Educational Media Reviews Online

This documentary takes a look at the George Eastman House in Rochester, New York, the oldest photography museum in the world and home to thousands of objects having to do with still and moving photography. Viewers are shown the galleries of the museum but, more importantly, are treated to images of famous photos and their stories, clips of moving pictures, and the sight of historical cameras.

Filmed in color, with black-and-white historical stills and movies, the documentary is part of the "Great Museums for Art" series. The museum director and various curators provide expert information on the museum and George Eastman himself.

Eastman, who developed the $1 Brownie camera and brought photography to the masses through the Kodak company, was an inventor and businessman. His house in Rochester, which was built between 1902 and 1905, is now home to a film archives, the works of 14,000 photographers, and a school where preservation is taught.

The film has excellent production values. Editing of the stroll through the galleries, talking heads, and historical photos and motion pictures is seamless. Shot on location at the Eastman House, it portrays the importance of Eastman the man and his company to the world. Public libraries may want to purchase this for their DVD collections. College or university art or archive classes may be interested, although it is, at 28 minutes, just the "tip of the iceberg."

Viewers are also directed to more information at the Eastman House web site, where they can view over 140,000 images online.