Ahh, OK ... I can certainly understand that. I've seen the film two or three times, and couldn't understand what you meant, as I thought you may have been talking about Nachtwey.
The ting is, as seen in the film, it struck me that his life was kind of empty. For example, when he returned home from a trip abroad, there was no one to meet him, his office and studio appeared to be devoid of anything other than that which directly related to his work - no art on the walls, no artifacts, nick-knacks. Apart from a comment by a women that he at one time had a relationship with, there seemed to be little that he had in the way of a personal life. Maybe the intent of the film was to show but one aspect of his career - that of being a photographer in certain situations - but if that was the case, then the film was lacking, for a person is the sum of their parts, and those personal parts help forge who we are and how we may go about our careers. There was little or nothing of his history that I recall - nothing that really showed how he formed his affinity for what he photographs, nothing about his youth. Where was he born? Where did he grow up? When did he first get a camera or show an interest in photography. While it may not have been the scope of the film to show those things, it would have been nice to know more about the man behind the camera. Nachtwey came across as a solitary, guarded person, a craftsman with a camera, but somewhat one-dimensional. I may have to see the film again - perhaps I missed something or am forgetting something. However, I recall making a similar comment to Bob Walkden after I first saw the film, while my memory was still fresh. If you think about some of the other great photographers of the same and similar genre - Lange, Smith, Capa, HCB, Salgado, etc., you realize that we know a lot about them and their history and lives before, during, and outside of their craft. Shel > [Original Message] > From: David Savage > Don't get me wrong, the documentary was well made. The photos, I > thought, were really very good, and Jim Nachtwey came across as > compassionate man trying to share his experiences. > > But the horrors & injustices that mankind repeatedly inflicts on > itself is kinda' depressing.
