Ruth Orkin: Frames of Life (1997)

*** (out of 4) 

Nice. low-budget documentary short takes a look at the career of photographer Ruth Orkin. That name might not be too familiar to people, it wasn't to me, but this documentary does her justice in showing why those who do know her love her work so much. We get some really beautiful clips of her work, which includes photographs of the likes of Tracy, Brando and other Hollywood stars. We also get a brief intro to some of the autographs she collected as a child including one by Clark Gable. The documentary also briefly goes over her marriage with filmmaker Morris Engel who she also worked with on his picture LITTLE FUGITIVE. The movie runs a very short 18-minutes but it packs in some nice information and in the end turned out to be a fitting tribute. Julie Harris narrates.

The documentary is a form of non-fiction storytelling that aims to present factual information, insights, and perspectives on real-world subjects, events, issues, or people. Documentaries can cover a wide range of topics, including history, science, culture, social issues, nature, biographies, and more.

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The short form refers to creative works characterized by their brevity and concise storytelling. Unlike full-length feature films, short films have a running time of less than 45 minutes, while TV shorts have a running time of less than 22 minutes.

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A chronology of the life and work of Ruth Orkin (1921-1985). Julie Harris narrates, with Orkin herself sometimes heard on the soundtrack talking about her life. A few friends (Mary Ellen Mark, Ninalee Craig, and Orkin's husband, Morris Engel, among others) tell stories or give appraisals. Most of what we see are her photographs, plus a few scenes from "Little Fugitive," which she edited. She was born in Los Angeles, hung around movie studios, and wanted to be a cinematographer but her sex made that impossible. She bicycled across the US, chronicled daily life as well as photographing famous people, and, as a mother of young children, took pictures out her window overlooking Central Park.

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Ruth Orkin: Frames of Life

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