Tell Them Who You Are, 2004

Haskell Wexler is one of my favorite cinematographers, so I settled in with this documentary about his life directed by his son Mark. The documentary starts with Haskell berating his son because of his technique and pretty much follows this thread all the way through. He's a cantankerous, opinionated perfectionist and ever 80 years of life hasn't dulled his edge. Every time his son attempts to steer the picture into a glowing portrait of master cinematographer Haskell Wexler, it is inevitably derailed by an angry rant that once again returns the story to the tension between father and son. Ultimately, Mark realizes his film is about his father the man, not his father the cinematographer. I once worked on a film that Wexler worked a week on (he was called in to replace the regular DP while he dealt with a family emergency). As I recall, there was a lot of ranting and raving about how his predecessor (a multiple Oscar-winning DP in his own right) didn't know what the hell he was doing. This film perfectly captures the man that I recall throwing our set into turmoil for five long days. I think this is a good film that captures the essence and spirit of a man who is an undisputed master of his craft AND an overly-opinionated, abrasive difficult man that doesn't give respect to the opinions of others, not even his own son.

What did you think about this review?

Thank you for voting.

Like Dislike

Abuse report sent

Report abuse