The Photographer In Front of the Camera

Photographer Erich Lessing, a member of the legendary photographic agency Magnum, is one of the most important photojournalists of the post-war era: His pictures of the Hungarian Revolution are contemporary documents that are as artistic as his portraits of European politicians, such as Konrad Adenauer and Nikita Khrushchev. His photograph of Leopold Figl standing on the balcony of the Belvedere palace presenting the signed Austrian State Treaty in May 1955 has been forever etched in Austria’s collective memory. Directors of the film accompany the still very active 90-year old and take the time to focus on the details. Small gestures and brief glimpses give the film a special charm, such as when the great photographer, when tying his tie, laments that the Windsor knot has gone out of fashion. The film invites its audience to view the works of this extraordinary artist in a new light.