'I Shall Return'

Gone Fishin': I hate leaving TOP alone for as much as a day, much less a week, but I'm taking some time off to recharge my batteries and, cliché of clichés, work on my novel. I've given myself a deadline of one year to finish my attempt at a thriller, and, despite being a preposterously front-loaded work project with a ludicrously low prospect of ever paying off, I've decided to do it, just for the experience. Like seeing the Grand Canyon. Which I have also never done, unless seeing it from 28,000 feet on the way to L.A. counts.

It's possible that when I get to the second draft I'll post it here, chapter by chapter, so I can get feedback. (That presumes I'll get the first draft draft done, though, which is a big presumption. As we used to say when I was a kid, don't hold your breath or you'll turn blue and die.)

So, anyway, TOP will be quiet for a week. But, like some sort of Socialist-Internationalist-Environmentalist* MacArthur**, "I shall return."

Note that comments will not be posted in the interim. I have to go cold turkey, albeit temporarily.

Photo by Vanessa Winship

Vanessa Winship: Regular readers might recall that Vanessa Winship is one of my favorite contemporary photographers (based mainly on her book Schwarzes Meer [Black Sea], which still can't be purchased in the U.S. but is now available in the U.K. and can mostly be seen online [see "Black Sea: Between Chronicle and Fiction" parts 1 and 2]). Amazingly, she's having her very first U.S. show in the city right next door to me, Milwaukee, at Deb Brehmer's Portrait Society gallery. The opening is on Friday, July 23rd, from 6 to 9 p.m. I understand Vanessa will not be there, although she might come for a visit during the run of the show.

The Portrait Society is located in Milwaukee’s Third Ward on the fifth floor of the Marshall Building, 207 E. Buffalo Street, Milwaukee, Wis., 53202. Call 414/870-9930 for information, or see the gallery's blog.

Also opening the same night is John Shimon and Julie Lindemann's "Real Photo Postcard Survey." I don't really know a great deal about this interesting pair of artistic collaborators, but I own, and like, their quirky, thoughtful little book of portraiture, Unmasked and Anonymous (available in the U.S. and in the U.K.).

BP Propaganda: AmericaBlog has been following the dispiriting but oddly entertaining saga of BP's hamhanded attempts to create plausible propaganda photographs to illustrate its narrative of the "American Chernobyl" it created in the Gulf of Mexico. I could do a better job of Photoshop than this, and I'm no good at all with photo illustration techniques.

Quick, how many submarines in Idaho? Did you know Stan Banos got an Amex Grant?

Photo by Phil Davis

Phil Davis online: Fred Newman, who is truly a nice man, has put up a small portfolio by our late mutual friend Phil Davis, of a selection of the environmental portraits Phil did in and around the town of Dexter, Michigan, mostly in the '70s. Phil was mainly known as an educator, textbook author, and the developer of Beyond the Zone System, which takes Ansel Adams and Fred Archer's fairly crude Zone System to a much more rigorous level as sensitometry. But he was also quite a talented and certainly an accomplished photographer, a fact that is too little known because his philosophical stance was that the pleasure in photography was in the process rather than the result. His commercial advertising photographs of Detroit automobiles from the 1950s and 1960s were wonderful.

Quite coincidentally, as a professor of photography at the University of Michigan he taught Peter and David Turnley.

Piff Paff Puff: I saw a really nice little movie a few nights ago, streamed from Netflix. The title in English is "Everlasting Moments," a phrase which refers to photographs. Photography plays a very prominent part in the story, although it's really a feminist film in the best sense. It recounts the true story told by Maja Larsson, an elderly and distant relative of the director, about her parents, especially her mother, Maria, who, despite heavy domestic responsibilities and an abusive husband, attempted to "find herself" as both a creative and an independent individual by learning and practicing photography.

Stories that are true can have a bracing effect on movies, because reality is a bad writer. Revenge is never quite satisfying, bad characters have their good sides, longed-for events never come about, characters persist in not doing what we can very plainly see they should do, latent romances are never fulfilled, and the wrong people die in the end. Any screenwriter worth his union card wouldn't have been able to resist torquing this story around into sentimentalist piffle. Reality insists on throwing wrench after wrench into the plotline. It keeps the film from falling into formula, gives the narrative a useful awkwardness. I like that.

"Everlasting Moments" (the original title is "Maria Larssons eviga ögonblick") is a 2008 film by the Swedish director Jan Troell, in Swedish, with subtitles. It will seem European to people used to Hollywood—especially Hollywood lately. One internet troglodyte I encountered called it a "mopefest," which presumably means that although it has explosions, carnality, and violence against women, it doesn't have enough explosions, carnality, and violence against women. It does indeed move at a slowish pace, though, and takes time to linger on the purely photographically beautiful, which many directors would dare not do these days. The film was shot on 16mm converted to 35mm to heighten the period feeling, but I think it adds to the photographic interest of the cinematography.

