a film about a photographer - now that should be good
filmmaker/photographer wim wenders at the helm of this one
subject matter - renowned brazilian photographer sebastiao salgado
the opening still shots setting the style and content for the whole film
black and white images of humans like ants in a large open cut gold mine
clambering up fragile ladders lugging sacks of earth - hopefully gold also
running back down into the pit - the only way to do it - walk = fall
the voiceover of salgado providing the insight to the stunning images
but they are not slaves/workers - normal people trying to strike it rich
still shots then of a young salgado and his wife lelia heading to paris
he studying economics - she - architecture - back in the sixties
she obtains a camera for her studies which he then commandeers
bravely she pushes him to switch careers to photography
this requires him to travel abroad alone for extended periods
his voiceover advises he is known as a 'social' photographer
i.e. societal - of and about people - affected by events / war
no shortage of material there then and countless photos taken
many years in some cases spent gathering material for each book
his time in africa during drought, war and genocide heartbreaking
a lot of b&w images of desperate, dying and deceased people
strangely compelling though - his voiceover quite calming
time also spent in what was yugoslavia with the balkan war
he expressing his dismay at the time and place of that event
a shift of focus away from victims and then on to workers
he is leftist by nature and decides to document common people
salt of the earth as salgado announces - hence the film's title
then a complete shift from social photography to nature
live footage then of him and his son tracking walrus bulls
funny scenes as they themselves are tracked by a polar bear
photos and stories of time spent with the largest of beasts
whales, monitor lizards, gorillas all superbly photographed
but once again it is the voiceover that provides the real interest
after decades spent travelling the world salgado returns to brazil
his parents needing some support and so does the land they live on
where salgado was raised - rainforest also razed - now parched land
a decision by salgado's wife lelia to return the land to it's former glory
1 million trees later and it is coming back - and more - a new mission
the area now a nature reserve and inspiration for people everywhere
salgado openly stating he believes man's destruction can be reversed
and he has proof of that - end of film - mind-blowing really
i sat there stunned watching every last credit roll by
need to take more photos - and plant more trees...
on a hillside property once covered in them...
a truly inspirational man and film
