High School, by Frederick Wiseman, documents a big public high school and was released in 1968. Will high school always be the same? Wondering about this question is part of the charm and endurance of the film. The personalities and (beautifully shot and edited) interactions of the students, teachers, gym teachers, college counselors, and parents were so familiar that a high schooler who was watching the film with me yesterday said, "Why am I watching this? I'm on vacation and I don't need to be back in school." Fashion, technology, and diversity are areas of key changes which makes viewing the film even more interesting. The sight of a roomful of 1960s students on typewriters, for example, looked like a scene from "Mad Men."
