This weekend, Duke University will host the first Student Documentary Film and Video Happening, sponsored by the Center for Documentary Studies. Kicking off the event Friday evening will be Frederick Wiseman's screening of Titicut Follies, his controversial documentary on the life of inmates at the Bridgewater State Mental Hospital. Wiseman's film has had a long history of suppression and censorship, and its public showing here at Duke should be of interest not only for its artistry and social significance, but for the legal issues that have surfaced over the course of its legendary political history.

For twenty-four years after its completion in 1967, Titicut Follies was banned from worldwide public exhibition by decision of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on the basis of invasion of inmate privacy and a breach of an alleged oral contract giving the Commissioner of Corrections and the superintendent of Bridgewater final approval over the film. However, besides the sheer absurdity of a documentary filmmaker giving the final cut of a potentially controversial film to politicians, no proof of the oral contract has ever been found. Furthermore, at the advice of the then Attorney General, Wiseman obtained verbal consent from the participants and recorded both his question and their approval on tape. Despite media claims that Wiseman resorted to the use of hidden cameras, he was accompanied at all times by a guard, whom he assumed to be determining the competency of the inmates to give consent as a representative of the superintendent.

A further look into the political motivations involved in the suppression of the film shows the farcity of the allegations made by the state; it wasn't the privacy of the inmates that the court was attempting to protect, but rather, the privacy of state officials to oversee a tax-supported institution without public scrutiny. The entire legal complication began when a former Massachusetts social worker wrote a letter to governor John Volpe, expressing outrage that the film depicted a naked inmate at a state institution. Volpe then discovered that the newly elected Attorney General Elliot Richardson had not only aided Wiseman in obtaining permission to make the film, but had screened the film prior to its public opening at the New York Film Festival. Richardson feared backlash from state Democrats resulting from his charges of "moral insensitivity" against his electoral opponent, Frank X. Belotti. Consequently, Richardson placed a restraining order on the film and charged Wiseman with using a hidden camera and attempting to exploit the inmates for financial gain. These charges not only exhibit a glaring ignorance of the relative lack of profitability of documentaries, but also a defensive move on the part of the politician to be held accountable for his actions.

As for claims that Wiseman's documentary compromises the dignity of the inmates and professionals of Bridgewater, it is for the viewer to decide whether the claims are justified or whether First Amendment Rights have been denied because the film presented a threat to certain political careers. The film is shot in a cinema veritZ style, exemplified by its utilization of a hand-held camera, general disregard for seamless editing, and lack of voice-over narration. It has been acclaimed for its critical look at the experience of inmate life without heavy-handed disapprobation of the caretakers, forcing the viewer to confront the inhumanity of institutional life and the toll it takes on all those involved. Titicut Follies should be provoking on many levels, from the subtext of the film's political history to its choice of visual style and challenging imagery. As such, it promises to raise stimulating issues concerning both the legal and ethical dimensions of the documentary genre.

These issues will be addressed in the six workshops to take place on Saturday morning as the Happening continues. These workshops are headed by North Carolina film historians, filmmakers, and theorists and cover topics that should appeal to anyone interested in documentary production and study. There will also be two programs of highlighted documentaries submitted by North Carolina residents and students following the morning workshops on subjects as diverse as the head of a biker ministry in High Point, NC, to a glimpse into the life of an anarchist punk band as they tour across Europe. A third room will be available for "potluck" screenings, where anyone can show their short documentaries, even works-in-progress. Hopefully this event will bring together many students and professionals throughout the state to get a sense of "What's Happening" in North Carolina documentary film and video.

Admission to the screening of Titicut Follies on Friday the 16th at 8:00 pm at Griffith Film Theatre will be $2 for Duke students and $5 for the general public. If you are interested in attending the Saturday Happening events in addition to the screening, there will be a registration table at the door, where $10 for students and $12 for nonstudents will cover both events. For more information contact Chris Simms at (919)660-3677.