Taking Pictures

Born during a period of both industrial revolution and aggressive geo-political expansion, one of the earliest uses of the newfangled moving picture camera would be recording the lives and customs of the 'strange' and 'exotic' indigenous populations encountered in the colonial process. With few exceptions, early ethnographic films tended to be more accurate representations of the often wild ethnocentric prejudices and agendas of the filmmakers then of the cultures being filmed. Taking Pictures is, in a sense, the story of a new generation of ethnographic filmmakers attempting to come to grips with this legacy and with the nature of cultural observation in general. Filmmakers Les McLarren and Annie Stiven concentrate on the work of a group of notable expatriate Australian documentarians who cut their cinematic teeth in Papua New Guinea and other parts of Oceania beginning in the 1960s. The profiled filmmakers discuss their early excitement and idealism, and their view of ethnographic film as a tool in the fight against colonialism, as a way of preserving imperiled traditions and educating or politicizing indigenous peoples caught in the midst of rapid cultural change. These discussions are illustrated with a healthy sampling of clips from their works, films full of beauty, wonder, humor, and amazement. Strongly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (G. Handman)