The Film | Frederick Wiseman | Vasily Grossman | Catherine Samie
The Film
The Connection.org: The Last Letter
“After making 33 documentary films in 35 years, Frederick Wiseman has turned his camera on something completely different.” Read more about Wiseman’s foray into dramatic film with THE LAST LETTER.
indieWIRE: Stalking Shadows
Frederick Wiseman talks about the making of THE LAST LETTER in this indieWIRE article.
New York Times: 'The Last Letter': Excavating the Memories of a Generation's Horrors
Frederick Wiseman and Catherine Samie talk about the making of the stage adaptation of THE LAST LETTER. (Free registration required.)
The Berdichev Revival
Learn about the town in which THE LAST LETTER takes place. Browse articles and photos, read about arts, literature, how Berdichev was impacted by the Holocaust and more. The site also includes articles about Wiseman’s play and the film.
Life and Fate
By Vasily Grossman
(Harper Collins, 1986)
Seized by the KGB upon its completion in 1960 and later smuggled out of the country, Grossman’s famous book, an account of World War II in Soviet Russia, provided the basis for THE LAST LETTER.
Frederick Wiseman
Independent Lens: Inside Indies: “Ask Fred”
Frederick Wiseman responds to submitted questions about filmmaking, full disclosure, democracy and more in this Inside Indies 2005 Q&A.
Zipporah Films
The Web home of Frederick Wiseman’s film production company includes a FAQ, film reviews and an interview with the filmmaker.
Gerald Peary: Interviews: Frederick Wiseman
Film critic Gerald Peary talks to “the dean of American documentaries” on his film Public Housing in this 1998 Q&A.
Fred Wiseman
This Wiseman interview by Kaleem Aftab and Alexandra West discusses his “observational cinema” techniques and more.
Cinéma Vérité: Defining the Moment
This site from the National Film Board of Canada includes interviews, biographies, excerpts, reviews, event listings and a timeline about vérité filmmaking—with information on Wiseman.
PBS: P.O.V.: High School
Learn more about Wiseman’s classic documentary, read a filmmaker interview, an essay and more.
Voyages of Discovery: The Cinema of Frederick Wiseman
By Barry Grant
(University of Illinois Press, 1992)
Grant analyzes frames from Wiseman’s films, revealing how they serve as powerful social documents.
Reality Fictions: The Films of Frederick Wiseman
By Thomas Benson and Carolyn Anderson
(Southern Illinois University Press, 2002)
Benson and Anderson provide accounts and critical examination of nine of Wiseman’s films, their controversies and political issues.
Vasily Grossman
National Yiddish Book Center: Life and Fate By Vasily Grossman
This review of Grossman’s novel includes selected passages and information on the author’s life and work.
The Bones of Berdichev: The Life and Fate of Vasily Grossman
By John Garrard and Carol Garrard
(Free Press, 1996)
This biography of Grossman details his life and work, using archival and unpublished sources which were made available following the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The Complete Black Book of Russian Jewry: Ilya Ehrenburg and Vasily Grossman
Translated and edited by David Patterson
(Transaction Publishers, 2002)
A collection of eyewitness testimonies, letters, diaries and other documentation on the Holocaust in Russia and Eastern Europe.
Forever Flowing
By Vasily Grossman
(Northwestern University Press, 1997)
Written during the 1950s and ‘60s and first published outside of the Soviet Union in 1970, this novel by Grossman tells about the horrors of Stalinist Russia through the story of Ivan Grigoryevich, a man returning to Moscow after 30 years of forced labor.
Catherine Samie
FilmFestivals.com: Cannes International Film Festival
Read an interview with Catherine Samie, in which she talks about her work on THE LAST LETTER.
New York Times: A Mother's Last Words, An Actress's Memories
In this 2003 article, Samie reveals how her role in THE LAST LETTER evoked her own painful memories of escaping Nazi-occupied France during World War II.
New York Times: Movies: Catherine Samie Filmography
View a filmography of Samie’s acting work, from 1967 to the present. (Registration may be required.)
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