BOOTLEG FILES 104: “Titicut Follies” (1967 documentary by Frederick Wiseman on a prison facility for the criminally insane).
LAST SEEN: We cannot confirm the last public screening of this film.
AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.
REASON FOR DISAPPEARANCE: The filmmaker has kept it out of commercial release.
CHANCES OF SEEING A DVD RELEASE: Not in the near future.
BOOTLEG OPPORTUNITIES: Easy to locate.
Get the bootleg in part two of THE BOOTLEG FILES: “TITICUT FOLLIES”>>>
@Heidi – so what is Vladimir’s whole story?
I know Vladimir’s whole story.
The “REASON FOR DISAPPEARENCE” on this film in particular, was governmental censorship! Differently than John Huston’s “Let the re be Light” this documentary wasn’t ordered by anyone (in case of Huston’s: The Army), was the very first fully authorial work of Frederick Wiseman, and in 67 was banned from all public showing by the Supreme Court on the account of violation of privacy of one of the inmates in the movie (Jim, the one the guards keep bullying about him “cleaning his room”) because he was walking around naked (like ALL the other inmates in the movie)… I think it was in 1991 that they reviews the case and the ban was lifted, so it could be shown on PBS (like it was originally meant to, back in 1967), and then it was only available for private purchase somewhere in the 2000’s
I know THIS MOVIE in particular has a significant importance on the censorship thing, because until today, it’s the only american film ever to be banned not for the reasons of obscenity or threat to national security.