One
would almost expect a documentary about a still photographer to be dull,
but then again, not every photographer is someone of the caliber of Ansel
Adams. Without question, Adams is the greatest landscape photographer of
all time. His black and white photographs of the American landscape are
certainly some of them most stirring and haunting images ever created with
a camera. Capturing this subject, as well as Adams captured the American
landscape, is the Ric Burns documentary ANSEL ADAMS ($20), which
aired on the PBS program The American Experience. Combining
archival footage, stills photographs, as well as interviews and numerous
examples of Ansel Adams’ work, this documentary provides a fascinating
portrait of its subject, who was not only a brilliant photographer, but
also a musician and a man at the forefront of the conservationist
movement.
ANSEL
ADAMS comes to DVD from Warner Home Video through their association
with PBS Video. The program is presented in a 1.78:1 wide screen
presentation that has been enhanced for playback on 16:9 displays. The
program always looks good, although ANSEL ADAMS does come from
mixed media, making it difficult to assess in the same way as a theatrical
film. Adams' photographs never fail to impress, as does some of the newer
location photography of the photographer’s favorite stomping grounds,
including Yosemite National Park. Other period photographs and vintage
stock footage have a worn appearance, which is sometimes rough looking.
Newer color interview footage has a decided documentary quality. Digital
compression artifacts are never a cause for concern during the one hundred
minute program.
The
Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo soundtrack decodes to standard surround in a
fairly effective manner. Dialogue is clean and warm sounding, while
remaining localized to the center channel. Music and sound effects have
decent stereo imaging and the surround channels add just a bit of ambient
sound to the proceedings. Fidelity is good for this type of program and
there are no appreciable defects in the sound reproduction. The basic
interactive menus provide access to the standard scene selection feature.
There are no real supplemental features included on the DVD, other than a
promo for The American Experience series.
ANSEL
ADAMS is a fascinating portrait of one of the greatest still
photographers of the twentieth century. Watching this film made me want to
run out and acquire some of Adams’ work in both book and art print form.
If you are familiar with the work of Ansel Adams, the documentary is a
good way to get to know the man behind the photographs. If you are
unfamiliar with Adams, then the documentary serves as a good introduction
to him and his work.
One
would almost expect a documentary about a still photographer to be dull,
but then again, not every photographer is someone of the caliber of Ansel
Adams. Without question, Adams is the greatest landscape photographer of
all time. His black and white photographs of the American landscape are
certainly some of them most stirring and haunting images ever created with
a camera. Capturing this subject, as well as Adams captured the American
landscape, is the Ric Burns documentary ANSEL ADAMS ($20), which
aired on the PBS program The American Experience. Combining
archival footage, stills photographs, as well as interviews and numerous
examples of Ansel Adams’ work, this documentary provides a fascinating
portrait of its subject, who was not only a brilliant photographer, but
also a musician and a man at the forefront of the conservationist
movement.
ANSEL
ADAMS comes to DVD from Warner Home Video through their association
with PBS Video. The program is presented in a 1.78:1 wide screen
presentation that has been enhanced for playback on 16:9 displays. The
program always looks good, although ANSEL ADAMS does come from
mixed media, making it difficult to assess in the same way as a theatrical
film. Adams' photographs never fail to impress, as does some of the newer
location photography of the photographer’s favorite stomping grounds,
including Yosemite National Park. Other period photographs and vintage
stock footage have a worn appearance, which is sometimes rough looking.
Newer color interview footage has a decided documentary quality. Digital
compression artifacts are never a cause for concern during the one hundred
minute program.
The
Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo soundtrack decodes to standard surround in a
fairly effective manner. Dialogue is clean and warm sounding, while
remaining localized to the center channel. Music and sound effects have
decent stereo imaging and the surround channels add just a bit of ambient
sound to the proceedings. Fidelity is good for this type of program and
there are no appreciable defects in the sound reproduction. The basic
interactive menus provide access to the standard scene selection feature.
There are no real supplemental features included on the DVD, other than a
promo for The American Experience series.
ANSEL
ADAMS is a fascinating portrait of one of the greatest still
photographers of the twentieth century. Watching this film made me want to
run out and acquire some of Adams’ work in both book and art print form.
If you are familiar with the work of Ansel Adams, the documentary is a
good way to get to know the man behind the photographs. If you are
unfamiliar with Adams, then the documentary serves as a good introduction
to him and his work.
