New release: The Criterion Collection has announced they will add Antonioni's 1966 classic, Blow-Up, to their Blu-ray catalog in March. With its featured story about a 1960s fashion photographer in London, a cool Jazz soundtrack, and a rare appearance of The Yardbirds on stage with Beck and Clapton, it's no surprise this movie is a Spy Vibe fave. From the press release: "In 1966, Michelangelo Antonioni transplanted his existentialist ennui to the streets of swinging London for this international sensation, the Italian filmmaker’s English-language debut. A countercultural masterpiece about the act of seeing and the art of image making, Blow-Up takes the form of a psychological mystery, starring David Hemmings as a fashion photographer who unknowingly captures a death on film after following two lovers in a park. Antonioni’s meticulous aesthetic control and intoxicating color palette breathe life into every frame, and the jazzy sounds of Herbie Hancock, a beautifully evasive performance by Vanessa Redgrave, and a cameo by the Yardbirds make the film a transporting time capsule from a bygone era. Blow‑Up is a seductive immersion into creative passion, and a brilliant film by one of cinema’s greatest artists." This edition features a new 4K restoration, uncompressed mono, a 52-min doc, interviews, and more! More info at Criterion. I posted some set photographs a while back, let's take a new look below. Enjoy!
The iconic fashion and photography of Antonionni's 1966 Blow Up was featured in an exhibit at the Albertina in Vienna a couple of years ago. Looking again at images from the film, and by photographer David Bailey- an inspiration for David Hemmings' character, I'm struck by the film's interesting cocktail of alienation, ambivalent sexuality, and mystery. The film is often celebrated for its depiction of a mid-1960s London studio, fashion, and for its brief coverage of a Page-Beck era Yardbirds. But it also remains an intriguing who-done-it, if you will, as Hemmings obsessively examines his snaps from an afternoon stroll and discovers it was no walk in the park! The movie also starred Vanessa Redgrave Sarah Miles, jane Birkin, Veruschka von Lehndorff (Casino Royale), John Castle (The Prisoner, The New Avengers), Julian Chagrin (The Avengers), and TV spy regular Peter Bowles (The Avengers, The Prisoner, The Saint, The Baron, Danger Man, Adam Adamant Lives!, Department S). More exhibit info and commentary here. Below: images associated with the film and production. Note: Tazio Secchiaroli's famous still used for the movie's promotional materials and David Bailey's rare portrait of Beatles manager Brian Epstein (included in the exhibit). Enjoy!
An exciting new Beatles movie trailer dropped today! Fans have known about a comprehensive documentary by Ron Howard in the works for some time that will focus on The Beatles live performances. After quite a long silence, the band officially released their first trailer for the movie this morning. Die-hard followers like me have hoped the project would yield an archival collection of every Fab concert, but marketing logic must have won out and it appears the film will hold together (as a film) by telling the story of the group's journey from bar band to success to the final show. The trailer takes a familiar approach seen these days with: "The band you know. The story you don't." And what a story it is! Still, I'm hoping for massive bonus concerts on the Blu-ray! We want to see rare and unseen clips. I can't wait to learn more about this new movie, titled Eight Days a Week: The Touring Years. I wonder if they will include interviews with some of the fans who appear in the vintage footage? When you look at The Beatles schedule during the 1960s, you can see just how hard they worked from the early days straight through the decade. As the crowds grew louder and less interested in hearing the music, the group said goodbye to live appearances and concentrated on recording in the studio. They envisioned taking the music even further. During the long wait for the next album after Revolver the press wondered if The Beatles had dried up. "Just you wait," reflected Paul McCartney during the Anthology series. They were about to unleash Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band on the world. John Lennon said their best time as a live band was in the early 1960s in Hamburg, but there is little documentation of that era unfortunately. Perhaps they will make some use of the 1962 audio recordings from Hamburg's Star Club made by Kingsize Taylor and Adrian Barber? The group put an official clamp on the tapes at one point, so it's hard to know. I imagine Ron Howard will just keep his attention on any live film footage that survives. Check out the trailer and stay tuned! The movie will be released in on September 16th. If you're interested in this era and the transition from the stage to the studio, check out some related posts: Notes Behind the Curtain 1, Notes Behind the Curtain 2, Notes Behind the Curtain 4, Notes Behind the Curtain 3, Ivan Vaughn and The Beatles, Experimental Beatles, George Martin R.I.P., Tony Sheridan R.I.P., Satire: Sellers to Lennon, Paul at 74. Top photo below: The Beatles at Shea Stadium. Enjoy!
The iconic fashion and photography of Antonionni's 1966 Blow Up was featured in an exhibit at the Albertina in Vienna a couple of years ago. Looking again at images from the film, and by photographer David Bailey- an inspiration for David Hemmings' character, I'm struck by the film's interesting cocktail of alienation, ambivalent sexuality, and mystery. The film is often celebrated for its depiction of a mid-1960s London studio, fashion, and for its brief coverage of a Page-Beck era Yardbirds. But it also remains an intriguing who-done-it, if you will, as Hemmings obsessively examines his snaps from an afternoon stroll and discovers it was no walk in the park! The movie also starred Vanessa Redgrave Sarah Miles, jane Birkin, Veruschka von Lehndorff (Casino Royale), John Castle (The Prisoner, The New Avengers), Julian Chagrin (The Avengers), and TV spy regular Peter Bowles (The Avengers, The Prisoner, The Saint, The Baron, Danger Man, Adam Adamant Lives!, Department S). More exhibit info and commentary here. Below: images associated with the film and production. Note: Tazio Secchiaroli's famous still used for the movie's promotional materials and David Bailey's rare portrait of Beatles manager Brian Epstein (included in the exhibit). Enjoy!
