War Photographer

The part I liked best about this film is the way it uses Nachtwey's camera to do the actual filming: on top of his still camera, the filmmakers mounted a little movie camera. The end result is that you can watch the scene unfolding as if you were looking through Nachtwey's own lens. Watching as he transforms scenes of violence, chaos, and noise into breathtaking still photographs is fascinating. Any shutterbugs out there will enjoy this movie for that aspect of it alone.

It's also a very moving film--very intense. I certainly can't get through it without tearing up, and when I looked around the theater I saw the same shock and grief on the faces of my fellow moviegoers. The ethos of the film seems to reflect the sentiment behind Nachtwey's own photographs; that is, you don't get the New York Times explanation of who the victims are, who the perpetrators are, or what the socio-political context is. The violence and suffering are presented simply: this thing happened to this person at this moment, and it was awful.

It's not too preachy; the viewer is left to ask her own questions about why and how these things happen. Sometimes all those explanations can obscure the individual lives that are contained in a word like "collateral damage." Nachtwey's photography, and this film, clarify that fact simply by observing it. That's the essence of the best documentary photography, and it's a great reason to see this film.

One of the most profound aspect i found in this documentary, is the use of sound. I think it's one of the best, if not most calculated sound editing ever done, since the film supposed to focus on images. It's quite easy to overlook that, and will be forgiven even. But rather, the production teams managed to reflect the personality of James Nachtwey in result. A distant man, watching from a far, though awfully trying to get as near as possible, ... to get involved.

Personally i think, a lot, not all mind you, people misunderstood him. The reviews here reflect that. They might think that he have some personal agendas. Since i believe no people can escape side effects of wars, unless they're the ones who inflict them, i believe James have been greatly changed by his experience, in better or worse terms i have no idea, but he cannot run from it. He has to come back, to experience it all over again, to feel alive. It's vampirism all right, but not from the material, or the moral angle. He simply needs that sense of purpose, to live, and to fulfill his life, with higher aims to reach. I imagined he lost that sense a lot of times, and that must be painful.

For whatever reason he seems to have , it all comes down to this basic human need, to find their purpose, takes the journey and try to fulfill it. This is a reminder of that, for all of us. And for that, i am grateful for this film.

This film is incredible and shows the power of one man. Nachtwey has dedicated his life to being a war photographer and shows how one man can help shape public opinion with the power of images. As was the case in Vietnam, photos can be very subversive since they show the falseness and fraud of the government's official line or 'spin' on stories.

And thus we see that in the war in Iraq the gov't is keeping a tight lid on images. Once you see pictures of a 4 year old boy in a morgue with his limbs blown off, the generals and the politicians cannot, no matter how hard they try, justify it. this is why Al Jazeera has become the boogeyman of the west.

once people see enough of these images, they cannot support war any longer. this, i believe, is Nachtwey's vision and his struggle.

Excellent film about Nachtway and photographic journalism in general.It also shows how difficult it is to work under great stress and murky ethical conditions. This film reminds us that there is a tricky line between being involved and 'being involved'. I loved the way the director sometimes takes the point of view of Nachtways camera. It turns the audience into voyeurs with the same moral and ethical questions now bestowed upon us. Nachtway dedicated his life to his work and we see glimpses of both compassion and emotional detachment in his work. I think this film most of all shows the price we pay for the news.

"What kind of a person could do that?" is a question that often occurs to me when I see a photograph from a battle zone, or one which depicts ordinary people in excruciating distress. This film shows us a person who takes such photographs, one who crosses physical and emotional boundaries to places most of us wouldn't dare to approach even at a great distance.

The photographer, James Nachtwey, is a cool, philosophical individual, motivated by the goodness he feels motivates humanity--in spite of the horrors he deals with on the killing fields. We have all come across the trashy photos that adorn the covers of National Enquirer, pictures that titillate and appeal to our worst natures--Nachtwey's hard-earned photos do just the opposite--they appeal to our compassion, are meant to give us insight into the human condition, the humanity we all share--and in doing so elevate all of us, enrich humanity.

War Photographer is often a frankly brutal film, but it's overall impact is significantly uplifting. One greatly admires James Nachtway for his goals and is astonished by his photography.