Educational Media Reviews Online

Sebastiao Salgado is one of Brazil’s most important photographers, and John Berger is one of the best-known British art critics. This video program is a 50 minute conversation between the two while they are sitting in the kitchen of Berger's home in the Swiss Alps. Their conversation is interrupted with the showing of a number of photographs from Salgado's collection entitled "Migrations." The conversation is fascinating as it ranges from the artistic elements of the photographs to the ideas of globalization. The focus is on the power of photographic images to change world opinion, and to inform its citizenry concerning the various developments in various countries. One of the major points of the video program is to show what globalization is really doing to the world. This is done both through the conversation between Salgado and Berger, and to a great extent, through Salgado's photographs.

While the program is extremely interesting and holds the viewer's attention, it only provides one view of globalization and what it is doing to the earth. Care should be taken to provide balancing views if the video is used in the classroom or as assigned viewing. This would especially be a concern if it is used for secondary school viewing. Beyond the political views, the program provides a look at some very artistic photographs and interesting criticism of them. The program is highly recommended.

Awards: 2002 Rotterdam Film Festival, 2001 Amsterdam Documentary Film Festival and 2001 Wellington Film Festival (New Zealand).