standard broadcast length I don't think it would be fair to the participants, and I think my principle obligation is to make a film that fairly reflects the life experiences of the people who give me permission to use their picture and voice.

BBC Four: The film counters quite a lot of stereotypes people may have, for instance of the South and of social workers. Was that deliberate?
FW: All of the films I've made run counter to stereotype because the actual experience of living with people and observing how they work, whether it's social workers or cops or teachers, is always very different than stereotype and always more complicated. I think it's my obligation as a filmmaker to include that complexity in the final film.