Once: Pictures and Stories - Softcover

Wim Wenders

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1891024256 ISBN 13: 9781891024252

Publisher: D.A.P./Schirmer/Mosel, 2001

Synopsis

Wim Wenders ranks among the greatest artistic minds of contemporary film: over the past thirty years his films have displayed such wisdom, creativity, and sensitivity that they have transcended boundaries of language and nationality. Wenders brings to this collection of photographic essays the same literary and cinematic talents, the same command of the art of storytelling that we find in his films. In the tradition of Paris, Texas and Faraway, So Close, the texts and pictures in Once weave ambiguous and moving narratives in fits of rhythmic prose and inventive imagery. Prefaced by Wenders' poetic meditations on the metaphysics of photography and film, Once consists of short, autobiographical sketches relating Wenders' experiences-both meaningful and apparently trivial-on his trips across the world scouting locations for his films, as well as photographs taken during these excursions. The resulting book is at once travel diary, photo album, and a series of short films or short stories-revealing the views and sentiments of an auteur inspired by the poetry of the eye and the melody of speech. Fascinating and revelatory, Once gives us a unique look at the universe Wenders has created out of the hidden pieces of everyday life.

About this title

About the Author

Wim Wenders was born in 1945 in Düsseldorf, Germany. Wenders emerged as a filmmaker during the New German Cinema movement in the early 1970s, and by the end of the decade he had crossed over to audiences in the United States and all over the world with the American-German-French production "The American Friend." In 1984 he won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival for "Paris, Texas," and continued to win acclaim and admiration throughout the rest of the decade and into the next with such films as "Wings of Desire," "Until the End of the World," "Faraway, So Close," "The Buena Vista Social Club," and, most recently, "The Million Dollar Hotel," which premiered at the 2000 Berlin Film Festival. Author Quote:
"Every photo, every 'ONCE' in time is also the beginning of a story starting 'once upon a time... ' Every photo is the first frame of a movie." -Wim Wenders

Review

Once...offers poetic sketches and photographs from such searches. -- DoubleTake, Summer 2001

[He]writes books like he makes movies...cinematic king of the road...permanent tourist with a fetish for compendiums of snapshots. -- Film Comment, July/August 2001

...a kind of self-portrait of Wenders as an eternal nomad....The overall effect is of unhurried poetry... -- Premiere Magazine, October 2001 --Glenn Kenny

...his low-key snapshots are the perfect accompaniment to his written reminiscences. -- Flaunt, August 2001

...the German filmmaker who brought us “Paris, Texas” recalls his adventures scouting locations around the world... -- Talk, June/July 2001

Edition details

• Publisher: D.A.P./Schirmer/Mosel
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 1891024256
• ISBN 13: 9781891024252
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 256