Finding Vivian Maier

As an amateur photographer and a fan of Vivian Maier's work this film was interesting. In this male dominated field it's always a delight and a breath of fresh air to find a woman's work that is so captivating. The film goes in depth as to how her work was found and stories from people that knew her. VM was not only a photographer, she also had video and audio recordings. The film includes a few videos and sound recordings of VM which was a nice surprise.

I need to say that I was tempted to rate it less stars because the bad choices in allowing anyone to put down the profession of domestic related work including being a nanny. Some of these folks really show their character as just being uncouth and ignorant towards Ms. Maier's career path choices. Nevertheless, it was an outstanding documentary to watch twice ...and to the young gentleman who discovered her work (sorry I'm bad at memory these days), you were meant for it. Hope you made some coin as well as you deserve it with all the hard work you put in wanting her art and craft to finally be discovered by the world. Great story, kind of sad...but not so much, since she seemed to enjoy her path in life quite a bit.

Very highly recommended. discoveries like this only come around once in lifetime. Vivian Maier, is likely to remain a topic of intense in the art world for the foreseeable future - both for the impenetrable mystery of her identity and life and because of her prodigious body of work and her substantial talent. I first became aware of Vivian Maier at the initial exhibition of a fraction of her work at the Chicago Cultural Center. This exhibition is documented in the film. My first impression was how closely she had studied the great masters of street photography, Cartier-Bresson, WeeGee, Diane Arbus and others. As more of her work was made public it became clear that the fruits of that study were a highly personal and absorbing vision coupled with amazing dexterity and technique. It would be tempting to say that she was the last great street photographer because she worked with the classic tools, a Rolliflex and a Leica IIIf. But there are so many men and women crowding that field today that American Photo Magazine has proclaimed 2013 the year of street photography. Never the less, most of the new comers use modern digital equipment, and have masters like Vivian Maier to study. For she has already entered the ranks of the legends of Photography. It is sad that she has only been reveled to the public after her death. It is also a great good fortune that due to her prodigious work effort, we will be seeing "new" Vivian Maier photographs for a very long time to come. If you are interested in photography or if your just love a good mystery, you will love "Finding Vivan Maier"

Very interesting story about a very anonymous photographer

Recommend it for anyone interested in photography, a private artist’s world and how a human deals with their childhood wounds. When I ask why she did not publish her photos I tried to crawl into her world through this film. My conclusion is that, sharing the photos would mean someone else could judge them or her. That she did not even care as much about the printed photo as the permission she gave herself to invade the space of others with her camera. The camera gave her permission to be bold and intrusive in a way that delivered gold in the images she left the world. Like a blues musician sings about the pain of life to deal with his own pain, I believe she used photography to deal with her own pain in the same way. Not aware of this but out of necessity. She lived for the connection she had with the captured image. Her own wounds were too deep to allow others to connect in the usual ways but she found a connection to live through the moments of photographing people and things.As to John Maloof, great job. He had the guts to find it and bring it forward. Her time to be private is gone; now it is the property of the finder and I think he has done an outstanding job of bringing the full artiest to the world with all of her humanity. John I hope you are compensated well for your work and hope to meet some day.

Fascinating documentary that is actually two stories in the film. One deals with Vivian Maier's life and art. The second is about the person who discovered her photographic archives and his quest to find out who Maier was. There's both a mystery to be unraveled and wonderful photographs from a previously unknown artist. I saw this first in the movie theater when it came out and some people loved it but some people didn't like Maier's personality so they didn't love the movie. I really like her images and find these "discovery" stories really interesting so I give this a thumbs up. But I can see how some viewers will be turned off by her less-than-warm personality. Also, some new information has been discovered since the movie came out so it's not entirely up-to-date but not in a significant way in my opinion. Highly recommended for this who like folk art, photography, and seeing how an unknown treasure was lost and how its story is pieced together. The DVD itself doesn't have much in the way of extras. The main film looks and sounds good given the documentary style of the original film. Recommended!

Screenwriters, producers and directors John Maloof and Charlie Siskel`s documentary feature which they co-wrote and produced, is inspired by real events in the life of a 20th and 21st century American street photographer. It premiered in the Documentaries section at the 38th Toronto International Film Festival in 2013, was screened in the Panorama section at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival in 2014 and is an American production which was shot on locations in America, France and England. It tells the story about a photographer who in the late 2000s in America, found some property which belonged to a nanny.Distinctly and engagingly directed by filmmakers John Maloof and Charlie Siskel, this finely paced documentary which is narrated by John Maloof and interchangeably from multiple viewpoints, draws a gripping and multifaceted portrayal of secretive activities which began in early 20th century France. While notable for its versatile milieu depictions and reverent cinematography by cinematographer John Maloof, this narrative-driven story about the eccentricities, family relations, interpersonal relations, identities and views on humanity and men of the person in question where interviews with friends, family members, photographers and acquaintances communicates objective stories about someone who got significantly near whilst keeping a pivotal distance, depicts an extraordinary and unsettlingly in-depth study of character and contains a timely instrumental score.This somewhat historic, humerous and atmospheric found photography documentary which is set mostly in America and France in the 21st century, where an, according to this representation, reclusive and autonomous person is given to the limelight and where the unpublished work of a daughter and sister who managed to remain a mystery for as long as she could is presented, is impelled and reinforced by its fragmented narrative structure, substantial and cinematically appropriate character development, rhythmic continuity, psychological undertones, noteworthy examination of its central theme and the bilateral photographs. An informatively biographical, at times astonishing and ingeniously photographic documentary feature.

