Wim Wenders: Once (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

Once…offers poetic sketches and photographs from such searches. -- DoubleTake, Summer 2001

[He]writes books like he makes movies...cinematic king of the road...permanent tourist with a fetish for compendiums of snapshots. -- Film Comment, July/August 2001

…a kind of self-portrait of Wenders as an eternal nomad….The overall effect is of unhurried poetry… -- Premiere Magazine, October 2001 --Glenn Kenny

…his low-key snapshots are the perfect accompaniment to his written reminiscences. -- Flaunt, August 2001

…the German filmmaker who brought us “Paris, Texas” recalls his adventures scouting locations around the world… -- Talk, June/July 2001

Product Description

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.
6 x 7.75 inches, 225 color illustrations.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: D.A.P./Schirmer/Mosel (June 2, 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.com Sales Rank: #463,887 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 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 (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Amazon Verified Purchase

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.

5.0 out of 5 stars So original, November 30, 2009

By	Edward (chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

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I have never seen a book quite like this. The dog on the cover leads the way to a magical trip from the chaos of early 1990s Russia to the great American southwest. The photos of the motel reception I can relate to after visiting a similar one in Austin, Texas. The photos and brief prose are so full of compassion and empathy.

5.0 out of 5 stars This book will make you smile, November 12, 2001

By	John E. Fracisco (El Segundo, CA USA) - See all my reviews

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.