Shooting the Past

The Fallon Photo Library sits as a vast archive within a Victorian mansion, a world apart from modern life. The staff is a small, shy, eccentric crew led by Marilyn Truman and Oswald Bates, who guard a treasure of photographs and stories.

Marilyn and Oswald manage the library with quiet devotion, valuing the integrity of the collection above all else. They rely on meticulous research to bring the images to life and to connect past moments to present meaning.

An American company buys the building and plans to remodel it into a business school. They demand that the library be emptied and most of the collection destroyed if it cannot be sold.

Christopher Anderson had informed Oswald by fax months earlier that the company was coming. Oswald fails to pass on the news to the staff, so everyone is taken by surprise on arrival.

Anderson tells the staff that destruction of the collection is the alternative if a sale cannot be achieved. The staff, determined to keep the archives intact, refuse to surrender the collection.

To prove the collection's worth, the staff presents intriguing stories assembled from photographs. The research was largely by Oswald and presented by Marilyn, who spent months compiling details.

Anderson, against orders, gives them time to find a buyer. The staff seize the opportunity to demonstrate the archive's value and humanity through its stories.

Marilyn learns to sell the collection and makes a pitch to an advertising company. The pitch is compelling, but the deal collapses because most of the photographs are black and white.

The relationship with Anderson deteriorates to the point where he is effectively banished from the building. Tensions rise as the staff push to save the archive, while Anderson's authority frays.

Oswald, overwhelmed by the crisis, attempts suicide and leaves notes about a final story he wanted to tell. The act underscores the high emotional stakes of preserving the past.

Marilyn adopts Oswald's approach, arranging the photos to tell Anderson's grandmother's story. This act becomes a turning point, showing how a carefully crafted narrative can illuminate value and galvanize a plan to save the collection.

Anderson is convinced the collection should be saved and kept whole; he finds a buyer in America who will accept all ten million pictures. The decision marks a shift from destruction to preservation.

The deal preserves the entire archive, preventing its destruction or partition. It ensures a future for the ten million photographs and the stories they carry, allowing the past to be told again.