War Photographer (2001)

Documentary about war photographer James Nachtwey, considered by many the greatest war photographer ever.

Director:

Christian Frei

Stars:

James Nachtwey, Christiane Amanpour, Hans-Hermann Klare

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 6 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
James Nachtwey	...	Photographer
Christiane Amanpour	...	Herself - Chief International Correspondent CNN
Hans-Hermann Klare	...	Foreign Editor STERN Magazine
Christiane Breustedt	...	Editor in Chief GEO SAISON Magazine
Des Wright	...	Cameraman REUTERS
Denis O'Neill	...	Screenwriter / Jim's Best Friend

Storyline

Documentary about war photographer James Nachtwey, considered by many the greatest war photographer ever.

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Plot Keywords:

photographer | emaciation | war journalism | subjective camera | watching tv | 

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Genres:

Documentary | War

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Details

Official Sites:

Official Site (english, german) [Switzerland]

Country:

Switzerland

Language:

English German

Release Date:

2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fotógrafo de Guerra

Filming Locations:

Hamburg, Germany

Company Credits

Production Co:

Christian Frei Filmproductions,Schweizer Fernsehen (FS),Suissimage

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

James Nachtwey: I began to do documentary photographs of poverty which is very widespread in Indonesia. There's terrible poverty. These are people who have jobs, raise families, it's very much a worker's neighbourhood. And this is what they have found themselves in; the longer railway tracks. These are not drug addicts or drop-outs; they work. They're trying to raise their families. They came in from the countryside looking for a better life, and they simply can't afford normal housing. So they build shacks of...

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Connections

Featured in Docventures: Totuus (2014)

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Soundtracks

The River
Composed by Eleni Karaindrou
Performed by String Orchestra
Conducted by Lefteris Halkiadakis (as Lefteris Chalkiadakis)

User Reviews

Moving film, fascinating documentary

The part I liked best about this film is the way it uses Nachtwey's camera to do the actual filming: on top of his still camera, the filmmakers mounted a little movie camera. The end result is that you can watch the scene unfolding as if you were looking through Nachtwey's own lens. Watching as he transforms scenes of violence, chaos, and noise into breathtaking still photographs is fascinating. Any shutterbugs out there will enjoy this movie for that aspect of it alone.

It's also a very moving film--very intense. I certainly can't get through it without tearing up, and when I looked around the theater I saw the same shock and grief on the faces of my fellow moviegoers. The ethos of the film seems to reflect the sentiment behind Nachtwey's own photographs; that is, you don't get the New York Times explanation of who the victims are, who the perpetrators are, or what the socio-political context is. The violence and suffering are presented simply: this thing happened to this person at this moment, and it was awful.

It's not too preachy; the viewer is left to ask her own questions about why and how these things happen. Sometimes all those explanations can obscure the individual lives that are contained in a word like "collateral damage." Nachtwey's photography, and this film, clarify that fact simply by observing it. That's the essence of the best documentary photography, and it's a great reason to see this film.