Anyway, assuming you typically don't lack patience for langorously-paced movies with subtitles, warmly recommended. It would probably make most anybody's list of the top ten movies about photography or for photographers.

László Kovács

Addie and Mose, one more time: And finally, speaking of cinematography...purely on a whim, I watched Peter Bogdanovitch's "Paper Moon" again last night. It remains a curious movie, a genre-bender, but I've always liked the fact that it is sentimental, humorous, lyrical, and elegiac while at the same time remaining resolutely amoral. (Such a movie today might be the opposite—harder, more bitter, much more graphic, but sanctimonious.) The combination is just as odd—and as oddly satisfying—as it ever was. A highly structured meander, it never resolves half its story lines, never relinquishes its McGuffins (we never do find out for sure whether Addie is Mose's illegitimate child), and never implies a well-adjusted transition to adulthood in store for Addie, who is, really, a harder criminal at nine than her guardian has the stones to be.

It's also as amazing as it ever was to see an entire movie carried by the virtuoso acting performance of such a young child. To this day Tatum O'Neal remains the youngest-ever winner of a major acting Oscar—and one of the most deserving.

(If you want to read more, there's an informative review at DVD Verdict—although, naturally, it talks about the no-longer-current Paramount DVD.)

I might insert something here like "I wish they still made movies like this," but of course they never did. Even Bogdanovitch's other movies most like this one—"The Last Picture Show" and his attempted reprise with the O'Neals, "Nickelodeon"—are nothing like it.

The reason for photographers to watch it? For the cinematography of the great László Kovács. (Himself the subject of a movie I want to see, called "No Subtitles Necessary.") Although a trifle overlit in spots—possibly the result of the director's intent to mimic the look of real '30s films—generally it is coolly elegant, influenced more by Dorothea Lange and the FSA than by the excesses of film noire. If you have any fondness for the great American interior or harbor any nostalgia for the 1930s, "Paper Moon" is surely one of the prettiest movies ever put on film.

See you in a week, and thank you for reading my site.

Mike
(Thanks to Oren Grad, Bob Burnett, and Art Elkon)

*John Camp's fond (?) epithet for me.
**Only without the shades, cool hat, and corncob pipe.

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Original contents copyright 2010 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved.

Comments

[David Miller]

I hope you have a good break, Mike. I'm looking forward to the novel because I like your writing. I read TOP cover-to-cover (or whatever is the on-line equivalent) whatever the topic. (TOPic?) It's refreshing to read intelligent and elegant prose.

-- David

[robert e]

The thing about the Grand Canyon is that even when you see it, you won't believe your eyes; so why bother? It just looks unrealistic. The only way to convince yourself that it's real is to walk down to the bottom. Fine. Except, who wants to climb back up?

Enjoy fishing! (And thanks for the movie recommendations.)

[Dave Karp]

Enjoy your time off! And thanks.

[Animesh Ray]

Bon Voyage, happy fishin'...whatever! Have a nice break, and don't work too hard on that thriller...really, take a real break :-)

[Kosch]

"The great American Novel" is ridiculously cliche, but you would be surprised how many of us try to do it. I am 7 years and 1000+ pages into mine, and I know that because of limited time, I may finish mine around 10 years from now... (10 years since 2003 also, ugh). Thriller or biography, keep plugging away Mike. There isn't enough out there to spend money on.
Kosch

[John Krumm]

Great set of posts. I happened to watch Everlasting Moments last week, after scouring Netflix Watch Instantly for anything photographic. Quite enjoyable, and made me wish I had a few glass plates drying in the window. I also caught "The Modernism of Julius Shulman," and then via the mailbox, "William Eggleston in the Real World," not great but interesting.

[Jim in Denver]

Good Luck, and fair sailing, may you be awash in a sea of good pages!

[Rod Graham]

In answer to your question about how many submarines in Idaho, the answer is: It's classified. See: http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=3191

Rod G.

[Len Salem]

Paper Moon also impressed me when I saw it a long time ago and although I've forgotten the details of the story, I clearly remember its characters and atmosphere. Also UK readers may like to know that "Everlasting Moments" is available for rental at www.easycinema.com, with whom I have no connection other than as a satisfied customer.

[Thespiralquirk]

Have a thoroughly wonderful break and can I suggest that, if you haven't already done so, you check out Shooting The Past.

[Jim Witkowski]

Ahhh!!! What am I going to do in the mornings for the next week?

