Henri Cartier-Bresson
|
This marvelous film about the French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson begins with a question mark, and while many of the questions posed remain unanswered, this documentary is a work of art. Filmed in color to resemble black and white, like the photographs for which Cartier-Bresson is so famous, this 1994 production captures the way in which he took quick photographs, with the rhythm and mood of the sequence of images.
At times the piece is playful, with voices intoning critical viewpoints of him as a person and artist. Many of his best-known images are included in this 37-minute documentary. What surprises, however, is his life-long passion and interest in drawing. He takes sketches of masterpieces, of landscapes, of people. Speaking in English and also in French, with subtitles that summarize what he says, he comments on his art, noting that "you don't take a photograph, it's a photograph that catches you," and that "geometry is my greatest joy."
While he finds portraiture the most difficult genre in photography, his portraits are evocative and capture what he looks for in a person, namely "the silence." Clips of films he directed are included that make it clear that his strength lies in what he calls "reportage," or documenting rather than creating a fictional narrative. Filmed with great sensitivity, this documentary avoids a chronological format, rather it is a sketch, in keeping with the artist's own work, and it's a rare treat and will appeal to everyone who enjoys a work of art. --Anne Barclay Morgan |
Annie Leibovitz: Celebrity Photographer
|
Produced in 1993, this documentary depicts the development of Annie Leibovitz's career as a celebrity photographer, which she began after studying painting at the San Francisco Art Institute. Giving up a position as staff photographer at Rolling Stone magazine, she went on tour with Mick Jagger, and the photographs of this period reveal the anguish and torment of being a famous musician.
This documentary also emphasizes the artistic and metaphorical nature of her portraits: a naked John Lennon embraces Yoko Ono dressed in black just hours before he was murdered; Clint Eastwood stands, but is bound up by a rope; Whoopee Goldberg is captured in a bathtub with legs, arms, and laughing face protruding out of soapy water. At times the photographer's inspiration comes from the person she is portraying, such as when Keith Haring paints a room and then paints his nude body to match the room. We see footage of how she pursues a shot for the cover of Vanity Fair, setting up her equipment in various locations to take provocative photographs of Demi Moore. A naked Demi Moore is painted with a blue suit, while Leibovitz anxiously waits to take the photographs.
Produced for London Weekend Television, this 51-minute-long program contains nudity and explicit language, and also talks about the photographer's drug addiction. Nevertheless, through this gifted photographer's vision we get a sweeping view of the 1970s and '80s in the celebrity worlds of music, acting, and politics. --Anne Barclay Morgan |
Helmut Newton: Frames from the Edge
|
From the Back Cover
Audacious and controversial, Helmut Newton raised the nude photograph to an art form. Born in Berlin in 1920, Newton always wanted to be a photographer. He has specialized in photographing women, giving them a uniquely stylized and glossy look. He is highly sought after for fashion photography and portraits of celebrities. This fascinating program shows Newton at work in the society centers of the world. It also features the photographer talking about his life and work, and interviews several of his famous subjects. |
Richard Avedon: Darkness and Light
|
Vividly portrayed in this American Masters Special, photographer Richard Avedon shoots for two different worlds. Primarily, he is a fashion photographer, having worked for various magazines for more than 50 years. Of particular note is the description of photographing Natassja Kinski, a shoot that took two hours of her lying naked on a cement floor as they tried to coax a snake up her body.
As a fashion photographer, Avedon became known for his sense of movement and the energy he captured in each image; he gets exquisite models to leap, move, and flip their hair. His second, and perhaps lesser-known, body of work is art photography, including portraits of the famous and the unknown, with a signature style of photographing his sitters on a white background with no props.
This documentary ably captures the tension between these two directions in his work by overlaying the positive and negative viewpoints about his photography in a collage of voiceovers. We learn how Avedon views his role as a photographer, and that for him the end result captures "the death of the moment." Also included are the controversial images of his dying father. This program aptly depicts this highly creative man exposed through his work as vulnerable, obsessed, and a perfectionist. This 81-minute-long program will interest a broad audience, from those interested in fashion, people of our times, the history of the 20th century, artists and art historians, and photography in general. --Anne Barclay Morgan |
W. Eugene Smith: Photography Made...
|
W. Eugene Smith: Photography Made Difficult (1989) |
|