Ex Libris: The New York Public Library

Released Sep 13, 2017

3h 17m

Documentary

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List

97%

70 Reviews

Tomatometer

61%

250+ Ratings

Audience Score

Filmmakers delve into the New York Public Library, discovering a world of devoted bibliophiles and beneficiaries across 92 branches.

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Critics Consensus

Ex Libris: The New York Public Library adds another remarkable chapter to documentarian Frederick Wiseman's career-long quest for observational excellence.

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Ed Potton

Times (UK)

Hypnotic and illuminating.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 13, 2018

Full Review

Robbie Collin

Daily Telegraph (UK)

For the last half-century, Wiseman has never stopped looking outward. But this could be his unwitting self-portrait.

Rated: 5/5

Jul 12, 2018

Full Review

Geoffrey Macnab

Independent (UK)

Nonetheless, this is a fascinating and painstaking piece of work which provides an extraordinarily thorough picture of its subject.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 11, 2018

Full Review

Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

Even without a voice-over, the 207 minute running time here doesn’t feel punishing at all…it’s Wiseman’s intent that makes Ex Libris so compelling…

Rated: 4/5

May 13, 2023

Full Review

Daniel de Partearroyo

Cinemanía (Spain)

An extraordinary portrait of the institution in the present time and looking towards the future. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 4/5

May 18, 2020

Full Review

Steven Prokopy

Third Coast Review

In one of Wiseman's finest modern works, we are reminded of the democratic nature of libraries, and how all religions, political ideas, races and classes are represented on equal footing within.

May 14, 2020

Full Review

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Frances H

Interesting, but a bit too much without structure for me and too long. The best parts were how young students learn to use it.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/08/19

Full Review

Audience Member

too little internal structure, lacked identification of people speaking

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

Full Review

Audience Member

In a word: torturous. In several words: an exercise in interminable arbitrariness. It's not the 3.5 hours - I prepared to enjoy and in-depth examination of the NYPL, after all - rather, it's the categorically uninformative, maddeningly unattributed nature of it. What's the point of holding the camera overlong on innumerable lectures from authors and musicians - don't expect to be told who they are, by the way - and interspersing them with pointless and, again, utterly arbitrary shots of street corners, a handicapped or homeless person, somebody taking a picture of something, another person asleep in his chair, a traffic light..? I mean, huh? Besides the agonzingly, bafflingly out of context scenes of the library staff meetings, mostly the higher level administrators yammering on about this or that socio-economic-political red tape nonsense that everyone copes with at their own job. I don't know, if the director thought he somehow demonstrated the depth and breadth of the library's influence or the part it plays in the life of the city, well, sort of. It seems to me he just said "roll tape" and walked away. A frustrating snore.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/14/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Fascinating subject matter, but it's in dire need of editing; I fell asleep about 2-1/2 hours in, during a too-long filmed staff meeting.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/23/23

Full Review

david f

An excellent, stripped-down documentary about the New York Public Library. From the boardroom to the reference desk, this film presents, without narration or commentary of any sort, a glimpse of the many activities of the library's staff and patrons. There are beautiful shots of the main branch, job fairs, books being sorted, deaf patrons learning to read braille, and on and on, for over 3 hours. It's actually riveting and there is a bit of humour here and there, like the fire fighter speaking at the job fair and describing how he found himself delivering a baby followed by a border control agent with a lame presentation that would appeal only to those in desperate need of a job. Also interesting, just how fatuous and extraneous the administration seems to be, based on their meetings.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A fascinating look at one of the largest public library systems in the country. It reminds us that libraries are living organisms that serve to help people gain knowledge rather than warehouses for books, as some might think.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/15/23

Full Review

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Frederick Wiseman

Director

Ta-Nehisi Coates

Actor

Elvis Costello

Actor

Richard Dawkins

Actor

Patti Smith

Actor

Khalil Gibran Muhammad

Actor

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Ex Libris: The New York Public Library: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Filmmakers delve into the New York Public Library, discovering a world of devoted bibliophiles and beneficiaries across 92 branches.

Director: Frederick Wiseman
Producer: Karen Konicek
Screenwriter: Frederick Wiseman
Distributor: Zipporah Films
Production Co: Ex Libris Films
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 13, 2017, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 8, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $42.0K
Runtime: 3h 17m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)