Capturing the Frame: A Tribute to Photographer James Hamilton at Sag Harbor Cinema

As part of Sag Harbor Cinema’s long tradition of spotlighting local artists and the creative ties between film and other visual arts, SHC is pleased to bring to its audiences the work of photographer – and East Hampton resident – James Hamilton.

Hamilton is the subject of an upcoming documentary, UNCROPPED (D.W. Young, 2023), about his impressive 50+ years photographing the New York arts scene. Sag Harbor Cinema will devote a special tribute to the photographer, hosting a sneak preview of the film ahead of its April 26th national release, with Hamilton and the film’s director D.W. Young in attendance. 

“James Hamilton’s photographs for the ‘Village Voice’ had a tremendous impact on my early years in New York,” says SHC’s Founding Artistic Director Giulia D’Agnolo Vallan. “They spoke so vehemently of the city and its artists. I was thrilled to learn about D.W. Young’s great documentary Uncropped. And even more thrilled, once I saw the film, to discover what an ardent cinephile Hamilton is. This will be a very special weekend.”

As a staff photographer for Harper’s Bazaar (1971-1975), The Village Voice (1974-1993) and the New York Observer (1993-2009) Hamilton has documented in depth the New York art, film and music scene and is responsible for some of its most iconic portraits from the Seventies through the Nineties. 

“One of the highlights of working on Uncropped with James was the seemingly endless process of discovery,” says director D.W. Young. “Every day brought astonishing new photographs and fresh delight in them. It was also a tremendous educational process – about photography and lighting and composition, but also about history, particularly NYC history. And like other directors before me, I learned how much fun it is to talk movies with James, which we did all the time. And I can’t think of a better way of making a film than that.”

An exhibit featuring images from Hamilton’s extensive work with filmmakers and on film sets will be on view on the Cinema’s third floor. From George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead and Knightriders, to Wes Anderson’s (executive producer of Uncropped) The Royal Tenenbaums, to John Carpenter’s Escape from New York, the show will include Hamilton’s set photos as well as some of his renown portraits of celebrated filmmakers as Alfred Hitchcock and Francois Truffaut.

“The stunning Sag Harbor Cinema is honoring me and my photography by presenting director D.W. Young and producer Judith Mizrachy’s film Uncropped,” says Hamilton. “In addition they are allowing me to fill their third floor gallery with a collection of my portraits, and my photos made on film sets, called ‘On Film’. It will only be the second time I have had pictures in a gallery and I so love that they will be presented in this very special place. AND they asked if I wanted them to show a favorite film the same weekend. I chose Rear Window.”

The special program features a “carte blanche” of three films (in addition to Uncropped) that will screen throughout the weekend, selected by Hamilton, who will be present to discuss the profound influence that cinema has had on his art. The films include REAR WINDOW (Alfred Hitchcock, 1954), who has inspired Hamilton’s career as a photographer, as well as THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS (Wes Anderson, 2001), and KNIGHTRIDERS (George Romero, 1981).

In addition to set photos, props that Hamilton created for Tenenbaums will be on display as well as Hamilton’s vintage cameras. The exhibit at Sag Harbor Cinema will be the photographer’s second gallery show ever, and another opportunity for SHC to reflect the dialog between film and other artistic disciplines through the lens of a local, regional artist.

Previous film retrospectives that also featured a show on the Cinema’s third floor, include the wildly successful “The Worlds of Julie Andrews” exhibitions, “Tarnished Angels: The Artwork of Sabina Streeter,” the “Hegedus/Pennebaker Retrospective,” “Susan Woods: On Set” and, most recently, “From the Vaults of the Historic Film Archive: Cinema Posters 1908-1947” a collection of  beautiful vintage movie posters and memorabilia courtesy of Joe Lauro’s Sag Harbor-based Historic Films Archive. 

Tickets for the screening and events will be available on the cinema’s website, sagharborcinema.org.