Saw an incredible documentary last night on PBS about the playwright Eugene O'Neil. I had photographed a number of his plays back when I was doing theatrical production photography so I was familiar with some of his work, but knew little about his personal life. He grew up in a tragic, wildly dysfunctional family in Connecticut and only became a playwright after traveling the world as a seaman and then nearly drinking himself to death afterwards in NYC.
He was immediately successful as a playwright and managed to win three Pulitzer prizes and the Nobel Prize BEFORE he wrote his three greatest works (The Iceman Cometh, Long Days Journey Into Night and Moon for the Misbegotten). All the while suffering from depression and physical ailments that made it difficult to write. He won another Pulitzer posthumously for Long Days Journey Into Night.
It was fascinating to see such incredible work harvested from such a tormented life, but it was also painful to have a sense of how much he suffered as a result of his childhood.
I'm not sure if I could ever be as singleminded as he (he basically did nothing but write to the exclusion of almost everything else, and he left his second wife and young family without ever saying goodbye.), but it does gives you an idea of how much dedication is needed to produce great art. The film left me with much to contemplate in the upcoming months.
Monday 1/21
Spent the last week catching my breath and trying to process all the information from the residency. I did manage to read most of 'On Photography', which I had read almost 25 years ago. I had forgotten a lot of it, but it still packs a punch. I agree with a lot of what Sontag writes, but some of it feels too academic. There are also a ton of sweeping generalizations that can be a bit tiresome. I can't help but wonder why someone spent so much time studying something she seems to have contempt for. Like she's fascinated and disappointed by photography at the same time.
I also had a chance to see three short documentary films by Chris Marker. He was written about in the readings for the Considering the Documentary seminar and Constanze mentioned him in her lectures. Apparently his films rarely get to the U.S. so it was a nice opportunity to see them screened locally. They were at MIT. I liked two of the three very much. 'Three Cheers for the Whale' was interesting in the way it was put together as it used mostly paintings and what felt like woodcuts or drawings of whaling with a voice-over and then suddenly shifted to actual footage of whales being killed and cut up. It's quite shocking. It also clear that Marker is disgusted by countries that continue whaling. I appreciate his point of view even if it feels heavyhanded. At least he's got an opinion.
'The Sixth Side of the Pentagon' was of the 1967 Vietnam War protest and march on the Pentagon in Washington DC. I had heard and read of this event (Mailer's 'The Armies of the Night') and had seen news footage, but this was completely different. Marker was right in the middle of the protest, photographing as he walked. It feels much more urgent than traditional news footage and you get a sense of what it must have felt like to be part of this event. I like the fact that he is politically engaged as a filmmaker and not just an observer. It's a short film, but very powerful.
I also had a chance to see three short documentary films by Chris Marker. He was written about in the readings for the Considering the Documentary seminar and Constanze mentioned him in her lectures. Apparently his films rarely get to the U.S. so it was a nice opportunity to see them screened locally. They were at MIT. I liked two of the three very much. 'Three Cheers for the Whale' was interesting in the way it was put together as it used mostly paintings and what felt like woodcuts or drawings of whaling with a voice-over and then suddenly shifted to actual footage of whales being killed and cut up. It's quite shocking. It also clear that Marker is disgusted by countries that continue whaling. I appreciate his point of view even if it feels heavyhanded. At least he's got an opinion.
'The Sixth Side of the Pentagon' was of the 1967 Vietnam War protest and march on the Pentagon in Washington DC. I had heard and read of this event (Mailer's 'The Armies of the Night') and had seen news footage, but this was completely different. Marker was right in the middle of the protest, photographing as he walked. It feels much more urgent than traditional news footage and you get a sense of what it must have felt like to be part of this event. I like the fact that he is politically engaged as a filmmaker and not just an observer. It's a short film, but very powerful.
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