Evie Summers
Haskell Wexler's documentary movie *Who Needs Sleep* is a critique of the long working hours that cause sleep deprivation in the film industry. Wexler, a veteran of the film industry, has experienced these working conditions first-hand and survived an automobile accident caused by falling asleep at the wheel on his way home from a movie set. In the documentary, Wexler suggests that these poor labour conditions extend beyond the film industry and into other parts of the mainstream US labour force.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Title | Who Needs Sleep? |
| Director | Haskell Wexler |
| Co-director | Tamara M. Maloney |
| Year | 2014 |
| Genre | Documentary |
| Synopsis | A cry of objection to widespread labour practices in the mainstream movie-making world in the USA. Wexler suggests that the same problems extend outside the movie world into other parts of the mainstream USA labour force, including healthcare. |
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What You'll Learn
- Haskell Wexler's call for a 12-hour workday
- The strenuous working conditions film crews are often beholden to
- The wave of independent productions rising with the tide of more affordable digital cinematography
- The widespread labour practices part of the mainstream movie-making world in the USA
- Wexler's own experience of falling asleep at the wheel after a long day on set
Haskell Wexler's call for a 12-hour workday
Haskell Wexler's documentary movie *Who Needs Sleep* is a critique of the long working hours that cause sleep deprivation in the film industry. Wexler himself has experienced these working conditions, and he survived a car accident caused by falling asleep at the wheel on his way home from a movie set. The film is also a broader critique of bad labour conditions in the USA, including in healthcare and other critical areas.
Wexler argues that the problem of poor labour conditions extends beyond the film industry and into other parts of the mainstream USA labour force. He suggests that the same wrong mentality regarding bad labour conditions has become commonplace in other industries.
Who Needs Sleep is a call for a 12-hour workday, which Wexler believes would help to improve the working conditions of film crews and reduce the risk of sleep deprivation. Wexler's argument is particularly relevant to the wave of independent productions rising with the tide of more affordable digital cinematography.
Wexler was a veteran of the McCarthy era blacklist that kept him from working in America from 1950 to 1958 and a stalwart of Vietnam-era activism. He was also a member of the American Society of Cinematographers and had been nominated for five Oscars, winning two of them.
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The strenuous working conditions film crews are often beholden to
Haskell Wexler's documentary movie *Who Needs Sleep* is a critique of the strenuous working conditions film crews are often beholden to. Wexler, a veteran of the film industry, has first-hand experience of the long working hours that cause sleep deprivation. He survived a car accident caused by falling asleep at the wheel on his way home from a movie set.
In the documentary, Wexler suggests that the problems with bad labour conditions extend outside the movie world and into other parts of the mainstream USA labour force, including healthcare and other areas critical to society's functioning.
Wexler's documentary is a call for a 12-hour workday. Crew working within unions and guilds can push for better working conditions, but *Who Needs Sleep* might be best targeted at the wave of independent productions rising with the tide of more affordable digital cinematography.
Wexler himself was a survivor of the McCarthy era blacklist that kept him from working in America from 1950 to 1958. He was also a stalwart of Vietnam-era activism.
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The wave of independent productions rising with the tide of more affordable digital cinematography
Haskell Wexler's documentary movie *Who Needs Sleep* is a cry of objection to widespread labour practices in the mainstream movie-making world in the USA. Wexler suggests that the same problems and wrong mentality regarding bad labour conditions extend outside the movie world into other parts of the mainstream USA labour force, including healthcare and other areas critical to society's functioning.
Wexler, a cameraman behind the lens for films like *One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest* and *Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?*, is a wise veteran of the film industry and a member of the American Society of Cinematographers. He has been nominated for five Oscars and won two of them. He is also a survivor of an automobile accident caused by falling asleep at the wheel on his way home from a movie set.
Wexler has had to put up with the same strenuous working conditions that film crews are often beholden to, specifically long working hours that cause sleep deprivation. In response, he made a movie about it. *Who Needs Sleep* might best be targeted at the wave of independent productions rising with the tide of more affordable digital cinematography. Unfortunately, for all of Wexler's skill and behind-the-camera experience, his production ability is somewhat to be desired. From the rambling narration to the bland and emotionless soundtrack, *Who Needs Sleep* oozes low budget.
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The widespread labour practices part of the mainstream movie-making world in the USA
Haskell Wexler's documentary *Who Needs Sleep?* is a critique of the strenuous working conditions that film crews are often beholden to, specifically long working hours that cause sleep deprivation. Wexler himself has had to endure these conditions, and he survived an automobile accident caused by falling asleep at the wheel on his way home from a movie set. The film calls for a 12-hour workday and is targeted at the wave of independent productions rising with the tide of more affordable digital cinematography.
Wexler suggests that the problems with bad labour conditions extend outside the movie world into other parts of the mainstream USA labour force, including healthcare and other areas critical to society's functioning. He argues that the same wrong mentality regarding poor working conditions is becoming commonplace across industries.
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Wexler's own experience of falling asleep at the wheel after a long day on set
Haskell Wexler, a veteran of the film industry, survived an automobile accident caused by falling asleep at the wheel on his way home from a movie set. This experience inspired him to make a documentary movie titled *Who Needs Sleep?*, which calls for a 12-hour workday and objects to the strenuous working conditions that film crews are often subject to. The film highlights the issue of sleep deprivation in the film industry, as well as in other parts of the mainstream US labour force, including healthcare.
The documentary is a personal and powerful statement from Wexler, who is also a survivor of the McCarthy-era blacklist and a Vietnam-era activist. His union was reportedly unsupportive of his political responses to the issues he faced during his career. Despite his skill and experience, Wexler's production ability has been criticised as lacking, with his narration described as rambling and the soundtrack of *Who Needs Sleep?* as bland and emotionless.
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Frequently asked questions
'Who Needs Sleep?' is a documentary movie by Haskell Wexler.
'Who Needs Sleep?' is about the strenuous working conditions that film crews are often beholden to, specifically long working hours that cause sleep deprivation. Wexler himself has had to put up with these conditions, and was involved in an automobile accident caused by falling asleep at the wheel on his way home from a movie set.
'Who Needs Sleep?' is a cry of objection to widespread labour practices in the mainstream movie-making world in the USA. Wexler suggests that the same problems regarding bad labour conditions extend outside the movie world into other parts of the mainstream USA labour force, including into healthcare and other areas critical to society's survival functioning.
Despite Wexler's skill and behind-the-camera experience, the production quality of 'Who Needs Sleep?' is low. The narration is rambling, and the soundtrack is bland and emotionless.
