The Magazine for Leica M Photography

Robert Frank

12/18/2017, Robert Frank is a quiet spear-header of the visual arts. In the 1950s, his style changed the rules of photography: his publication The Americans has been described as “perhaps the most influential photography book of the 20th century” (The Guardian, 2014). The unstaged, immediate aesthetic of Frank’s work was admired by the great artists of his time, from Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac to Walter Evans and the Rolling Stones. Now Laura Israel has created a vibrant filmic portrait of the 92-year-old photographer and film maker.

The documentary, which the Village Voice has described as “extremely entertaining”, deliberately refrains from presenting a rounded image of the Swiss-American artist. Instead, Israel creates a vibrant collage of statements by Frank as well as those who have been part of his journey, his photographs and excerpts from his numerous films – consciously offering fragmented impressions of his life and multi-faceted body of work.

Laura Israel is based in New York, and has previously worked as a film editor, creating music videos for artists such as Duran Duran, Lou Reed and Patti Smith. In 2010, she released her first documentary film, Windfall, about a community fighting against a wind-energy development. Incidentally, it was a critic reviewing Windfall who gave her the idea to embark on a film about Robert Frank.

Further information at absolut Medien, Trailer: Don’t Blink – Robert Frank and Don’t Blink – Robert Frank

Don’t blink – Robert Frank