Stranger With A Camera
Encyclopedia
Stranger With A Camera is a 2000 documentary film
by director Elizabeth Barret investigating the circumstances surrounding the 1967 death of Hugh O'Connor
. Barret, who was born and raised in the region, explores questions concerning public image and the individual's lack of power to define oneself within the American media landscape. By contrasting multiple perspectives from locals and O'Connor's film crew, Barret weaves a tale of a complexly motivated crime with an insightful exploration of how the media affects the communities it chronicles. The film premiered at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival
and later aired on the PBS series P.O.V.
documentary filmmaker O'Connor had been hired to direct a film about the "American Dream
" entitled US. In addition to highlighting many of the prospering areas in America, O'Connor chose to document Letcher County in eastern Kentucky. Letcher County was located in a region known as Appalachia
, a 2000000 square miles (5,179,976.2 km²) region that had become a metaphor for all that was wrong with the “American Dream”. President Johnson had declared a War on Poverty
in 1964, strongly focused on the Appalachian region.
Reporters, film crews, and television journalists had already been entrenched in Letcher County long before O’Connor arrived. While many of Letcher County’s residents were hopeful the attention would bring change, others were angered and felt exploited by the media's portrayal of their community. Hobart Ison, a local man who rented several properties to Appalachian miners, was one such disgruntled resident. On the final day of his shoot for US, Hugh O'Connor was filming mining families living in shacks rented by Ison. Enraged by their intrusion, Ison threatened the film crew with a .38-calibre Smith & Wesson
revolver. He fired several shots, one striking O’Connor in the chest and killing him.
Barnett uses her background as both a filmmaker and a member of the community to reevaluate the incident that occurred in 1967. Barrett films testimonies of both O'Connor's film crew and family, along with members of the Jeremiah community, that talk about their struggle with the media in general during Lyndon B. Johnson's "War on Poverty." Stranger with a Camera reflects the issues between social action vs. social embarrassment and the boundaries between media and its subjects. Barret films interviews that discuss the emotions during the War on Poverty, in the less fortunate neighborhoods, while also talking about the emotions of the community after the murder happened. Barret's film helps the audience understand the motives and intentions of the Appalachian people, as well as those of the media and specifically O'Connor's film crew.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
by director Elizabeth Barret investigating the circumstances surrounding the 1967 death of Hugh O'Connor
Death of Hugh O'Connor
The death of Hugh O'Connor occurred on September 20, 1967. O'Connor, a Canadian television journalist, was filming a coal miner at his rented house in Jeremiah, Letcher County, Kentucky when Hobart Ison, the property owner, arrived, told O'Connor and his crew to leave, then shot and killed O'Connor...
. Barret, who was born and raised in the region, explores questions concerning public image and the individual's lack of power to define oneself within the American media landscape. By contrasting multiple perspectives from locals and O'Connor's film crew, Barret weaves a tale of a complexly motivated crime with an insightful exploration of how the media affects the communities it chronicles. The film premiered at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
and later aired on the PBS series P.O.V.
P.O.V.
POV is a Public Broadcasting Service Public television series which features independent nonfiction films. POV is a cinema term for "point of view"....
Background
Scottish CanadianScottish Canadian
Scottish Canadians are people of Scottish descent or heritage living in Canada. As the third-largest ethnic group in Canada and among the first to settle in Canada, Scottish people have made a large impact on Canadian culture since colonial times...
documentary filmmaker O'Connor had been hired to direct a film about the "American Dream
American Dream
The American Dream is a national ethos of the United States in which freedom includes a promise of the possibility of prosperity and success. In the definition of the American Dream by James Truslow Adams in 1931, "life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each...
" entitled US. In addition to highlighting many of the prospering areas in America, O'Connor chose to document Letcher County in eastern Kentucky. Letcher County was located in a region known as Appalachia
Appalachia
Appalachia is a term used to describe a cultural region in the eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York state to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Canada to Cheaha Mountain in the U.S...
, a 2000000 square miles (5,179,976.2 km²) region that had become a metaphor for all that was wrong with the “American Dream”. President Johnson had declared a War on Poverty
War on Poverty
The War on Poverty is the unofficial name for legislation first introduced by United States President Lyndon B. Johnson during his State of the Union address on January 8, 1964. This legislation was proposed by Johnson in response to a national poverty rate of around nineteen percent...
in 1964, strongly focused on the Appalachian region.
Reporters, film crews, and television journalists had already been entrenched in Letcher County long before O’Connor arrived. While many of Letcher County’s residents were hopeful the attention would bring change, others were angered and felt exploited by the media's portrayal of their community. Hobart Ison, a local man who rented several properties to Appalachian miners, was one such disgruntled resident. On the final day of his shoot for US, Hugh O'Connor was filming mining families living in shacks rented by Ison. Enraged by their intrusion, Ison threatened the film crew with a .38-calibre Smith & Wesson
Smith & Wesson
Smith & Wesson is the largest manufacturer of handguns in the United States. The corporate headquarters is in Springfield, Massachusetts. Founded in 1852, Smith & Wesson's pistols and revolvers have become standard issue to police and armed forces throughout the world...
revolver. He fired several shots, one striking O’Connor in the chest and killing him.
Barnett uses her background as both a filmmaker and a member of the community to reevaluate the incident that occurred in 1967. Barrett films testimonies of both O'Connor's film crew and family, along with members of the Jeremiah community, that talk about their struggle with the media in general during Lyndon B. Johnson's "War on Poverty." Stranger with a Camera reflects the issues between social action vs. social embarrassment and the boundaries between media and its subjects. Barret films interviews that discuss the emotions during the War on Poverty, in the less fortunate neighborhoods, while also talking about the emotions of the community after the murder happened. Barret's film helps the audience understand the motives and intentions of the Appalachian people, as well as those of the media and specifically O'Connor's film crew.
Awards
- 2000 Sundance Film Festival - Nominated, Grand Jury Prize - Documentary
- 2000 International Documentary AssociationInternational Documentary AssociationInternational Documentary Association , founded in 1982, is a non-profit organization promoting documentary film, video and new media, to support the efforts of documentary filmmaking and video production makers around the world and to increase public appreciation and demand for the art of the...
- Nominated, IDA Award - Feature Documentaries - 2000 San Francisco International Film FestivalSan Francisco International Film FestivalSan Francisco International Film Festival is the oldest continuously running film festival in the Americas. Organized by the San Francisco Film Society, the International is held each spring for two weeks, presenting an average of 150 films from over 50 countries...
- Won, Silver Spire, Film & Video - History