Once

by Wim Wenders

Wim Wenders ranks among the greatest artistic minds of contemporary over the past thirty years his films have displayed such wisdom, creativity, and sensitivity that they have transcended boundaries of language and nationality. Wenders brings to this collection of photographic essays the same literary and cinematic talents, the same command of the art of storytelling that we find in his films. In the tradition of Paris, Texas and Faraway, So Close , the texts and pictures in Once weave ambiguous and moving narratives in fits of rhythmic prose and inventive imagery. Prefaced by Wenders' poetic meditations on the metaphysics of photography and film, Once consists of short, autobiographical sketches relating Wenders' experiences-both meaningful and apparently trivial-on his trips across the world scouting locations for his films, as well as photographs taken during these excursions. The resulting book is at once travel diary, photo album, and a series of short films or short stories-revealing the views and sentiments of an auteur inspired by the poetry of the eye and the melody of speech. Fascinating and revelatory, Once gives us a unique look at the universe Wenders has created out of the hidden pieces of everyday life.

Genres: Photography, Art, Film, Nonfiction, Germany, Poetry, Essays

Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Ernst Wilhelm ("Wim") Wenders is a German film director, playwright, author, photographer and producer. He was born in Düsseldorf.

Reviews

[S©aP · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solitamente diffido dei libri patinati. Così come dei libri di fotografie. O dei libri confezionati da gente famosa per altro che sia lo scrivere. Ma qualcosa di questa pubblicazione mi chiamava, pur senza averla aperta. Probabilmente il ricordo di certe inquadrature, nei film dell'autore. E sono contento dell'acquisto. Il taglio stringato; la forma, evocativa e sospesa; le foto istantanee; i ricordi accennati, e poi lasciati lì, dispersi e definiti nelle immagini, tutto contribuisce a donare a questo progetto dignità, valore, spessore. Un godibilissimo viaggio. Un memoriale ricco di percorsi e stimoli. Gran diletto.

I generally mistrust glossy books. As well as books of photographs. Or books "packaged" by people famous for anything other than writing. But something of this publication called me, before opening it. Probably the memory of certain shots, in author's films. And I'm glad of my purchase. The laconic cut; the style, evocative and suspended; the snapshots; the memories, just outlined and left there, scattered, and defined, in images, all contribute to give to this project dignity, value, substance. An enjoyable trip. A memorial full of paths and inspirations. Great delight.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful poetry with beautiful photos from a beautiful mind! The lay out of the book is genius in that often, just when you think a poem is over, you turn the page to find a new twist, irony, or meaning in the concluding lines or a final image.

[Booce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Photographs that feel like dreams. I want to make a book like this one day.

[shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

einstellung

[Shane · Rating 5 out of 5]

awesome!!!!!

[pauli von Gethen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once
I took the subway to downtown Beijing
to look for something by David Mitchell
but found this instead

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my absolute favorite books. I often go back and reread the introduction as well as the stories. I have taken photos since I was eight and really enjoy seeing these travels spelled out in a sort of prose. Beautiful.

[Diego Munoz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book mainly of photographs he has taken during his time in different countries filming movies. The photos are Interspersed with comments of the people or scenes.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book of pictures. He took the pictures because he was location scouting. I like his style. Met him once at a photo festival in L.A. His lecture was about the newest movie he was making about music and place. He says that if you listen closely enough to a place, you can hear the stories. Wim Wenders is an inspiring artist and so is his little book of pictures.

[larph raulen · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Just as we want to disappear, out into the world and into the things, at the very moment of taking the picture, the world and the things now leap out of the photograph at the beholder, seeking to survive and to last there. It is 'THERE' that the stories come about, in the eye of the beholder."

[Darin Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books of all time. I love everything about it. The photography is excellent on many levels. It is in my currently reading shelve because I read parts of it everyday.

[clarenina · Rating 5 out of 5]

No review I could write would do justice to the profound effect the words and images of Wim Wenders had/has upon me..

[Iris · Rating 5 out of 5]

moments of tenderness from wim wenders' adventures by way of car, plane, and especially his own two feet. 10 stars.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I guess one of my favorite book genres is slight photographic, literary memoirs by my fave filmmakers? Reminds one of the sublime “Instant Light: Tarkovsky’s Polaroids”. “Wim Wenders Once” is a little different, of course, because they are vastly different filmmakers with different backgrounds and aims and Once has a much more wide range of content and stories and is less poetic/spiritual in its writings.

What fascinates me about Wenders is that—at least for a time—Wenders was so completely intrigued by Hollywood, by the American West, by its filmmakers and artists, and in turn, Wenders has established some of the most iconic American imagery. Second, in my mind, to John Ford. His photographs are perceptive and moving.

