Coming to theatres and VOD tomorrow, Friday, December 9: HARRY BENSON: SHOOT FIRST
Justin Bare and Matthew Miele’s profile of the noted photographer had its debut at the Hamptons last year. It went on to screen at GlobeDocs, Tallgrass, Gold Coast, and Greenwich, among other festivals.
Photographer Harry Benson became well-known after he shot The Beatles landmark 1964 US tour, capturing iconic images like the Fab Four’s hotel pillow fight and their face-off with Muhammad Ali (then Cassius Clay). In the decades since, he developed a body of work of celebrity portraiture, covering actors, sports figures, and politicians, including the most reclusive of figures. As Bare and Miele demonstrate in their appreciative but light tribute, Benson’s work isn’t limited to the lighter side, and includes more serious subjects, from the civil rights movement to conflict zones. While they interview the charismatic and still-working octogenarian, the filmmakers never really find a narrative lens through which to approach their subject, resulting instead in a general survey of his illustrious career and iconic images.
what (not) to doc 