War Photographer

WAR PHOTOGRAPHER (2001)

There are some movies that make us aware of what is going on environment. There are different countries with full of people suffering from poverty, war and so on,will continue to be suffer, as well.

War Photographer is a documentary by director and Producer Christian Frei, about the one of the most effective photojournalist James Nachtway's fears, motivations, aims as a war photographer. This documentary is also a tool for arousing people around the world and show them people in need.

Documentary was shooted by small betacam video camera and SLR Camera seperately. Mr. Nachtway mounted betacem video camera on his SLR camera. This gives us an intimately viewpoint and helps us to feel the authentic emiotions. This idea is given at the begining of the documentary with this philosophy ' If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough.' by Robert Capa. After, we see that James Nachtway takes photos of burning places closely after the war happened at Kosovo. While Mr. Nachtway is shooting the post-war images, we see the preparation of publication side as parallel editing. While Mr. Nachtway is shooting the people who still couldn't digest the war and just walk around and cry, we see the editors, talking about the pictures as ' There are one million refugee, one hundred of them were dead but they were not burried, and piles of corpses occured...This will be great... This seems exceptional.....' So, we see the advertising side of this job. However, I think we should look from the positive side that this subjects are heard by all around the world. At least, it is better from advertising entertainement subjects. There is a scene that soil is digged in order to embed a person. One of the old man probably relative of that person, watches people without crying. This man's video is taken for a long time and, it seems that this man becomes soulless because of experienced many number of dead.

Mr. Nachtway decided to become a war-photographer during the Viatnam war. He says that 'I was an contradiction to what a political leaders and military leaders were telling us.They were straight forward documentry images a powerful and deadly of the war how unjust it was, cool it was simply by showing what was happening there.' ...He was excited ' Wittnessing history not from an academic point of view, not from a distance but really what happens to people, ordinary people in the course of history...' We realize throughout documentary that people who are involved with this job, always query their job and life.

We listen a death of one man's cousin while this man is telling his cousin's death way to Mr. Nachtway. It is really hard to believe that people have been experiencing these and will always be experiencing when we have no idea about these feelings.

Hans-Hermann Klare who is a Foreign Editor at STERN Magazine talks about the differences of Mr. Nachtway from the other war-photographers. He says that ' Jim ( James Nachtway ) saw more pain and misery rather than other War Photographers..Jim is alone..Jim turned to a different person during spending his 25 years as a war photographer.....One day; When we went to drink a beer because of what we experienced during day, Jim drank a glass of water and went to bad.'

The most inconceviable and incredible situation for Mr. Nachtway was happened in Ruanda. Between half and 2 million people were killed with primitive weapons as clubs, rocks and machetes face to face. He saw a massarce. These makes Mr. Nachtway to query the reasons of this fear and hatred.

The miserable life in Indonesia is so unbeliavable that People live along railwaytracks. They build their places from abandon wood and plastics. During these times, Mr. Nachtway discovered a man who has one arm and one leg and asked him to understand what had happened. Than, Mr. Nachtway learned that train passed over that man seven years ago. The man was living with his wife and four children between railway tracks. Mr. Nachtway spent time with them in order to make their documentary.

In Jakarta, there is an incredible poverty that childs works in piles of rubbish instead of going to school just for 85 cent. According to Jim, the worst thing is suffering from starvation that comes after war. Starvation is the primitive weapon of all time.

There is unjustness all around the world. Jim takes these photographs not in order to artistic purposes, contrarily, he uses his job as a tool to show this unjustness to the world.

In order to see James Nachtway's work you can follow up his site; http://www.jamesnachtwey.com

The Pianist

The Pianist

Today, I would like to talk about one of the most effective, touching drama which won three oscars and should have won the best picture prize as well, directed by one of the most inspiring director, Roman Polanski. In fact, Roman Polanski couldn't attend the oscar night because he had been banned on entering the USA. He won the best director prize. The other oscars were goes to Ronald Harwood as the best writing, adapted screenplay and of course to Adrien Brody as the best actor for a leading role. Everybody was suprised for Adrien Brody because of his first oscar nominee. However, if we analyze his life before and during the filming, it is totally understandable why he won this prize that he gave up from his floor, car and continued his life as a self-conscious personality. He gave 13 weight, learned how to play Chopin in piano and results of these stresses he broke up from his long-term girlfriend.

Long time ago, Steven Spielberg had made an offer to Polanski for Shindler's List however, Mr. Polanski refused his offer. Mr.Polanski is a person who suffered from the war that he wanted to shot his own 'Invasion of Poland, 1939 Movie'. I think, The Pianist is a kind of perfect Polish combination of Chopin (my favorite musician), Roman Polanski (my favorite director) and Warsaw.

When German Armies begin to occupy Warsaw, Roman Polanski was 6 years old. After years, on an interview, he says that ' It was a big mistake of course they will return to Poland just before the war...Everbody was thinking that Krakow is the first place to where the German soldiers will invade. However German soldiers invaded to Warsaw...We were going to shelters sometimes at night.. I was six.. I remember very well. I wasn't frightened, just I didnt know what was to come. What ı was missing the most was my father. We didnt know where it was. What was happening. First time we started to starving...' 

The movie begins with the Chopin's C Minor Nocturne which is the movie's soundtrack as well, is playing by the main character Wladyslaw Szpilman. This character is based on a true story of Wladyslaw Szpilman, acclaimed polish pianist. In 1st September 1939, the radio station, located in Luftwaffe starts to be bombed while Wladyslaw is playing the piano. All Polish Jewishes are dragged to Warsaw ghettos, including Wladyslaw and his family. One of the collaborator rescues Wladyslaw and seperates him from his family while they are in prison camp trains to be death. This movie shows how Polish Jewish musician struggles to survive by finding places to hide, looking for foods, escaping from death. He manages to survive with the help of insurgents and a German officer called Captain Wilm Hosenfeld.
During this tragic movie, we are dealing with the bitter side of life. We see lots of tears of people who are suffering from occupation. Jewish Polishes are being killed randomly. There is a depressing scene that the old man in wheelchair is thrown away from balcony by German officials.

The reality of starvation about which lots of people have no idea is shown with a touchful scenes.There is a scene that one old man argues with a woman and tries to capture her food which poores to ground, later. This man eats the food from the ground. In another scene, Wladyslaw and his family share a small butterscotch, was bought by 20 zealots. Roman Polanski lived the war's reality. He reflects his difficulties which were faced with, to 'Pianist'. While Wladyslaw is escaping, he finds a tin, including pickle. Tin is fallen to the ground and liquid oozes out. This touchful scene, accompanies by Beethoven's moonlight sonata, is taken by Roman Polanski's life. Even I didnt know this while ı was watching this scene, I found this scene as a one of the best ones in movie. So, ı guess reality shows its perfection. Captain Wilm Hosenfeld finds out him and asks Wladyslaw's job. After Wladyslaw answers it, Captain Wilm wants from Pianist to play piano. We listen Ballade in G Minor from the Pianist. Here comes a touchful scene again. We begin to see how Captain Wilm's face changes and turns to an upset and toughful expression. Maybe, one of the upcoming greatest Pianist is playing, now. 

At the end of the movie we listen Chopin's C Minor Nocturne, again while Wladyslaw plays on piano for radio. This scene is the most emotional scene that I see and shows the pianist's intensity of emotion. Especially after he saw his friend who is still alive, he first shows bitter smile than starts to cry by trying to prevent himself. Many things happened and few people continues to survive.

Reference: Roman Polanski: A Film Memory (2011)