HAPPY NEW YEAR

Happy New Year from Spy Vibe! I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays and made it back to your secret lairs and bachelor pads in one piece. Here is an odd image that caught my eye a while back. It has an initial campy vibe that quickly wore off once I noticed how cold these ladies look (not to mention the weird objectification). Still, looks like it was a swingin' party! Spy Vibers, don't try this at home unless you have consent (and very high ceilings!). Thank you to those readers who entered to win Spy Vibe's recent contest. Your prizes were sent out and should arrive soon. Enjoy!

Selected Spy Vibe Posts: Exclusive Fleming Interview, Avengers Comic Strips, Robert Vaughn RIP, UNCLE Fashions, Thunderbirds Are Pop!, Interview:Spy Film Guide, Lost Avengers Found, The Callan File, Mission Impossible 50th, Green Hornet 50th, Star Trek 50th, Portmeirion Photography 1, Filming the Prisoner, Gaiman McGinnins Project, Ian Fleming Grave, Revolver at 50, Karen Romanko Interview, Mod Tales 2, Umbrella Man: Patrick Macnee, New Beatles Film, The Curious Camera, Esterel Fashion 1966, Exclusive Ian Ogilvy Interview, 007 Tribute Covers, The Phantom Avon novels return, Ian Fleming Festival, Argoman Design, Sylvia Anderson R.I.P., Ken Adam R.I.P., George Martin R.I.P., The New Avengers Comics, Trina Robbins Interview, The Phantom at 80, 007 Manga, Avengerworld Book, Diana Rigg Auto Show, The Prisoner Audio Drama Review, David McCallum novel, Andre Courreges R.I.P., Who's Talking on Spy Vibe, UFO Blu-ray, Avengers Pop Art Interview, Fergus Fleming Interview, Avengers: Alan Hayes Interview, Jaz Wiseman Interview, Diana Rigg BFI Interview, Casino Royale Interview: Mike Richardson, Lost Diana Rigg Interview, Honor Blackman at 90, UNCLE School.

STRIPED LIGHT NUDE

Only two days left to enter to win vintage TV spy books from SP YVIBE! Go to contest details. I was looking at these amazing images again by Martin Miller. Martin H. Miller (1917-2005) worked as a Treasury Department official to revitalize the savings bond program during the post-war era. He also had an eye for topographical details and embarked on a personal quest to correct errors in government maps- a mission that included updating CIA maps to reflect the outcome of the 1967 Six-Day-War in the Middle East. He told a reporter at the time that he presented his case in a "factual rather than ideological" manner. "If I were trying to peddle my views, I wouldn't have gotten very far." [Washington Post]. Miller's crusade for accuracy even extended to the Encyclopedia Britannica. In addition to his Treasury and editorial work, Miller also pursued a passion for Photography. From what little I can find on-line, it appears that he was an award-winning photographer who taught a course at the Agricultural Department graduate school and was active as a lecturer and competition judge. He joined the Photographic Society of America in 1953, and was among the top 50 most-exhibited amateur black-and-white photographers in the world by the 1960s. He is remembered for his exquisite nude images, especially the "Striped Light Nude" series. These images have such a wonderful Op Art quality, with shadows defining contour and surface in an almost topographical manner. To my eyes, the series shares the erotic language of Maurice Binder's James Bond title sequences. Live Auctioneers covered the sale of his estate, which included a number of prints. An eBay auction for a Miller original appeared on our radar, thanks to Batman designer Shane Glines (Spy Vibe interview with Shane here). Examples from the "Striped Light Nude" series below from Live Auctioneers and eBay. Enjoy! Related post: Golden Margaret Nolan.

Selected Spy Vibe Posts: Avengers Comic Strips, SPY VIBE Contest, Robert Vaughn RIP, UNCLE Fashions, Thunderbirds Are Pop!, Interview:Spy Film Guide, Lost Avengers Found, The Callan File, Mission Impossible 50th, Green Hornet 50th, Star Trek 50th, Portmeirion Photography 1, Filming the Prisoner, Gaiman McGinnins Project, Ian Fleming Grave, Revolver at 50, Karen Romanko Interview, Mod Tales 2, Umbrella Man: Patrick Macnee, New Beatles Film, The Curious Camera, Esterel Fashion 1966, Exclusive Ian Ogilvy Interview, 007 Tribute Covers, The Phantom Avon novels return, Ian Fleming Festival, Argoman Design, Sylvia Anderson R.I.P., Ken Adam R.I.P., George Martin R.I.P., The New Avengers Comics, Trina Robbins Interview, The Phantom at 80, 007 Manga, Avengerworld Book, Diana Rigg Auto Show, The Prisoner Audio Drama Review, David McCallum novel, Andre Courreges R.I.P., Who's Talking on Spy Vibe, UFO Blu-ray, Avengers Pop Art Interview, Fergus Fleming Interview, Avengers: Alan Hayes Interview, Jaz Wiseman Interview, Diana Rigg BFI Interview, Casino Royale Interview: Mike Richardson, Lost Diana Rigg Interview, Honor Blackman at 90, UNCLE School, Ian Fleming Memorial, Portmeirion Photos, Doctor Who Exhibit, Farewell Steed, Pussy Galore Returns, Diana Rigg birthday, Sherlock at 221B, Invisible Agent, Saint Interview: Ian Dickerson, Saint Doppelgänger, Fleming's Typewriter, Rare Fleming, Fleming's Music, Ian Fleming's Japan, Jim Wilson Corgi Interview, Fantomas Design, John Buss interview, Saint Volvo, Mod Tales Interview, Agente Secreto Comics, Danger Man Comics 2, Danger Man Comics, John Drake Comics, Der Mann Von UNCLE, Golden Margaret Nolan, Man From UNCLE Rocksteady, Pussy Galore Calypso, Cynthia Lennon R.I.P., Edward Mann Fashion, Leonard Nimoy Tribute, Shatner at 84, Bob Morane series, Thai Bond Design, Bond vs Modernism, Tokyo Beat 1964, Feraud Mod Fashion, Green Hornet Manga, Avengers Interview: Michael Richardson, Ian Fleming: Wicked Grin, Jane Bond Hong Kong Records, Ryan Heshka Interview, Comics Week: Man From R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E., Comics Week: Archie, Comics Week: Robots, Comics Week: Cold War Atomic, Comics Week: SPYMAN, Comics Week: Jimmy Olsen, Shakespeare Spies: Diana Rigg, Shakespeare Spies I, Rodney Marshall Avengers Interview, Richard Sala: Super-Enigmatix, Cold War Archie, Playboy Bunny Interview, The 10th Victim Japanese and Kindle, U.N.C.L.E. Japanese Books, Catsuits, Batman '66 Green Hornet Interview: Ralph Garman Ty Templeton.

CINEMATOGRAPHY: THE GOOD GERMAN

Spy Vibers shared some great suggestions over the past few days about some of their favorite cinematography. How does color and black and white not only support the story, but also become an element of its era that we savor as viewers? One contemporary film that attempted to capture some essence of vintage black and white imagery was The Good German (2006). I seem to remember seeing Steven Soderbergh in an interview talk about how they hoped to use vintage equipment to match the visual tone of period dramas, and how old-style lighting, cameras, etc would also affect things like composition and scene-blocking. Their effort is apparent in this trailer, though I haven't seen the film recently enough to speak for the whole project. A quick study of clips, however, suggests some inconsistency of success. The still below is quite beautiful and reminds me of those iconic sewer shots of Joesph Cotten and Orson Welles (and Bernard Lee!) in Carol Reed's The Third Man (1949). I'll put together a series of clips from reader suggestions to view over the weekend.