To begin in reverse order I think it is important to see the wonderful, pertinent and emotive images of Vivian Maier in the books produced by John Maloof....it is to fall in love with her amazing eye and framework of most individual works.....then as Maloof says when you begin to appreciate the artist a desire to know who she is, and the why, and the how of her, grows.....so this way around works for me...so the DVD was a fascinating struggle to learn about a very private person, who may or may not want the public looking over her shoulder. Many good observations were made about her....I think some comments made by professional photographers were sensitive in saying how superb an eye she had and the intimacy she held between herself and the subject which willing or not propelled one inside her mind or at least her mindset of that particular image, whether they were portraits or land/townscapes.....always showing her intelligent and very personal creativity in visual statements.The DVD shows the story behind Maloof's finding of the negatives and if you wish to say the 'developing' of his search about her, having to trace an address of sorts which lead him into her neighbourhood, more information through the purchasing of additional material by Maier and some personal effects, interviewing past employers and her young charges as she as in the most part was a childrens Nanny....alongwith professional photographers insightful critiques on her work.One such photographer raised the point that her use of the double lens Rolleiflex camera actually made her less intimidating as a street photographer as it's not the type of camera to use at eye level but one viewed at waist level which actually made any human subject feel secure, believing they were not in the photograph...it is in fact the nature of the camera but actually was fortuitous for her.....many images therefore were viewed from below the subjects eyeline so giving the photographed image more drama and stature.... she worked this to her advantage...another commented on her closeness to the soul of the person she photgraphed as possibly the subjects hadn't 'a don't photograph me ' expression making the image far more natural, intimate and real.....but to top that she thought photography continually and spent it seems most days taking images, and seeking them out, she worked in a strongly dedicated way and that is evident in the volume and quality of her work.The DVD interviews a variety of people who had some personal knowledge of her, and were as honest as they could be....although I think it should be remembered that she was a Nanny maybe in the 50's, 60's 70's plus and the times were very different. Socially it couldn't be more different from today. To give Maier a chance I think that should be taken into account. Comments were made on her attitudes perhaps on discipline...well I was a child in the 50's and also had a Nanny, whom I adored as I spent much time with her, but discipline was part of it, as it was so with parents too...childcare attitudes were different then and it was a post war period.....so in this light I think some memories of Maier were a little harsh and she was misunderstood in this aspect...there was no internet to tell all, life was hugely different in her lifetime....give her space. Also she had a creative mind and I would expect her to think differently. These days someone a bit quirky is a person to relish in our times, but in her time thought of as a little odd, well that's a shame not to put this into a time context...it's her difference in lifestyle that has given us this amazing imagery.Her background reveals a seemingly lonely, perhaps a sad upbringing which isn't totally known, as being almost isolated, but she did live with her Mother, also a brother, but longer with her Mother.....although it appears Maier was born in New York she was born to a French Mother and there is a connection in Alpine France where she had also spent time in childhood, I understand......so the thoughts of a linguist's views seem rather doubtful and misplaced...so her French accent could be a mix of cultural changes or indeed a need and to retain a closeness to her Mother who most likely would have had a strong and genuine French accent, again unknown.... there was also a census viewed when Maloof was researching her which showed her name written as 'Vivienne' which is the French version, perhaps she changed the spelling to 'Vivian' herself when living in NY, but no evidence of this, but there was a mention of her playing with 'Maier' or 'Mayer'....a creative mind !It appears that she didn't form good familial relationships, but her whole family had this trait, not just her, so was very much alone, perhaps she formed a kind of family through her Nannying career yet knowing it wasn't reality....I think this could have been a sadness for her, and would give anyone what seems to be a hard exterior...her photographs became her family and she showed great emotion and sensitivity through them, they had soul...she could be herself and yet a fear runs through them like a fine thread experiencing and observing the hardships in life, the human suffering, yet an acceptance in various walks of life and a contentment is also interwined within....perhaps a fear of a inevitability that it could reflect back into her own life.It seems she fell on hard times during her later years....the wonderful thing was that some of her young male charges, now adult , provided for her in her hour of need and supported her, finding her a home and paying her expenses...a touching sentiment from her adopted families...she still mattered to them.The DVD is a good support in discovering the person...but do also buy the books, there are images on the DVD , but far more in the various publications...and well worth it and enjoyable.An amazing talent hidden within the pages.

Fascinating DVD about the enigmatic Vivian Maier - the nanny who was a highly competent street photographer and who no-one has heard of until now. Maloof discovered Maier after buying negatives for a project about Chicago, he scanned the negatives and discovered something amazing - photos of such quality that have never seen the light of day until now. His search for Vivian takes in her childhood in France, her training as a nanny and later becoming a live-in nanny to a number of children. All this whilst taking the most incredible black and white photos. We heard about Maier from the views of her charges and employers, some of whom paint a picture of a stern, yet surprising woman who had never married but photographed life in all its varieties in New York and Chicago as well as abroad. Finding Vivian Maier is a complete surprise.

Excellent!I was initially disappointed when I bought this as I thought it was going to be the same film that BBC's Imagine series did, however, I am pleased that I carried on watching it as it turns out that this film is far more revealing and compelling than its counterpart. It's also very easy to watch and at no point did I feel there were lulls in the pace or the narrative.Very illuminating, interesting, inspiring, a little sad, and also realistic and shows a fuller human side to Maier which the Imagine version only really touched upon.Highly recommended.

For anyone interested in her amazing work, this book will not disappoint. In fact it contains almost all of the images selected by my local gallery for the exhibition of her work - 150 in total. A excellent book to have and to keep.