Once: Pictures and Stories [Paperback]

Wim Wenders (Author, Photographer), Marion Kagerer (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 15, 2001

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.

Editorial Reviews

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

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: D.A.P./Schirmer/Mosel; illustrated edition edition (July 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1891024256
• ISBN-13: 978-1891024252
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,691,427 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars one of the best photography books i've ever bought!, August 21, 2002

By 

Mediahound (SF Bay Area, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: Once: Pictures and Stories (Paperback)

this book is great. Wim Wender's opening prose about the art of photography is worth the price alone. delve into the book further, and you are gifted with some really great travel documentary photographs with short prose describing the images. i like this, as a photographer, i am often very interested to hear the story behind the photographs. the art of the slide show presentation is a lost art in america yet this book somehow evokes that type of discovery and storytelling.

featuring both color and black and white photographs, and many of them done as a series, the book's paper texture and image reproduction is top notch.

the physical size of the book is perfect-it's easy to pick up and read or carry with you, and the images are easy to view.

in many ways, this book seems very cinematic. being a film director, Wender's sees each still image as the first frame of a movie and it shows.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book will make you smile, November 11, 2001

By 

John E. Fracisco - See all my reviews

This review is from: Once: Pictures and Stories (Paperback)

I purchased this book recently, and it made me smile reading through it. The snippets of prose coupled with Wim's photos are a great combination. Genius.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a journey about time and space, January 1, 2002

By 

B*ingram "carless in seattle" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Once: Pictures and Stories (Paperback)

i enjoyed this book a lot. the texts (more like poems)gracefully compliment the images. wim wenders is not only a master in telling stories but also a great photographer . the prelude about the act of taking pictures is very insightful too.

this is a wonderful and profoundly moving little book which will get you interested in starting your own road trip and photo journal!