The B-Side: Elsa Dorfman’s Portrait Photography
One of the greatest documentary filmmakers working today, Errol Morris (Oscar-winning director of FOG OF WAR and THIN BLUE LINE) explores the life and work of celebrated portrait photographer Elsa Dorfman. In the late 1970s, Polaroid constructed five (and only five) Polaroid 20×24 large format instant film cameras. Dorfman received one of them in 1980, and took thousands of portraits, capturing luminaries such as Allen Ginsberg and Bob Dylan in exquisite detail. She always took at least two 20x24s per portrait session, but only sold one to her clients. The remaining portrait was “the B-side,” a hidden treasure shared with Dorfman’s wit and insight. Filmed for the first time in recent years without his trademark Interrotron, Morris’ affectionate portrait of this distinctive artist is as warm and engaging as its subject.
76Rated R
in English