William Eggleston in the Real World

The film maker Michael Almereyda, who met the photographer William Eggleston in the early 1990s, spent a long time travelling around with the mysterious master of colour photography. The result is not only an excellent introduction to his oeuvre, but also an intimate portrait of Eggleston when he is not at work. Almereyda’s point of departure is the question: How can it be that someone sees the world so differently that taking photographs of apparently everyday and insignificant object results in emotionally charged and significant photos? For instance, we see Eggleston at work for Gus Van Sant, in his birthplace in Kentucky. Here, we get a glimpse of the alchemy that lies at the core of Eggleston’s photography. In a derelict house, he clicks away apparently at random, but the resulting photos are all phenomenal. In addition, Almereyda follows the photographer at length in Memphis, his natural environment, where he moves around in the company of affluent Bohemians. Hardly anything seems to have changed since Eggleston recorded his circle of acquaintances with a video camera in the early 1970s (see Stranded in Canton). This results in beautiful scenes reminiscent of Warhol’s Chelsea Girls. Simon Fisher Turner composed a beautiful electronic score for the film. (GT)