Wisemania Film Series: Canal Zone

Canal Zone (Frederick Wiseman, 1977, 16mm, 174 mins)

Wiseman’s first “place” film takes us to the Panama Canal, where U.S. civilian, business, and military personnel attempt to import American suburban life: between bingo games and boxing matches, high schoolers recite the Gettysburg Address and mental health patients watch Spanish-dubbed Abbott and Costello movies while patrol dogs sniff for drugs. With Canal Zone, Wiseman gives us “one of his most wickedly funny films” (Ben Sachs) and “an ingenious cautionary tale” (Frank Rich). 16mm print from the Yale Film Archive.

“Wisemania” is a multi-year exploration of the works of documentarian Frederick Wiseman.