Anyways, a beautiful, poetic little book that’s perfect for folks who like 70s photographs, Wenders, and all of the European and Hollywood filmmakers that he includes in this collection. (Elisha Cook, Jr! Martin Scorsese, Nicholas Ray, Bruno Ganz, Jean-Luc Godard, Akira Kurosawa, Dennis Hopper, Isabella Rossellini etc.)

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once, in 1978, in another lifetime, I lived in San Francisco. On a Sunday night, outside of Sam's Grill, I was introduced to Wim Wenders by Lynn Hershman. We went to Mike's Pool Hall on Market Street, and he took us to his apartment on Post and Hyde. It was spare and the sound of traffic was palpable from below. He had named the cockroaches that lived in the apartment with him.

Once, over the course of many nights, we sat next to one another at the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley. This is how I came to sit in the front row of many movie theaters, which I continue to do.

Once, we went out to dinner at an Asian restaurant on Clement Street. There was a fly in my soup and I laughed.

Once, Wim called to say he could not meet me. He was in San Diego with Jean-Luc Godard, Jean-Pierre Gorin and Manny Farber. I said that I would choose spending time with these men over spending time with me. There are photographs of this meeting in this book.

[Elijah]

A nice companion to both Written in the West and Wim Wenders' 1980s cinematic works. The first third is all random encounters with other famous filmmakers. The second two thirds are Wim seemingly along exploring the world. I do think his photography jives with a couple of things that are true to his films - landscape as character and the sense of wandering discovery. Wenders is one of those filmmakers whom I'd like to a film-by-film watch through of. I hope to meet him one day too. It could happen. Our circles overlap, strangely enough.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andrea Corona Jenkins aka @girlhula is doing a series on her blog inspired by this book, which is how I found out about it.

Really lovely, spooky, lonely pictures (the BEST kind of pictures if you ask me) interspersed with Wim's "once" memories.

This is a tiny quick read that will stay with me for a long time, the stories and the images are so evocative and haunting.

[Dan Mutter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Instead of using “1,000 words” to describe a picture, Wim Wenders offers some light context to invite the reader into the Feeling of these images. The attitude, the Einstellung, and an acknowledgement of perspective emanate from this rewarding collection of life - and art - through the camera’s eye.

[Private · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wim wenders beschreibt die Situationen in denen er fotografiert und durch seine Anekdoten lassen sich interessante Blickwinkel auf die Dinge in seinen Bildern feststellen. Ein sehr gelungenes Buch sehr empfehlenswert.

[Alden Veazey]

Incredibly sweet collection of photos with candid anecdotes. Would love to look at more of Wim's picture books.
Also pictured: Jean Luc Godard's toes in strappy sandals on a particularly warm day in L.A. when he'd only answer questions with Yes, no, or I don't know....

[Caley Aylward · Rating 5 out of 5]

I forgot what it was like to look at photography by someone who was intentionally capturing something.

[Nik Stanbridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my all time fave books

[lou]

溫德斯本人完成書籍排版。

[Lamont Khoza · Rating 5 out of 5]

In as much as this collection is Wenders' reflection on the fragility of time & memories, and the fading American frontier(amongst many other themes) this book is as much of a reflection into Wim Wenders himself. Allowing us, if just for a moment, to interrogate into him. For memories are the photos of our lives and photos are the memories of moments.

[Virginia Barchi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un diario di viaggio nei ricordi, diapositive e didascalie in un mondo di contatti, compagnie e passaggi creativi

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wim Wenders' Once does not claim any lofty ambition but, rather, whispers of transient experiences. For Wenders, this often means location scouting with fellow legendary directors. At times, this documentation is too inaccessible to those unfamiliar with Wenders and his influences. But when Wenders turns the lens on the trivial, the fleeting, Once shows itself to be a manual in parsing through memory and gathering, like pieces of tossed glass along a shore, those seemingly insignificant visuals that prove most sustaining of all.

Consider varying the pace of viewing. A quick versus deliberate flip-through yields new meaning

[Hung-ya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wim Wenders' s Once (Einmal) is my favourite photography collection. Not only it collects Wim Wenders' s pictures from his lovely experiences and memories, he also writes the most honest, heart-warming and sentimental words to reflect his profoundness. And I really enjoy reading his friendship with other world famous directors and some of the most amazing encounters on the roadside or in a lavatory randomly in an airport. Just brilliant.

[Jonas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sure, a really artsy picture book concept. But, hey, Wim Wenders is one of the few folks who can pull this kind of book off. Beautiful photos, stories that stick in your memory. A really intimate look in to the director's thought process and what he finds enchanting and worthwhile living here on earth.

[Susan rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

a sweet compilation of snapshots and "snapshot prose", not deep, but beautiful in the present tense.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely incredible compilation of the closest thing to perfection I have ever seen! Hands down #1 favorite!