The Camera That Changed the World (2011) User Reviews

Fascinating, Engrossing, Intriguing and Thought-Provoking (and all because of a camera...)

[the23rdjoker · 10/10 · 11 August 2011]

This is a documentary that charts the invention and innovation of the hand-held camera. Wait, wait, wait, don't go away just yet! I know how that might sound (boring as hell), but stay with me. While to some people this film's subject may seem like something they'd cross the road to go watch "Transformers 3" instead, this is a film that - if you give it the time - will surprise, inform and delight you...especially if you're a film-maker (aspiring or otherwise). These days, the mention of a camera being hand-held is something we all take for granted, seeing as we all own a hand-held camera (with varying degrees of picture quality) on - at the very least - our mobile phones, and we've all seen innumerable movies that use the hand-held technique (particularly the films of Paul Greengrass, for example). But by the end of this film, you'll come to realise that without the ingenuity and imagination of these pioneers of film-making (yes, that sounds pretentious, I know, but in this case, they truly are pioneers), we wouldn't be able to pick up our little camcorders and iPhones and whatever other doohickeys we can use these days to film whatever we want, whenever we want. The film starts with the early days of the camera - when they practically weighed a ton, could only be used on tripods, the sound equipment had to be carried by two men or more, and the documentaries that were produced by the cameras looked like those 'old public information film' sketches on "Harry Enfield and Chums" - and continues through to looking at the French, British and American film-makers who needed to be liberated from this oppressive camera, so began on two initially differing - but eventually converging - paths, to create a camera that could move with the camera's operator, and follow and film whomever the operator felt the inclination to follow. During this time, the camera revolution - and the documentary itself -covers everything from the origins of JFK's path to the presidency, to French cinema verite', and beyond, without ever being rushed or prolonged, boring or uninformative. Anything else there is to say about "The Camera That Changed The World" would likely spoil and detract from all that the film has to offer, so I'll stop here, and finish by saying this is a highly recommended, highly classy documentary that should you get the chance to watch it, you should certainly do so...