The Store

documentary film by Wiseman [1983]

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July 14, 2026

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The Store is a 1983 documentary film by Frederick Wiseman that examines the operations of an exclusive department store. Wiseman is known for his films that explore American institutions, often without commentary or music, relying on extensive direct shooting and selective editing to present a complex view of their effects on individuals. Department stores are retail establishments that sell a wide variety of goods, typically organized into different departments, and their development in the 19th century was linked to urban growth and technological advancements.12

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Frederick Wiseman
Documentaries
…an exclusive department store (The Store [1983]), an intensive-care hospital ward (Near Death [1989]), and a public park (Central Park [1990]). In his films Wiseman eschewed polemics in favour of a complex and sympathetic presentation of such institutions’ effects on individual people.
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…an exclusive department store (The Store [1983]), an intensive-care hospital ward (Near Death [1989]), and a public park (Central Park [1990]). In his films Wiseman eschewed polemics in favour of a complex and sympathetic presentation of such institutions’ effects on individual people.
Read More