Film is a natural evolution of the photograph. At its most basic it is a series of images edited together to form a story given to us by a hybrid of the camera; a video camera. Cinema celebrates capturing the image and sharing it with audiences, which is exactly what photographer Sebastiao Salgado does in Wim Wenders latest bio-documentary, The Salt of the Earth.
A photographer is their dedicated to their work. It may take minutes, often hours, sometimes days to get that perfect shot. Salgado’s fascination with Africa drew him to some beautiful, yet powerful images of war, famine, death and life. Co-directed by his own son Juliano Roberio Salgado we are taken on both an upbeat and heart breaking journey through his father’s, and now his own experiences, as a photographer. This insightful and thoughtful film inspired this look at other photographers in film.
Hitchcock’s Rear Window is of course a clear contender. A photographer breaks his leg and has nothing but his camera (and his uncertain future) to occupy him. That, and the endless amounts of fun spying on his neighbours whilst stuck in a wheelchair. This is until he becomes convinced that one of his neighbours has committed murder, and Jeff (James Stewart) becomes obsessed with looking down his lens and photographing evidence that proves his suspicions are indeed correct.
Becoming consumed by this theory, his girlfriend Lisa, played by Grace Kelly, is becomes an extension to his camera. Jeff’s character is determined and dedicated to his photography, if not coming across a little crazy in the process of letting his broken leg heal. Considering this was shot in the 50’s and before digital cameras waiting for the photos to develop must have been quite a nightmare for someone who can’t get outside his apartment. However his use of his (ever-extending) lenses as super binoculars makes damn sure he, and we, don’t miss out on anything.
Hitchcock plays with the notions of gaze and image throughout. That the first look we have of Lisa is as a framed negative pinpoints her place in his life, alongside the fully developed daredevil photographs of racing cars and the like.
The recent heartfelt, fantasy fuelled comedy that was Ben Stiller’s Secret Life of Walter Mitty also features a prominent photographer. Funny man Stiller plays an introverted photo editor at a magazine who seems to daydream of a far more fulfilling life than he has sitting at his work desk. After losing an important photo negative to be used on the front cover of next month’s issue, Walter takes it upon himself to track down the photographer who took the original played by no other than Sean Penn.
In this enjoyable, warm film, the narrative is inspired on one photograph in particular. National Geographic photographer Marcus Bleasdale lent his famous picture to the film which the filmmakers then photoshopped Sean Penn into, making the photograph integral to the movie.
Interestingly this is all about the origins of the fate of the photographer; focusing on the bare bones of film and negatives in a brightly coloured, effects-laden world of digital cinema. This is all about the magic captured solely through the lens of a camera.
Just as Jeff was obsessed with his neighbour’s whereabouts, in Mark Romanek’s One Hour Photo Savmart worker Sy Parrish becomes obsessed with a suburban family who regularly drop in to have their film developed. This sad and lonely man fantasises about how their life must be through photos he sees of them playing, eating and enjoying family life. Of course, as the old saying goes a picture speaks a thousand words and when Sy discovers something of a secret about the family that changes all the imaginary scenarios in his head.
Featuring a chilling performances from the late Robin Williams, Romanek’s film delves deeply into the mental state of a human being and the truth of the images they choose to remember. He very quickly picks up on the fact that a single photo creates an appearance of someone whether it is the truth or not. It’s a masterful film, and certainly underrated.
Finally we come to Thai horror masterpiece, Shutter. Directors Banjong Pisanthanakum and Parkpoom Wongpoom explore the power of the supernatural in tandem with the power of the camera itself. As previously mentioned, photographs can reveal many things but they can also show things that you would never really notice without the particular attention we can pay to a snapshot. As we follow a young photographer following a tragic accident he starts to notice shadows in the background of his photographs.
Slowly, and brilliantly, the film posits the notion that you can never truly escape your past when the evidence is in these photographs. Using the pictures as the main driving force of the narrative here, the directors illustrate what a powerful hold these photographs have on our lives. Many go through life untouched by how damaging and reputation-destroying just one picture can be – and here it seems it is completely unescapable.
