Every now and again a film
appears that raises the standard of cinematography to such an extent that it
becomes an invaluable source of inspiration for both stills and film
photographers. “Vertigo” (Dir. Alfred Hitchcock) is a classic case. Now “Ida”,
a recently released film set in Poland in the early 1960s, is set to become
another fine example.
The film opens in a convent,
where Anna, a teenage novice, is about to take her vows. As the nuns perform
their daily rituals, outdoors in a bleak, snow-covered landscape and indoors,
in the hushed and spare interiors of the convent, the sense of atmosphere
engendered by the camera immediately transports us into their lives.
Often the camera pauses, and when it does our eyes rest on a beautifully
constructed still frame that would be worthy of its place in any photographic
exhibition.
As the story progresses the
Mother Superior instructs Anna to visit her one remaining relative, the
hard-drinking, chain-smoking Aunt Wanda, before taking her vows. Together, the
pair investigate the past (see Image 1)
and uncover what happened to Anna’s family during the war. At the same time that
Anna is discovering that she is Jewish, that she was christened “Ida” and how
Jews in Poland were treated during the war she starts to learn about life
outside the convent: for me, this awakening played the more important part in
defining the narrative.
Image 1
Whilst an air of austere sadness
and tragedy pervades the film I found the scenes where Anna/Ida is discovering
herself and growing into a woman (see Image 2) quite uplifting. The acting, particularly by Agata Kulesza as the
world-weary Wanda, is outstanding and the film is compact: no scene is wasted.
The final twist in the story brings the film to what, for me, was a very
satisfying conclusion.
Image 2
However good the film is (and I
can certainly recommend it) it is the cinematography that really
sets it apart. The images shown here don’t do it full justice: the story could easily
be told in a photo-book or slide show of perhaps 500 “Stills”, shown in order (indeed,
I wonder whether anybody has produced a book of “Stills” from a single film for
commercial reasons). Each still frame would be a classic monochrome image in
its own right. The lighting, the positioning of the subject matter in the frame
and the sublime use of monochrome produce the all-pervasive atmosphere of
sadness, pain and discovery which defines this film.
When the DVD for “Ida” arrives I
will purchase it, play it and freeze-frame it at random moments. I will then
study the resultant images and try to learn from them how to produce an
outstanding monochrome image – over and over again.
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