Como ya hiciera 'Leaving Home, Coming Home' (Gerald Fox, 2005), el documental 'Don't Blink' ('No pestañees'*) es un retrato algo íntimo de un imprescindible de la fotografía, Robert Frank. Hasta tal punto un clásico del medio, a pesar de alcanzar con su obra una cota de vanguardismo (visto en perspectiva) ya iniciada con ilustres predecesores como Walker Evans, que algunos sugieren evitar su trabajo para huir de su enorme influencia en el documentalismo, por lo que tiene además de personalísima aportación. Ya le ocurrió cuando se editó 'The Americans', su conocido reportaje desde dentro de la sociedad estadounidense. Algunos reaccionarios se le echaron encima. Y como ya sucediera en aquel otro documental dedicado a su persona, parece quedar claro su carácter enigmático, cómico, caótico, algo excéntrico o libertario, quizás para llevar la contraria a su origen suizo. Eso sin tener en consideración la devastación que debió significar en su vida la pérdida de sus hijos y la confusión que provocaron sus películas experimentales y poemas visuales. Pero es significativo verle en ambos documentales abordar en la ciudad a gente de la calle con suma naturalidad. Baste una anécdota para resumirle. Cuando rodó el documental de la gira de los Rolling Stones, 'Cocksucker Blues', Mick Jagger se aseguró de que no llegara al público. La excusa parecía ser la abierta exhibición de la trastienda del grupo pero Jagger le dijo: "Haces pasar a Keith (Richards) como alguien mejor que yo". Frank le espetó: "bueno, es que es alguien mucho más interesante". Al final eso es sólo un hecho aislado, pero deja entrever como el personaje es altamente retratable, por ejemplo en su coleccionismo compulsivo de postales o la destrucción de sus propias creaciones, aunque nunca hubiera hecho una foto.
*El título del documental se refiere a una frase del propio Robert Frank cuando le pedían un consejo para jóvenes fotógrafos y contestaba: "Bueno, tienes que hacer muchas fotos para lograr una buena. Así que... ni pestañeen."
*El título del documental se refiere a una frase del propio Robert Frank cuando le pedían un consejo para jóvenes fotógrafos y contestaba: "Bueno, tienes que hacer muchas fotos para lograr una buena. Así que... ni pestañeen."
As "Leaving Home, Coming Home" (Gerald Fox, 2005) already did, recent documentary "Don't Blink"* (Laura Israel, 2016) is a somewhat intimate portrait of a must of photography history, Robert Frank. To such an extent a classic of photography, despite reaching with his work (in perspective) a quota of avant-gardism already initiated with illustrious predecessors like Walker Evans, that some are concerned to escape his enormous influence in the photo report area, in addition to his very personal approach . It already happened when his book 'The Americans' was published, his famous inner vision of US society. Some reactionaries fell hard on criticism on him. And as it happened in that previous documentary dedicated to his persona, he appears as a sort of enigmatic, funny, eccentric or libertarian character, perhaps as a way to contradict his Swiss origins. That without taking into consideration the devastation that should have meant in his life the loss of his children and the provocative confusion of his expermiental films and visual poems. But it is significant to see him in both documentaries approaching people in the streets with great naturalness and rough charm. Suffice a detail to summarize his honesty: when he filmed the documentary on the Rolling Stones tour, 'Cocksucker Blues', Mick Jagger banned it from reaching the public. The excuse seemed to be the open display of the bad behaviour of the band, but Jagger told him "you make Keith (Richards) look better than me." Frank replied: "well, he is a much more interesting guy" In the end that is just an anecdotic fact, but allows a glimpse on his portrayable character, a compulsive collector of postcards and destroyer of his own productions, even if he had never taken a picture.
*Laura Israel [in Musée]: Well, it was Robert, actually. I felt like “You Got Eyes” was a little used already, so we were searching around for a new one. Ayumi, who works with Robert, remembered that somebody had asked him in an interview, “What advice would you give young photographers?” And he said, “You have to take a lot of pictures to get a good picture. So don’t blink.”
*Laura Israel [in Musée]: Well, it was Robert, actually. I felt like “You Got Eyes” was a little used already, so we were searching around for a new one. Ayumi, who works with Robert, remembered that somebody had asked him in an interview, “What advice would you give young photographers?” And he said, “You have to take a lot of pictures to get a good picture. So don’t blink.”
EE. UU 2016
Dirigido por Laura Israel
EscuchaListen
▶The Mekons·'Where were you?'
▶Tom Waits·'Hang On St. Christopher'
▶The Velvet Underground·'European Song'
▶Charles Mingus·'Haitian Fight Song'
▶Johnny Thunders·'You Can't Put Your Arms...'
▶Tom Waits·'16 Shells from a thirty-ought-six'
▶The White Stripes·'One More Cup Of Coffee' (Bob Dylan)
▶The Kills·'What New York Used To Be'
EscuchaListen
▶The Mekons·'Where were you?'
▶Tom Waits·'Hang On St. Christopher'
▶The Velvet Underground·'European Song'
▶Charles Mingus·'Haitian Fight Song'
▶Johnny Thunders·'You Can't Put Your Arms...'
▶Tom Waits·'16 Shells from a thirty-ought-six'
▶The White Stripes·'One More Cup Of Coffee' (Bob Dylan)
▶The Kills·'What New York Used To Be'
