Frederick Wiseman Paris in order

Frederick Wiseman's Paris Collection groups three documentaries: La Comédie-Française ou L'amour joué (1996), La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet (2009), and Crazy Horse (2011). Shot in Wiseman’s direct-cinema style—no interviews, no narration—they follow rehearsal, administration, casting, lighting, and the nightly demand to go onstage at the Comédie-Française, the Paris Opera Ballet, and the Crazy Horse nude revue. Taken together, the films are a study of how three historic Paris performance houses work, and of how bodies, craft, and looking are organized. 3 films, 8h 36m in all, in release order.

1. 1
   

   La Comédie-Française ou L'amour joué

   1996 · 223 min

   La Comédie-Française is the oldest continuous repertory company in the world, founded in late 17th-century Paris. This is the first time a documentary filmmaker has been allowed to examine all the aspects of this great theatrical company. Sequences include sections of plays, casting, set and costume design, administrative meetings and rehearsals and performances of four classic French plays, Don Juan by Molière, La Thebaide by Racine, La Double Inconstance by Marivaux, and Occupe-toi d'Amelie by Feydeau.

   New
2. 2
   

   La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet

   2009 · 159 min

   Frederick Wiseman observes the ins and outs of the Paris Opera House, including the processes behind seven of their operas: Genus (Wayne McGregor), Le Songe de Médée (Angelin Preljocaj), La Maison de Bernarda (Mats Ek), Paquita (Pierre Lacotte), Casse-Noisette (Rudolf Nureyev), Orphée et Eurydice (Pina Bausch), and Roméo et Juliette (Sasha Walt).

   New
3. 3
   

   Crazy Horse

   2011 · 134 min

   A cinéma vérité exploration of the grueling schedules, auditions, lighting design, and backstage operations at the famous Parisian nude cabaret, Le Crazy Horse de Paris, over a ten-week period, specifically capturing the creation of a new show put together by choreographer Philippe Decouflé. Wiseman highlights the immense precision, discipline, and artistic effort required by dancers and staff to maintain the legendary cabaret's distinct aesthetic.

   New