Dorothea Lange: Grab a Hunk of Lightning named one of top three documentaries to air on television in 2014.
“Dyanna Taylor’s Dorothea Lange: Grab a Hunk of Lightning is, in my opinion, the best documentary ever made about an artist and their work. Taylor manages to deftly weave the personal and the artistic life of Lange into a complex and compelling portrait of commitment, inspiration, hard work and sacrifice, its depth made all the richer for its being so personal – Lange is Taylor’s grandmother. Beautifully directed, written and photographed, the film is rich in surprises – ever hear of a Lange project called Death of a Valley (the photographs are astoundingly moving); ever known about the MOMA retrospective curated by the “photography as art pioneer” John Szarkowski (Taylor discovered and restored archival film of Lange and Szarkowski working together on the retrospective that is revelatory); ever heard much about Lange’s second husband Paul Taylor and their remarkable partnership in art and social causes (their relationship is unforgettably depicted); ever hear about how Lange wrote the succinct and artful captions for her photos – well… read no more, just watch this memorable documentary. “
“I sobbed at the end of your film because of the truths you share: how privileged your grandfather felt to have spent 30 years with her, the fact that the MoMA show lived on, even though she didn’t, and also the fact that she lives on through her granddaughter’s testament to her life, using the skillful vision that she instilled in you…This is a film I’d like to see a dozen times or more. Congratulations for having made it.”
“Thus, Dorothea Lange: Grab A Hunk of Lightning is not a film about photography, far from it. One enters there like an adventure in which we follow with pleasure the traces of time and emotions captured through the eye of Dorothea Lange.”
– Jean-François Nadeau, Culture > Cinema
“This film is generous where it counts most — hundreds of those photos, not a single one wasted here ….“BOTTOM LINE Beautifully done…this is a long love letter.”
“You don’t want to miss Dorothea Lange: Grab a Hunk of Lightning”
“a visual bounty of her photographic legacy”
“This is an impressive documentary…”
“I recommend giving total attention to this irresistible documentary.”
“This powerful and intimate look back at the life’s work of legendary documentary photographer Dorothea Lange will, by turns, enlighten you and break your heart.”
“This is an exceptional documentary, it is incredibly well done,” and later continued, “I definitely recommend this documentary…it looks fantastic.”