Speaking of film, I caught Tom Decillo's Delirious recently and I think it's one of the best films I've seen (behind The Killing Fields) featuring a photographer as a main character. Of course this isn't really saying much. For some reason movies about photographers tend to be bad. They range from absolute crap (Pecker and Blow Up) to mediocre (Salvador, The Year of Living Dangerously, does One Hour Photo count?). It's like the Portland curse. Any Hollywood film made in Portland (GVS is not Hollywood) winds up sucking. The same with photographers. I guess Rear Window and High Art could be placed in the positive column but the photographers in those films don't really act like photographers. There's a passing reference to their livelihood but it's buried in the script and not important to the plot. On the other hand Delirious features a photographer front and center with all his warts and imperfections. He's a paparazzi, a sleazeball, but in the end we see his soft side. As with most of DiCillo's films you need to suspend your disbelief a bit to get through to the end, but I think that's on purpose. His films are meant to be modern fables.
Has anyone else seen a film (documentaries excluded) with a photographer character they'd recommend? Hopefully these last two posts have pissed off enough film buffs to stir up some comments.
7 comments:
I feel ashamed but... Bridges of Madison County.
IMHO "Blow Up" was and is an absolutely great film. More about the big existential questions than the depiction of a photographer's life, but I thought that part was done very well too. If you want to see crap (though it may not rise to that level) see "Fur." Also, I think "Funny Face" was loosely based on Richard Avedon and "Annie Hall" was an amateur photog. Ben.
Thanks for making me go to the IMDB to read about Blowup. The photographs featured in the film were taken by Don McCullin. I didn't know that! Ben.
Pecker is not crap! Check out Proof, an australian (?) film about a blind photographer. Can't say it will remind you of your experience, but it's entertaining.
I took aim at Waters and Antonioni on purpose because they are sacred cows and I knew I'd get a reaction from someone. Sorry, I still don't like their movies much. Haven't seen Fur or Proof or Bridges. Thanks to all for the suggestions.
born into brothels, a documentary about kids learning photography in an Indian slum. pretty good.
City of God! Amazing film based on a true story about a boy who becomes a photographer. Not just a great story, but excellent cinematography as well.
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