Vivian Maier, street photographer and nanny

Yup. Me, too. Based on what I've seen on the website I'll have to drive about 80 miles to do so.

 

I'll second this. Saw the film in Spokane yesterday, and it was cool to recognize several Chicagoland sites/people. (Favorite audience comment: two hipsters asking each other, "Who's Phil Donahue?")

I think the filmmakers did a great job (with very limited information) on two fronts: providing a biography of the woman holding the rolleiflex camera, and trying to figure out why she never shared her work.

To avoid spoilers, I'll simply state Vivian Maier had a few issues. But then, many artists are unusual individuals.

And the huge stacks of newspapers stored in every possible space sounded familiar ...

 

I saw that they added a bunch of cities to the list of where it is showing. So, if you wanted to see it, and it wasn't in your area, check again.

And, since it's probably only showing for one night, check ASAP.

 

Haven't seen the US film but when I was in the UK over Christmas, I did watch Alan Yentob's excellent 53-minute long BBC UK ...Imagine episode on Vivian Maier on the BBC iPlayer. Sadly it's no longer available on the iPlayer, but the episode is available for view on amazon.com for $3.99. There's a free 2:11 trailer of the show available at the link too.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Vivian-Maier-Mystery/dp/B00GG0TP36

 

The movie was in limited release and I was never aware that it came to my town, but it's showing on Showtime this week. It will be on Showtime3 at 5:15 a.m. Monday and again next Friday and Showtime and Showtime West next Saturday. If you have Showtime, you can also record it off Showtime OnDemand. (It's actually on right now on Showtime West but I missed the first 45 minutes.)

 

Just noticed that this movie is available on Netflix.

 

AP moved a story today with excerpts from a new book on Maier.

AP Exclusive: Chicago nanny no accidental photographer

 

She developed so few of her photos. I'm not sure you could say she "honed" her craft.

As mentioned in the article, and in the movie, her camera helped to allow her to get candid shots of people. They didn't realize she was taking their picture, so they were completely natural.

One of her hallmarks was the use of a boxy, square-format Rolleiflex camera. Users hold it at waist level and look down into a viewfinder. That enabled Maier to move in, head down, and shoot before subjects knew what was happening. Marks writes that Maier's camera choice made it "easier to operate as an outsider looking in."

I think I mentioned it before, but when I took my parents to the exhibit at the Chicago History Museum, we met one of the kids she nannied, who is mentioned in the article, who just happened to be there with his family.

 

Funny how the technology came full circle.