The Genius Of Photography

[poliphilo]

The BBC's new history of photography isn't definitive- it leaves out too much- but it's insightful and full of nuggety bits of information.  Fox Talbot invented the calotype because he couldn't draw. There are still people taking daguerrotypes because they love the intensity and the shininess. Nadar's direct and incisive portraits of artists have never been bettered (I'll second that). Pictures of crime scenes taken by turn of the century NYC policemen prove the inherent genius of the medium. While Edwardian artist photographers were pretending to be Whistler it was the careless, snap-happy amateurs, like Lartigue, who drove the medium forwards.



George Sand by Nadar

Comments

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I've missed out on that movie. I need to track it down. I'm very fond of Emma Thompson (though she doesn't look the least bit like the real George Sand).

[karenkay.livejournal.com]

OOPS!!! Right movie, wrong actress! Well, neither of them look like the real George Sand. The movie is "Impromptu" http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0102103/. It's definitely in my top 10. Judy Davis was very good, even though I misidentified her.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure I can place Judy Davis....

Hugh Grant as Chopin- that's a strange piece of casting.

[karenkay.livejournal.com]

He was actually quite good. A caricature, but not over the top. It's not a profound film, just really well done.