Willi Noelle by Nigel A JAMES
Shooting Star!
Willi Noelle
Willi
Noelle is a man of great vision. He is an artist and writer, and,
until just a few years ago he was a camera man for television news.
And, his job of connecting the world to live history was not always
easy. The sets that he worked on were often the hot spots of
trouble, and, more often than not there was a story behind the
getting of a story, and what happened one night in war-torn Beirut
was probably the most perilous of all!
It
was the early 70s. Willi and his team had gone to the Lebanon for an
interview with Yasser Arafat, and,
there they were, waiting in the most guarded hotel in the most
dangerous city on earth for something that might or might not happen!
They had almost run out of time, four days had gone by. No one stayed
longer, it was simply too dangerous. And then, late in the night
came the call. The team was still in the bar. They were told to be
ready, the car would be there in five minutes time. They left their
drinks where they were and went.
It was
pitch black as they drove through the now empty streets. They had no
way of knowing where they were, and Willi, who was sitting up front
was only able to make out the headlamp signals which were being
given by the driver, and nothing else. It was all too dark, there was
the suspense of dangerous feelings, and none of them were sure of
returning alive. And, then they arrived.
It was a
small dimly lit courtyard with uniformed soldiers hanging around in
small groups. The ground was full of glass splinters, there had been
recent fighting. There was now no way out. Was this an ambush? They
felt uneasy; camera teams, after-all, were good ransom business.
But, then came the officer, a small lame man with a hunchback in an
oversized uniform which made him ridiculous! And then, as they
followed him as ordered, they heard the clack – clack – clack of
his right foot hitting the ground as he walked, and so they went on
through the dark – following the clack, clack, clacks until they
came to a door in a wall. There was light. And, down went the steps
underground – down to the bunker. And it was comfortable. There
was a three piece suite, a wall which was covered with a print of a
mountainous landscape, a coat rack, and the coffee was great. But,
where was the man?
It was
whilst Willi's camera was being examined by a Hungarian student of
photography that Willi thought he saw the wall move! And he was
right. The wall wasn't a wall, it was simply a screen, and there was
the man, he had been there all the time. Unshaven and smiling and
ready to speak. And he spoke and the interview happened.
Willi
and his team got back to their hotel without any mishaps, and they
left the next day as planned. And then, high up in the sky it all
became clear. No passwords had been used to enter the bunker, the
key had been the clack – clack – clack of the officer's right
foot. If they had have been taken or captured, they would have had
nothing to tell! And the Hungarian film student - who was really no
student at all - was doing nothing other than checking the camera –
it could easily have been a gun. And, their four day wait also
became clear.
Of
course, Willi didn't stop there, he completed many more missions,
some dangerous, some not, and it was not until later that he turned
his eye towards art. And, he succeeded. And it is hardly surprising.
Both filming and painting require an eye that is trained, and it is
the same understanding that's needed for the filming of people and
the painting of nature! And so, Willi's vision goes on – but now,
in a way that's no longer filled with suspense! His life, just like
always, is being himself. He no longer shoots, but his eyes are
still looking!
Willi
is a fascinating man, and googling is the best way of finding out
more!
