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Movies about Photography

I haven’t seen most of these, so feel free to add any reviews to the comments.

Documentary:

1: War Photographer (James Nachtwey)

2: An American Journey: In Robert Frank’s Footsteps

3: The Photographers Series: Debbie Fleming Caffery

4: Manufactured Landscapes (US Edition) (Edward Burtynsky)

5: Berenice Abbott: A View of the 20th Century

6: Tierney Gearon: The Mother Project

7: The Decisive Moment (Henri Cartier-Bresson)

8: Pictures from a Revolution (Susan Meiselas)

9: Helmut Newton: Frames from the Edge

10: Toward the Margin of Life (Cornell Capa)

11: Born into Brothels (Children in India)

12: The Adventure of Photography (Various)

13: Ralph Gibson: Photographer/ Book Artist

14: Aaron Siskind

15: What Remains: The Life and Work of Sally Mann

16: American Masters – Richard Avedon: Darkness and Light

17: Masters of Photography – Diane Arbus

18: Strand: Under the Dark Cloth (Paul Strand)

19: Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Impassioned Eye

20: Photographer: Alfred Eisenstaedt

21: Masters of Photography – André Kertesz

22: W. Eugene Smith: Photography Made Difficult

23: Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens

24: Masters of Photography – Edward Steichen

25: Contacts, Vol. 1: The Great Tradition of Photojournalism (Various)

26: Contacts, Vol. 2: The Renewal of Contemporary Photography (Various)

27: Contacts, Vol. 3: Conceptual Photography (Various)

28: American Masters – Alfred Stieglitz: The Eloquent Eye

29: John Szarkowski: A Life in Photography

30: William Eggleston In the Real World

31: Peter Beard: Scrapbooks From Africa & Beyond

32: American Photography (Various)

33: Half Past Autumn – The Life and Works of Gordon Parks

34: National Geographic’s The Photographers (Various)

35: Ansel Adams – A Documentary Film

36: Shooting Robert King

37: The Genius of Photography

A Few Movies with Varying Levels of Connectivity to Photography:

1: Salvador (Special Edition)

2: Rear Window

3: Under Fire

4: Proof

5: Apocalypse Now Redux

6: The Year of Living Dangerously

7: Blow Up

8: Gentlemen’s Relish

9: High Art

10: The Public Eye

11: City of God

12: Harrison’s Flowers

13: Pecker

36 Comments

  1. James wrote:

    always been partial to Peeping Tom

    Monday, November 30, 2009 at 9:37 am | Permalink
  2. Dave wrote:

    “La Jetee” by Chris Marker, and “The Gleaners and I” by Agnes Martin would both be great choices. They fall under the second category, of being connected to Photography in a sideways manner

    Monday, November 30, 2009 at 11:43 am | Permalink
  3. Dave wrote:

    Sorry, I meant Agnes Varda. getting my Art Stars mixed up early in the morning

    Monday, November 30, 2009 at 11:44 am | Permalink
  4. matjazz wrote:

    Memento (2000) – Fantastic movie!!!
    Shortbus (2006)- Erotic, great!
    Baba Yaga (1973) – Funny movie! ;)

    Have you watched all the listed movies…? City of gods, Rear window, Blow up, Apocaylipse now are fantastic!

    Monday, November 30, 2009 at 1:40 pm | Permalink
  5. Jameson wrote:

    Only seen a few of these, war photographer, manufactured landscapes are great. Don McCullin did all the prints for the movie Blow up.

    Monday, November 30, 2009 at 1:44 pm | Permalink
  6. matjazz wrote:

    Uff, you have to watch movies that I mentioned below! City of gods is one of the top 5 movies of all for me…

    Monday, November 30, 2009 at 1:55 pm | Permalink
  7. Thanks so much for the comments. City of God is great movie. Apocalypse Now and Rear Window too.

    best,
    jp

    Monday, November 30, 2009 at 2:46 pm | Permalink
  8. blake wrote:

    Pretty Baby by Louis Malle and Delirious by Tom DiCillo are both good films about photographers. Everyone says Blow Up is a masterpiece but I thought it was crap.

