Filming Elia Kazan's "Wild River"--Tennessee 10 Possibly 1959

Editor: Here we have Robert Frank's "Filming Elia Kazan's 'Wild River'--Tennessee 10," possibly from 1959, a gelatin-silver print. Looking at this contact sheet, it feels like peeking behind the scenes, capturing these fragments of a film shoot in rural Tennessee. What catches your eye when you look at this? Curator: Well, beyond the documentary aspect, it's the symbolism inherent in the sequencing that grabs me. Note how Frank presents the film crew amidst the landscape. These aren’t just images of a movie being made; they’re fragments of cultural memory, layered with meaning. The landscape itself becomes a character, bearing witness to this intersection of Hollywood and rural America. Do you see how the faces, almost uniformly stoic, evoke an echo of resilience or even resistance? Editor: Yes, I hadn't thought about the faces. The contrast between the suited figures and the backdrop creates a visual tension. It almost feels like a clash of worlds. Curator: Precisely. Frank’s not just showing us a film set; he’s hinting at deeper narratives about progress, displacement, and the changing face of the South. The film, “Wild River”, grapples with the very real effects of the TVA's modernization, impacting generational communities. The Xs over some of the images… even that simple act suggests a careful selection, an attempt to control the narrative within the narrative. What emotions do you sense resonating within you? Editor: Now that you mention it, there's a somberness in the unchosen images, almost like untold stories silenced in favour of the main narrative. I will definitely never look at another contact sheet the same way again. Thank you for opening my eyes. Curator: And thank you for seeing the echoes in the frame.