Stranger With a Camera: 'A Better Way'

Taking on the question of the responsibility of artists to their subject and to their audience, Stranger With a Camera looks pragmatically at a historical situation in which this issue was a critical one. Elizabeth Barret documented the opinions of others, as well as the history of the incident (and in addition to adding her own commentary), in the film. However, both she and many of the authors of the articles in our reading for the semester seem to have found a bit of a ‘better way.’

One realization one might have toward the end of the film, if not earlier, is that although individuals on the two sides of the issue do share some common ground, they will not be brought to agreement in any fundamental way. Another realization is that the ‘two sides’ are less clearly defined than one might think. One of the opening quotes, from Mason Bridge, “Had to be killed…had to be” is later somewhat ameliorated by the full story from Bridge during his more extended interview segments toward the end of the film (recursive misrepresentation? meta-misrepresentation?). He reveals a somewhat more finely articulated view of the situation, a view that includes social dignity, but is also about straight up property rights, and Ison’s (eccentric, unrelated?) touchiness about his land.

On the other side of the issue, the members of O’Connor’s crew that are interviewed never refer to their responsibility to their audience; any responsibility they feel or felt pretty much seems limited to their decision to actually make the film for their audience. One member, who was interviewed quite a bit, mostly talked about how they were just ordinary people doing their work and how shooting a person is not a very constructive response to perceived insult.

Anyway, back to the ‘better way’: Greg Bordowitz and DeeDee Hallek, among others, expound a theory on, and encourage the practicing of, merging the artist with subject in artistic production. This practice, which is expressed implicitly and explicitly in Barret’s Stranger, leaves no room (or very little room as in the case of the re-broadcasting of Not Channel Zero’s material, for instance) for exploitation, or unfair and/or unrealistic representation.

This third avenue is both presented and somewhat subtly passes a sort of null pragmatic scrutiny with the film; that is, Strangers is a success, and Elizabeth Barret finishes the production unscathed.