When one thinks of the grand old men of American cinema, directors who have spanned a few decades and continue to keep up the pace, there are but a handful of names to check.
Although filmmakers like Clint Eastwood or Woody Allen quickly spring to mind, one should include on that list the name of Frederick Wiseman, master documentarian, who has chronicled American life with an even eye since the mid 1960s, in over 30 films.
Wiseman is one of those figures who seems to be more influential than actually watched; his name comes up in conversation with filmmakers as diverse as Steve James ("Hoop Dreams") and Gus Van Sant ("Elephant"), but good luck actually trying to view some Wiseman on a Tokyo screen. (In America, Wiseman's work generally debuts on PBS, which also funds his projects.)