Movie Review
Ansel Adams
Duration: 110 minutes
IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
Released: 2002
Directed: JRic Burns
Awards: News & Documentary Emmy
Award for Outstanding Arts and Culture
Programming
Most of us are familiar with Ansel Adams and his haunting
black-and-white photography. Adams and his photographs
are something that is greatly valued by the people of the
photography community. Adams has a great influence
in turning photography into an art form. He himself has
enjoyed the widespread popularity and the universal
acceptance of his work has had a very strong impact on
the people and their surroundings. Adams became one
of the most popular photographers of his time and also
a powerful voice during the early days of environmental
conservation.
Produced by the renowned documentarian, Ric Burns
and his company, Steeplechase Films, Ansel Adams is
a documentary film that explores the many sides of the
legendary photographer- Ansel Adams and was made
for Adams’ centennial. It was shown for the first time
on National Public Television back in April of 2002.
Ric was also busy with some other impressive projects
already under his belt like ‘The Donner Party’ (1992) and
‘New York: A Documentary Film’ (1999), after which he
hits another one out of the park with Ansel Adams, a
documentary that simply reinforces why he and his brother
are two of the best filmmakers working anywhere today.
Ric documents American history in a way that is accessible
and understood by every other individual and presented
a satisfying overview of the man who was an iconic
photographer and one of the most influential propagators
of photography as an art. This effort is perhaps considered
to be the most intimate effort of Ric.
The film follows Adams through his early and very difficult
childhood in San Francisco where his father was a great
influence on his life to his first trip to Yosemite when he
was fourteen years old. His father had given him a Kodak
camera as a present on the trip to Yosemite. From then
onwards, we watch Adams as he grows from amateur
photographer to an up-and-coming success in his field.
He made his mark on most of the people with the black
and white pictures of Yosemite and other glorious images
that he shot with his camera.
Adams had another intense interest in music and he
invested himself completely into both photography and
music at different times in his life. We see the impact that
he had on the world around him as well as the impact the
ever-changing world had on him and his work.
The documentary takes us from the beginning to the end
of Adams’ existence and all points in between - stopping
36 CLASSICS
along the way to point out all of the relative monuments
and landmarks in his remarkable life. The film not only
satisfies a person’s need to understand the influences on a
photographer’s life but it is also an incredible journey of a
man that any self-respecting lover of nature, photography
or history should check out as soon as possible. Ric Burns
hold nothing back and tell’s us the whole truth about
Adams’ passionate, intense, and often chaotic life with
an engrossing narrative and marvelously informative
interviews from biographers, family members, historians
and photographers alike.
Adams was an amazing artist and activist and he has
inspired plenty of people with his beautiful work. Ric
Burns’ ‘Ansel Adams: A Documentary Film’ amazingly
captures the spirit and intensity of a man who understood
the indivisible bond between man and nature. We also
come out of the film with respect for Adam himself. In my
opinion, I think, there’s not a better documentary available
on Ansel Adams and his work and it would be very difficult
to convince someone that anyone could do it better than
Ric Burns anyway. This is a must-watch film for any lover of
art, nature, or quintessential American history.
Urvi Bareja
[email protected]
Urvi is always fascinated by literature and photography. In her spare time,
she enjoys eating good food and watching web series.