Writing Boots’ Wednesday Night at the Movies: ‘High School’

After seeing it as a very young man, I’ve been looking for a streaming version of the famous 1968 Frederick Wiseman documentary High School for many years—sensing I needed to see it again, to contemplate the change (and lack of it) in my country, during my lifetime. I found it last night, just when I needed most. Here’s but one of several dozen scenes that will help you, will force you to, think about what our half-century has meant for American adults and American children—and what the next half century might mean then, too.

E-MAIL READERS, CLICK THE LINK AT BOTTOM TO VIEW VIDEO.

Postscript, written the afternoon after the original post: After a day of reverie, I think I know what’s most profound about many of these scenes (though not the excerpt posted here): It’s mostly People in Charge determinedly but hopelessly trying to maintain their grip on things—sort of the other side of “make America great again,” which is an even more hopeless (but just as determined) attempt to get that grip back, more than a half century later. God help me, I’m going to watch the goddamned thing again tonight.