The Last Word on James Dean and Dennis Stock (original) (raw)
Lens | The Last Word on James Dean and Dennis Stock
Featured Posts
Slide Show
A Father, a Son, a Disease and a Camera
Credit Cheney Orr
A Father, a Son, a Disease, and a Camera
By John Leland Jan. 18, 2018 Jan. 18, 2018
Slide Show
Roger Fenton: The First Great War Photographer
Credit Roger Fenton/Royal Collection Trust/HM Queen Elizabeth II 2017
Roger Fenton: the First Great War Photographer
By James Estrin Jan. 18, 2018 Jan. 18, 2018
Slide Show
A Photographer Captures His Community in a Changing Chicago Barrio
Credit Sebastián Hidalgo
A Photographer Captures His Community in a Changing Chicago Barrio
By Evelyn Nieves Jan. 16, 2018 Jan. 16, 2018
Slide Show
What Martin Luther King Jr. Meant to New York
Credit Courtesy of Steven Kasher Gallery
What Martin Luther King Jr. Meant to New York
By John Leland Jan. 11, 2018 Jan. 11, 2018
Slide Show
Exploring the History of Afro-Mexicans
Credit Mara Sanchez Renero
Exploring the History of Afro-Mexicans
By David Gonzalez Jan. 11, 2018 Jan. 11, 2018
Slide Show
Behind the Iron Curtain: Intimate Views of Life in Communist Hungary
Credit Andras Bankuti
Behind the Iron Curtain: Intimate Views of Life in Communist Hungary
By Sarah Moroz Jan. 10, 2018 Jan. 10, 2018
The Last Word on James Dean and Dennis Stock
By David Snider Feb. 8, 2016 Feb. 8, 2016
I’d waited for two years to see the recent film “Life,” about my friend Dennis Stock and his classic photo essay of James Dean, who was born 85 years ago today. Dennis himself was the subject of “The Articulate Image,” my video about his half-century career as a Magnum photographer. We recorded 20 hours of interviews about his amazing journeys and stories, and his James Dean story was something I knew by heart.
But when the movie came out, I felt it wasn’t an accurate portrayal of their friendship. Although it had that mid-50s look and feel, its creators invented a story about a reluctant actor and an annoying, persistent, acerbic photographer. I thought: “No, no, no. That’s not really how it happened.”
In real life, Dennis was a compelling, intense man with passion and respect for his subjects. Dean understood this, and he was intrigued by the craft of photography, too. In fact, he took pictures of Dennis while they were together.
For decades before Dennis died in 2010, he guarded Dean’s memory. Now I’m doing my part to protect Dennis’s memory. In this segment from his final interview with me in 2009, Dennis Stock gets the last word.
David Snider is a documentary photographer and the producer of The Photography Channel website.
Follow @nytimesphoto on Twitter. You can also find Lens on Facebook and Instagram.
Featured Posts
Slide Show
A Father, a Son, a Disease and a Camera
Credit Cheney Orr
A Father, a Son, a Disease, and a Camera
By John Leland Jan. 18, 2018 Jan. 18, 2018
Slide Show
Roger Fenton: The First Great War Photographer
Credit Roger Fenton/Royal Collection Trust/HM Queen Elizabeth II 2017
Roger Fenton: the First Great War Photographer
By James Estrin Jan. 18, 2018 Jan. 18, 2018
Slide Show
A Photographer Captures His Community in a Changing Chicago Barrio
Credit Sebastián Hidalgo
A Photographer Captures His Community in a Changing Chicago Barrio
By Evelyn Nieves Jan. 16, 2018 Jan. 16, 2018
Slide Show
What Martin Luther King Jr. Meant to New York
Credit Courtesy of Steven Kasher Gallery
What Martin Luther King Jr. Meant to New York
By John Leland Jan. 11, 2018 Jan. 11, 2018
Pictures of the Week
- Slide Show
The Week in Pictures: June 23, 2017
Credit Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images
The Week in Pictures: June 23, 2017
- Slide Show
The Week in Pictures: June 16, 2017
Credit Adam Dean for The New York Times
The Week in Pictures: June 16, 2017
- Slide Show
The Week in Pictures: June 9, 2017
Credit Ivor Prickett for The New York Times
The Week in Pictures: June 9, 2017
- Slide Show
The Week in Pictures: June 2, 2017
Credit European Pressphoto Agency