SAG HARBOR CINEMA x JAMES HAMILTON: ON FILM
Photo Exhibit, Preview Screening of Uncropped (D.W. Young, 2023),
conversations with James Hamilton and more!
March 29-31, 2024
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As part of Sag Harbor Cinema’s long tradition of spotlighting local artists and the creative ties between film and other visual arts, SHC is pleased to bring to its audiences the work of photographer – and East Hampton resident – James Hamilton.
Hamilton is the subject of an upcoming documentary, UNCROPPED (D.W. Young, 2023), about his impressive 50+ years photographing the New York arts scene. Sag Harbor Cinema will devote a special tribute to the photographer, hosting a sneak preview of the film ahead of its April 26th national release, with Hamilton and the film’s director D.W. Young in attendance.
“James Hamilton’s photographs for the ‘Village Voice’ had a tremendous impact on my early years in New York,” says SHC’s Founding Artistic Director Giulia D’Agnolo Vallan. “They spoke so vehemently of the city and its artists. I was thrilled to learn about D.W. Young’s great documentary Uncropped. And even more thrilled, once I saw the film, to discover what an ardent cinephile Hamilton is. This will be a very special weekend.”
As a staff photographer for Harper’s Bazaar (1971-1975), The Village Voice (1974-1993) and the New York Observer (1993-2009) Hamilton has documented in depth the New York art, film and music scene and is responsible for some of its most iconic portraits from the Seventies through the Nineties.
Jean-Luc Godard and James Hamilton
“One of the highlights of working on Uncropped with James was the seemingly endless process of discovery,” says director D.W. Young. “Every day brought astonishing new photographs and fresh delight in them. It was also a tremendous educational process – about photography and lighting and composition, but also about history, particularly NYC history. And like other directors before me, I learned how much fun it is to talk movies with James, which we did all the time. And I can’t think of a better way of making a film than that.”
An exhibit featuring images from Hamilton’s extensive work with filmmakers and on film sets will be on view on the Cinema’s third floor. From George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead and Knightriders, to Wes Anderson’s (executive producer of Uncropped) The Royal Tenenbaums, to John Carpenter’s Escape from New York, the show will include Hamilton’s set photos as well as some of his renown portraits of celebrated filmmakers as Alfred Hitchcock and Francois Truffaut.
Producer Wes Anderson (photograph by James Hamilton)
“The stunning Sag Harbor Cinema is honoring me and my photography by presenting director D.W. Young and producer Judith Mizrachy’s film Uncropped,” says Hamilton. “In addition they are allowing me to fill their third floor gallery with a collection of my portraits, and my photos made on film sets, called ‘On Film’. It will only be the second time I have had pictures in a gallery and I so love that they will be presented in this very special place. AND they asked if I wanted them to show a favorite film the same weekend. I chose Rear Window.”
The special program features a “carte blanche” of three films (in addition to Uncropped) that will screen throughout the weekend, selected by Hamilton, who will be present to discuss the profound influence that cinema has had on his art. The films include REAR WINDOW (Alfred Hitchcock, 1954), who has inspired Hamilton’s career as a photographer, as well as THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS (Wes Anderson, 2001), and KNIGHTRIDERS (George Romero, 1981).
In addition to set photos, props that Hamilton created for Tenenbaums will be on display as well as Hamilton’s vintage cameras. The exhibit at Sag Harbor Cinema will be the photographer’s second gallery show ever, and another opportunity for SHC to reflect the dialog between film and other artistic disciplines through the lens of a local, regional artist.
Previous film retrospectives that also featured a show on the Cinema’s third floor, include the wildly successful “The Worlds of Julie Andrews” exhibitions, “Tarnished Angels: The Artwork of Sabina Streeter,” the “Hegedus/Pennebaker Retrospective,” “Susan Woods: On Set” and, most recently, “From the Vaults of the Historic Film Archive: Cinema Posters 1908-1947” a collection of beautiful vintage movie posters and memorabilia courtesy of Joe Lauro’s Sag Harbor-based Historic Films Archive.
Tickets for the screening and events will be available on the cinema’s website, sagharborcinema.org.
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JAMES HAMILTON: For over four decades working as a staff photographer for five different publications in New York City, James Hamilton captured some of the most remarkable people and events of the last half century. Hamilton’s career began in 1964 as a painter studying at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. In 1966, he found a summer job as an assistant in the studio of a fashion photographer. By summer’s end, Hamilton did not return for his last two years of school, deciding instead to become a photographer and document his life in NYC.
In 1969 he spent five months hitchhiking and taking pictures across America. After showing photos from a Texas music festival to the editors at the seminal music magazine Crawdaddy!, he was hired on the spot as the staff photographer. This launched a forty-year career of staff positions at The Herald, The Village Voice, Harper’s Bazaar, and The New York Observer. Hamilton also worked on assignment for many publications including New York Magazine, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, and as the stills photographer for directors George Romero, Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach and others. Hamilton lives in New York City.
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D.W. YOUNG: D.W. Young’s previous documentary THE BOOKSELLERS, a behind-the-scenes look at the rare book world, premiered at the New York Film Festival in 2019. His other features include the award-winning documentary A HOLE IN A FENCE and the narrative THE HAPPY HOUSE, and his shorts include DANCING ON THE SILK RAZOR, NOT INTERESTED, A FAVOR FOR JERRY and A BODY OF LANGUAGE. His work has screened at festivals around the world including NYFF, SXSW, DOC NYC, Woodstock Film Festival and more.
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UNCROPPED
Dir. D.W. Young
USA, 2024; 111 mins, in English
UNCROPPED rediscovers the work of James Hamilton, one of the great chroniclers of the cultural history of America. For over four decades working as a staff photographer at publications such as Harper’s Bazaar, The New York Observer and most notably The Village Voice, Hamilton captured some of the most remarkable people and events of the last half century. Alfred Hitchcock. Muhammad Ali. Meryl Streep. LL Cool J. Hamilton has captured them all. Executive Produced by Wes Anderson.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
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As a not-for-profit 501(c)3, community-based organization, Sag Harbor Cinema is dedicated to presenting the past, present and future of the Movies and to preserving and educating about films, filmmaking, and the film-going experience in its three state-of-the-art theaters. The Cinema engages its audiences and the community year-round through dialogue, discovery, and appreciation of the moving image – from blockbusters to student shorts and everything in between. Revitalized and reimagined through unprecedented community efforts to rebuild the iconic Main Street structure after a fire nearly destroyed it in 2016, SHC continues a long historic tradition of entertainment in the heart of Sag Harbor Village. SHC Members enjoy discounts on tickets and merchandise and have access to our member-only rooftop lounge, The Green Room.
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AAQ / Resource: Stelle Lomont Rouhani Architects
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