When you want to take the plunge and visit the Canyon, I'd love to drag you around the place. I promise I won't make you go to the bottom.

[Jeff Glass]

Vanessa Winship, Paper Moon, Everlasting Moments. Thanks for leaving me with some assignments, teach.

[Bahi]

I met Vanessa Winship last year after reading about her here and seeing her site (the one that was briefly toppled by TOP readers) and found her charming and humble. Eugene Richards was about to deliver a talk and slideshow; I was in a VIP seat because I'd put an advert into a magazine and she was in the VIP seat to me because she's a terrific photographer but from her modest attitude and general niceness, you'd almost have thought it was the other way around.

Have a great holiday!

[James Rhem]

Mike,

Movies about photography and photographers. I used three in the course I taught here in Madison on "the impact of photography" last semester. I had six lined up but you can only show so many movies and still be taken seriously as a college teacher. I'll list my movies at the end of this, but what I want right now is the help of TOP finding a copy of "A Marriage: Georgie O'Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz" broadcast on PBS in 1991. Everyone I know who saw it raves about it, but I didn't see it and I can't find a copy ANYWHERE. I've written to PBS, posted a plea on IMDB, etc. Surely someone out there in TOP land has a copy???

The three movies I showed were "Proof" (the Australian film), "Camera Buff" by Kieslowski and "Medium Cool" (1968) by Haskell Wexler. I thought of showing "Blow Up" and "One-Hour Photo" and a few others, but . . these three were the best.

James Rhem

[Keith Loh]

A few years ago at the Vancouver International Film Festival I came across a nice Japanese film called "Sway" which is a kind of psychological mystery. It's about a successful Japanese fashion photographer who comes back to his small village for a family funeral and immediately becomes involved with the one girl his homely elder brother has a crush on. Then in a fateful outing, he sees his older brother push the girl off a rope bridge to her death. The rest of the movie becomes a sort of "Rashomon" where the photographer is struggling to reconcile his vision and memory of the fateful event with the emotional history he shares with his brother and family. Powerful film. There isn't a lot of photography in it but what I recall was that the actor obviously was either a photographer or had been trained well. Some nice camera porn in it.

[Julian]

MacArthur would look oh-so-cool if it wasn't for the ludicrous pipe. It's just so wrong on many levels.

Anyway, Grand Canyon: I went to see it after seeing some of the other marvels of the Colorado Plateau - Bryce, Zion, Coyote Buttes, Monument Valley - and after those it just looked like a vast hole in the ground. Rather like an open-cast mine but with loads of tourists* everywhere. I'm afraid I was somewhat underwhelmed. On reflection, perhaps the North Rim would have been more spectacular and perhaps Thanksgiving Day was the wrong time for a visit, too....

*Yes I know. I'm not a tourist, dammit, I'm a photographer ;^)

[Roger Bradbury]

Whaddaya mean, yer having a week off? What, a whole week?

(Says he who is half way through a five week holiday in Australia)

Mike, I hope you have a good time and I will look forward to your reappearance with your batteries fully charged and gently bubbling. I'm at 13.2 volts and holding at the moment.

[Christopher Lane]

Who do you think you are? John Sanford? The audacity!

[Rana]

Have fun on your break!

[Damon Schreiber]

Have a great week off. And I echo (and perhaps exceed) your praise of Everlasting Moments. I found it immensely satisfying and deserving of at least a Best Foreign Film nomination. Probably the best film about photography I've ever seen.

[Eolake Stobblehouse]

I'm reminded of a Swedish movie I once attempted to see. It was like the winner of a contest to out-Bergman Bergman. Typical scene: A man sitting on a bed, a pregnant woman leaning on a window sill. Both in tattered clothes. Everything is poor and dingy and dark. The minutes pass, and the, very slowly, the man turns his head slightly and says: "it's going to be a bad winter".
You get it.

[Lyle]

How fitting the Devil Ship sail is in the park in Arco, ID... a lot of nuclear reactor training for Naval personnel has been conducted in the middle of that desert since the late 50's. The first city powered by atomic energy, Arco is a tiny town with a big historic moniker. Additionally other functioning subs are at Lake Pend O'Rielle in northern ID, where Farragut (Bayview) training facility was operating in WWII... and technically ID has a port - Lewiston, inspite of being landlocked.

[Al Benas]

Thanks for calling "Everlasting Moments" to our attention. My wife (nonphotographer) and I (photographer) watched it last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. That movie, along with "Seraphine" - about a French charwoman/painter (also true), prove to me that cinematography can be a fine art medium. Both movies are beautifully shot and a joy to watch. What a sad commentary on our culture that "beauty" takes a back seat to "bang" and the story line is secondary.