ARTS The Woman Behind the Image, by John Stewart, 1981, 27 minutes, color, 16mm. Sale: $450. Rent: $45. (Request two weeks in advance with an alternate rental date.) Available from: John A. Stewart Productions P.O. Box 13607 Portland, OR 97213 503/236-9430 "Women and men-it's an impossible subject, because there can be no answers. We can find only bits and pieces of clues. Maybe, today, we're planting the seeds of more honest relationships between women and men." -Duane Michals The Woman Behind the Image is a film of the times. It is a documentary which cuts into the moment-in the way a still photograph does-and shows us a slice of one person's life-Judy Dater. Most serious photographers know her name and her work; others perhaps just know her work. Her images are striking, provocative and demand response from the viewer. Judy Dater is on the cutting edge of photography as much as Edward Weston was in his time or Imogen Cunningham was in her time. Her recognition is coming sooner in life, however. She's a young, beautiful woman-whose honest straightforwardness is attractive and powerful. Her photographs are the same. The film examines her life at a point when she and photographer Jack Welpott are separating. She is examining the role of work and relationships and shares her struggle to balance the two, so one does not exclude the other. Through this dynamic of timing, the film has transcended its beginning as a documentary about a fine photographer, and has become a film which is humanistic and universal. Many levels of thought and feeling are aroused through the transitions from full frames of Judy's evocative portraits representing a spectrum of society that we do not usually see portrayed, to ;mages of her sharing personal, honest and intimate feelings about her life, childbearing, and her work. John Stewart thoughtfully moves from photograph to photograph, each reflecting as much ~bout Judy Dater as the things which she says in the film. Theimages require response and reflection upon our lives in a way that most photographs rarely achieve. Weaving sensitive music, and precise movement from the photos to her shooting session, from conversations with her friends to her dialogue with the film maker, there is provided an experience that hits home for me in many ways. As a photographer, it inspired me to begin to photograph again; as a woman, it drew a strong feeling of connection in discovering that someone whom I have long admired is also dealing with work/artirelationships/childbearing and keeping them in balance. This is an exquisite film which nurtures the growth of our visions in these November 1981 RAIN Page 11 times. -Linda Sawaya Linda Sawaya is a former editor of RAIN. Photo of Judy Dater by Filmmaker John A. Stewart© 1981 Imogen and Twinka ©Judy Dater
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