    Monday, November 30, 2009 at 5:40 pm | Permalink
  9. Sydney wrote:

    I have watched 3 of these movies tonight. Thank you for the recommendations–

    Monday, November 30, 2009 at 9:14 pm | Permalink
  10. Chad wrote:

    I’d like to toss a favorite of mine into the mix… Full Metal Jacket by Stanley Kubrick.

    Tuesday, December 1, 2009 at 1:51 am | Permalink
  11. Great to see a list of movies of photography!! Thank you!

    May I also suggest Memento Mori/Self Portrait about Roger Ballen (http://www.photoeye.com/bookstore/citation.cfm?Catalog=ID813) – european DVD (region 2) I’m afraid, but good!

    Tuesday, December 1, 2009 at 6:41 am | Permalink
  12. Pete Brook wrote:

    We absolutely cannot forget STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE by Errol Morris.

    http://www.sonyclassics.com/standardoperatingprocedure/

    It is an essential examination of the role of the photographs in the Abu Ghraib scandal and consequent military tribunals, including interviews with the privates who took the digital photographs.

    Tuesday, December 1, 2009 at 3:41 pm | Permalink
  13. Great list, btw. See also “Reporters”, by Raymond Depardon, covering the work of photojournalists from Gamma agency. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082986/

    Tuesday, December 1, 2009 at 7:44 pm | Permalink
  14. Mick Cottin wrote:

    I’m a big fan of the 1986 academy award nominated documentary STREETWISE. Portrays the lives of the same children featured in Mary Ellen Mark’s book by the same title. Only available on video cassette tape!

    Tuesday, December 1, 2009 at 8:06 pm | Permalink
  15. great additions. Thanks!

    best,
    jp

    Tuesday, December 1, 2009 at 10:16 pm | Permalink
  16. Emon wrote:

    Great list. Perhaps Brian de Palma’s ‘Femme Fatale’ is a candidate?

    Wednesday, December 2, 2009 at 12:46 am | Permalink
  17. There are some beautiful movies/documentaries in this list, but John Waters’ “Pecker” is the only one that will make you laugh.

    Wednesday, December 2, 2009 at 1:35 am | Permalink
  18. Page Level wrote:

    I watched William Eggleston in the Real World at Snag Films for free: http://tinyurl.com/nkerqe

    I liked it just because I find Eggleston such a fascinating character.

    Wednesday, December 2, 2009 at 3:21 pm | Permalink
  19. matjazz wrote:

    Uff… I just remembered one more… One hour photo… with Robin Williams!

    Thursday, December 3, 2009 at 1:43 pm | Permalink
  20. there is another Eggleston doc called WIlliam Eggleston:Photographer. Came out last year. Haven’t seen it.
    http://www.microcinemadvd.com/product/DVD/910/William_Eggleston_Photographer.html

    Arakimentari doc about Nobuyoshi Araki
    http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Arakimentari/70032360?strackid=692b3a042a00c9c4_2_srl&strkid=905983488_2_0&lnkctr=srchrd-sr&trkid=222336

    Line of Beauty and Grace: A Documentary about Jock Sturges
    http://www.amadelio.org/jock_sturges/sturges_documentary_dvd.htm

    People*Love*Photos
    http://www.amadelio.org/berkeley_carucci_rose/berkeley_carucci_rose_film_dvd_about.htm

    The Nicole Kidman Diane Arbus flick Fur.

    Friday, December 4, 2009 at 10:22 pm | Permalink
  21. Kent wrote:

    Spectre of Hope about Sebastião Salgado’s book Migrations is amazing and eye opening. It’s available on Google video.

    Thursday, December 24, 2009 at 10:37 pm | Permalink
  22. Kelley wrote:

    Richard Avedon inspired Funny Face. And Road to Perdition has a Weegee-like character. More tangentially, there’s Roman Holiday and La Dolce Vita, whose celebrity photographer, Paparazzo, inspired the word “paparazzi.”

    Friday, December 25, 2009 at 12:22 am | Permalink
  23. pdc wrote:

    I think Candice Bergen’s brilliant cameo as Margaret Bourke White in Sir Richard Attenborough’s “Gandhi” does deserve a mention.

    Friday, December 25, 2009 at 1:10 am | Permalink
  24. Risa wrote:

    Another good movie related to photography is Cherry Crush directed by Nicholas DiBella. It’s a great, sexy movie!

