Basic Training

MOVIE #1,512 • 🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿 • 04.03.24 𝙳𝙸𝚁𝙴𝙲𝚃𝙾𝚁 𝙵𝙾𝙲𝚄𝚂: 𝙵𝚁𝙴𝙳𝙴𝚁𝙸𝙲𝙺 𝚆𝙸𝚂𝙴𝙼𝙰𝙽 This is the 5th Wiseman doc I’ve reviewed and I’ve found myself at a bit of crossroads searching for something new to say. He’s essentially made one feature a year since the late 60s and so far they’ve all been equally compelling. Whether these future soldiers being trained before shipping out to Vietnam are learning the correct way to brush their teeth or getting detailed tutorials on how landmines work, Wiseman treats each moment with the same ‘fly on the wall’ care. The magic happens in turning the fleeting moment into cultural groundstone, capturing minutiae that’s rendered universal and symbolic both through the subjects & subject matter and the passing of time. The latter — be it healthcare, education or war, etc. — certainly helps, but one gets the idea that his keen, discerning eye and expert editing skills could make anything worth watching.

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Frederick Wiseman observes basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky in the Vietnam era. Recruits are seen receiving instructions on everything from brushing their teeth to killing enemy soldiers in hand-to-hand combat. It was released on February 13, 1971.