Here's (above) one of my favorite Basil Wolverton caricatures. I assume it's Greta Garbo. She was famous for her profile shots and Basil probably referenced one of them when he sketched this.
Maybe it was this one (above).
Garbo must have had a lot of imitators because after a point a lot of actresses (above) tried it. Most of the photos I've seen failed...neck shots must be harder than they look.
This girl (above) succeeded on technical grounds, but didn't have the personality to pull it off. Garbo was sickly. This actress disappoints by radiating health. How boring!
Dietrich (above) had no problem with sickly...she was a master at sickly... she just couldn't get the steep angle.
Katherine Hepburn came close (above), but...no cigar. She just looks too doggone healthy.
It's possible that other actresses (above), unable to compete with Garbo in the profile department, settled on a high-chin frontal version that showed them to better advantage.
After a point you see a lot of these photos. Looking down your eyes was the in thing to do.
Maybe being snooty became fashionable. Maybe it was discovered that frontal necks took well to underlighting. Maybe more parts were written for snooty women...I don't know.
I guess that high chin look was overdone in the 40s. Now it's underdone. Even when it fits, Hollywood won't use it. The "Maleficent" poster cried out for it and it was denied. If the two types of poses above were under consideration for that movie which would you choose?
6 comments:
You're completely right. Why do you think Hollywood doesn't wanna take more risks doing those kinds of shots anymore?
Roberto: We're in an age where naturalism is favored over style, though there are (thankfully) exceptions.
Eddie,
I have enjoyed your blog for a while. You're an odd duck. I feel like we live on similar planets, if not different corners of the same one. I found your blog when I was researching Delsarte (I have studied physical theatre, and encountered him from that sphere).
Got a room to rent? I'm coming to L.A. from Nova Scotia. I need a place to land when I get there.
Not only will I pay ya, I'll do yard/house work too. Or dress up like igor and get your groceries. Or both.
Even a couple of weeks or so.
If not, maybe we could have a coffee sometime.
If curiosity outweighs fear regarding this request, get at me:
rhysbevanjohn@gmail.com
p.s. - I'm sorry and you're welcome.
Mango: Haw! Sorry, I'm not set up for guests. I'm glad to see there's another Delsarte enthusiast out there, though. I wish there was more written about the subject. Even stage movement is sparsely covered in books.
I hear a comon pet peeve of photographers is seeing too much into the nostrals, maybe that has something to do with it?
Perhaps if the actresses du jour were only photographed in black and white (a la Hurrell) and looking oh so mysterious...that might raise their ingénue/mysterioso cache (and our pulses).
What, no Bacall mentions???
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