    Friday, December 25, 2009 at 4:58 pm | Permalink
  25. fuusti wrote:

    The Julia Roberts/Natalie Portman/Clive Owen/Jude Law film, CLOSER by Mike Nichols! it’s amazing :)

    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0376541/

    Saturday, December 26, 2009 at 8:44 am | Permalink
  26. Paul Conrad wrote:

    “Dying to Tell The Story” about photojournalist Dan Eldon and how he was killed in Somalia.

    “Mountain Light” by Galen Rowell.

    “Moment of Impact: Stories of Pulitzer Prize Photographs.”

    “Sebastiao Salgado: Looking Back at You.”

    “W. Eugene Smith: Photography Made Difficult.”

    “The Public Eye,” Joe Pesci plays a Weegee inspired character in NYC during World War II.

    Saturday, December 26, 2009 at 12:47 pm | Permalink
  27. mike wrote:

    Manufactured Landscapes is brilliant!

    Sunday, January 10, 2010 at 11:36 pm | Permalink
  28. Pete Brook wrote:

    Incredible late on these three, but …

    PIRKLE JONES: SEVEN DECADES PHOTOGRAPHED
    http://www.fotofinishfilms.com/open.PJ.html

    BLACK, WHITE AND GRAY, PORTRAIT OF SAM WAGSTAFF AND ROBERT MAPPLETHORPE
    http://www.blackwhitegray.com/

    MY EYES WERE FRESH: THE LIFE AND PHOTOGRAPHS OF JOHN GUTMANn
    http://www.johngutmann.org/film.html

    Monday, January 11, 2010 at 1:41 pm | Permalink
  29. Bob O'Connor wrote:

    I don’t see this movie about Abelardo Morell on the list yet – http://www.shadowofthehouse.com

    Friday, January 29, 2010 at 10:52 am | Permalink
  30. “A lost man” (un homme perdu) inspired by Antoine D’Agata’s life who was on the set of the film giving direction about his character.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3UAcjBQdks

    Also still about Antoine D’Agata:

    “Aka Ana”, D’Agata first movie:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5yMHDOMrzM

    The cambodian Room:

    http://www.cambodianroom.net/wp/trailer/

    Friday, January 29, 2010 at 12:01 pm | Permalink
  31. Tina wrote:

    James, this is a great list. I think I mentioned “Photo Wallahs” before, a documentary by David and Judith MacDougall about photo studios and photography in Mussoorie.

    http://www.berkeleymedia.com/catalog/berkeleymedia/films/arts_humanities/photo_wallahs

    Friday, January 29, 2010 at 12:21 pm | Permalink
  32. Jin wrote:

    Just saw this in the video store, but haven’t checked it out yet:

    Street Dog of Tokyo: Daido Moriyama
    http://www.newpeopleartistseries.com/moriyama.html

    Saturday, January 30, 2010 at 5:09 pm | Permalink
  33. Jin wrote:

    Oops, Stray Dog, rather.

    Saturday, January 30, 2010 at 5:11 pm | Permalink
  34. Daniel68 wrote:

    I highly recommend “Heavenly Forrest” (Tada, kimi wo aishiteru) by Japanese director Takehiko Shinjo.

    It’s a bittersweet lovestory about two young students who are connected by their passion for photography, and photography plays a prominent role throughout the movie. The female lead character is played by Aoi Miyazaki, who is not just a very talented actress and the epitome of cuteness, but an avid photographer in real life as well.

    To learn more about Heavenly Forest, see the review by Calvin McMillin on YesAsia.com:
    http://www.yesasia.com/global/heavenly-forest-dvd-hong-kong-version/1010701737-0-0-0-en/info.html

    Saturday, January 30, 2010 at 10:58 pm | Permalink
  35. mari wrote:

    there was a wonderful and accurate passage on photography in Bloom Brother 2009

    Sunday, February 21, 2010 at 9:10 am | Permalink
  36. MonkeyPaw2u wrote:

    How can you leave out Midnight Meat Train based on Clive Barker’s short story. This is a fantastic horror movie focused on fine art photography with a little sense of photojournalism thrown in and the ending couldn’t be better.

    Wednesday, April 28, 2010 at 5:17 pm | Permalink

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