Click here to copy URL

Tell Them Who You Are

Original title: Tell Them Who You Are
Year: 2004
Running time: 95 min.
Country: United States
Director: Mark S. Wexler
Screenwriter: Mark S. Wexler
Cast: Documentary
Music: Blake Leyh
Cinematography: Mark S. Wexler
Producer: Wexler’s World
Genre: Documentary
Synopsis: The son of acclaimed cinematographer Haskell Wexler confronts his father by turning the camera on him. What results is a portrait of a difficult genius and a path out of the shadow of a famous father.
Some people who appear at the documentary: Billy Crystal, Michael Douglas, Jane Fonda, Milos Forman, Conrad L. Hall, Tom Hayden, Dennis Hopper, Ron Howard, Norman Jewison, Irvin Kershner, George Lucas, Albert Maysles, Paul Newman, Sidney Poitier, Julia Roberts, John Sayles, Martin Sheen, Lee Tamahori, Studs Terkel, Jonathan Winters and many more.

Mark S. Wexler about his documentary:
«I have spent most of my career travelling and working as a photojournalist. Whenever I would photograph a celebrity, my father would encourage me to “tell them who you are”. This of course translated into “tell them you are Haskell Wexler’s son”. I never wanted the subjects of my photographs or anyone, for that matter, to know I was Haskell Wexler’s son. For a long time, I kept it under cover. I wanted to make it on my own. When asked if I was related to the famous cinematographer, I would tell people that no, there was no relation or, at best, “We are distant relatives”. About ten years ago, I began toying with the idea of making a film about my father. Whenever a milestone in his career was celebrated – a star on the Walk of Fame, an awards show gala, a retrospective – I would get out my camera and film. These attempts yielded nothing. I was filming the legend, I was filming the professional. These were images of the Academy Award-winning filmmaker. I wanted to capture my father. When documenting the life of an interesting stranger, a filmmaker yearns to get to the private, tough questions and, ultimately, hopes his subject will open up. When filming my father, I found myself reluctant to reach that stage, afraid to get to the point where everything was out in the open. I was paralysed at times by the thought of pushing forward with this “cinema therapy” because it was as much about my life as it was about his. For so long, I kept so much hidden and here I was dealing with the most personal things with the world as my witness. Somehow, though, through this search, through the camera , I found my father» -Mark S Wexler-

Movie Soulmates' ratings: Register so you can access movie recommendations tailored to your movie taste.
Friends' ratings: Register so you can check out ratings by your friends, family members, and like-minded members of the FA community.

Is the synopsis/plot summary missing? Do you want to report a spoiler, error or omission? Please send us a message.
If you are not a registered user please send us an email to [email protected]

All copyrighted material (movie posters, DVD covers, stills, trailers) and trademarks belong to their respective producers and/or distributors.

For US ratings information please visit: www.mpaa.org www.filmratings.com www.parentalguide.org

User history

Tell Them Who You Are

2004

Mark S. Wexler