The Frontier Photographers does a wonderful service to American history by documenting the incredible photographic feats of William Henry Jackson, Jack Hillers, and Timothy O' Sullivan, who photographed the Yellowstone area, the Tetons, and the Rocky Mountains. Their accomplishments were astonishing not only because they were forced to manhandle heavy equipment up and down rugged terrain for months on end, but because the cameras of the day were fiendishly complicated to prepare and use. One expert estimates that these men were probably lucky if 20% of their negatives developed under conditions of heat, blowing sand, and sensitivity of chemicals to all aspects of the environment. To the video's credit, the program doesn't concentrate solely on the trips themselves; it also explores the political side of the expeditions. Expedition organizers and leaders competed with each other for funding from Congress and constantly mounted exhibitions in Washington to attract support, even to the point where a group of southwestern Native Americans were shown dressed in feathered war bonnets--a fashion accessory not part of their culture. Why? Because they didn't look Indian enough to the inhabitants of Foggy Bottom. This video takes an unblinking look at both the courage of the photographers and the unthinking racism of that period in American history. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (S. Fisher)
The Frontier Photographers
(1997) 90 min. $14.95. BWE Video (dist. by Goldhil Video). Color cover. ISBN: 1-57742-191-4. Vol. 14, Issue 3
The Frontier Photographers
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As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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