If you are lucky enough to watch this in a quiet place, like I did, this is like taking your brain to a spa. In show one, when he talks about the silence and stillness of paintings, the soundtrack goes silent. And – in absolute television heresy – by refusing to tart up the set, or even light Berger in a flattering way, the show’s makers help the viewer to focus on what Berger is actually saying. It’s pretty startling these days to watch something so devoid of gloss, but of course that’s the point.
Do you remember Rick Moranis’s character Jerry Todd on SCTV? The video guy (pronounced ‘vuh-deo’)? His show (like so many local access cable network shows) opened with a proud shot of the equipment used to make the show. Similarly, the fact that he is shown on the screen is fantastic.
I don’t want to seem like I’m mocking here I actually love the joy of gadgetry use in moments like this. Whenever a zoom like this occurs in a film, be it Planet of the Apes or BBC doc, it simply screams out this-is-a-camera-at-work-here, always-remember-you-are-watching-a-film! So meta! Oh the abrupt zoom! When the zoom lens was still fresh out of the wrapping and it was so fun to use it boldly. The zoom out from John Berger on the video screen Clockwork orange! Fahrenheit 451! Day of the Triffids! Bell-bottoms! 2.
Immeasurable 70s warm fuzzies flow from this font, the Alvin Toffler Future Shock font of adorably self-conscious computer era mod, technology awe and scifi anxiety. I’ve just finished watching them on the youtube and enjoyed them immensely, both for the intellectual content but also for… A tragically short series, that is – there are only four episodes. John Berger died recently, and in the publicity wake of his passing I discovered that his Ways of Seeing was not just a fantastic book I had to buy for a course many years ago, but was originally a BBC series.
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