As I've said on more than one occasion, the portraits taken in The Killing Fields of Cambodia are some of the most powerful in the history of photography. Full Stop. The fact that they also succeed as portraits that can be labeled "art" is an irony writ large that will, at best, help succeed in keeping those pictured, and the reign of evil that extinguished their lives, forever in the minds of public discourse worldwide for generations to come.
At first, I thought the technician in question, who colorized and then (Why, Lord?) further manipulated and defaced the portraits by pasting smiles upon their faces, was some pathetically out of touch 'do gooder' (for lack of a better term) operating under the very dubious assumption that he wanted humanity to remember these people as they existed in happier, more humane times. Thoroughly misguided, but... at least, (somewhat) plausible. Then we learn that the Vice interviewer(s) had no idea that the original portraits were, in fact, unsmiling and replete with terror. And then, the ultimate perverter of history goes on to reveal his true colors by actually discussing and analyzing his theory as to why... they were smiling when photographed! Beyond excusable, beyond despicable.
This was followed by the most shallow of mea culpas from VICE:
Sounds like they got someone's name or date of birth wrong. No apologies to descendants, no official condemnation of the manipulator's lies and deception, no reference to the vile reality behind the abhorrent alterations...
Seriously, VICE- What The Fuck!
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