In the days when each studio had its own portrait gallery, photographers were busy shooting the stars. Stills were used to sell the movies, so each movie star was lovingly photographed.The portrait photo was the most carefully handled of all stills, an art form crafted by photographers such as George Hurrell, Ernest Bachrach, Clarence Sinclair Bull, Eugene Robert Richee and others. Portraits not only sold the picture, but also sold the star. And when romance was part of the movie, the double portrait had to convey a strong chemical attraction.
The double portrait was tricky business. Each star needed to be prominently shown, with the all-important lighting capturing each individually while displaying their mutual attraction. The best of these photographs are sublime. Like the film itself, the photo can give the illusion that we are peering into a very private and personal moment, only the photo freezes that image in time.
Since the set up for the portrait shot was complicated, and the cameras used bulky, the screen lovers rarely peer into each other's eyes. Often they seem to stare into the distance - firmly connected - yet dreaming their own dream. The photographer's art was to capture that moment on film - the double-visioned dream.
When the screen lovers stare into each other's eyes, we can feel the intensity of the moment. It's the moment before the kiss. These photos were usually taken on the set, where there is more room for action, and where a drama may unfold.
The art and practice of the double portrait is now largely lost. These images have a haunting beauty that was artfully captured on film. Love is eternal, and these actors in their youthful beauty and the photographers they worked with captured that essential truth.
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| Loretta Young and Tyrone Power light up the screen in "Cafe Metropole," 1937. |
The double portrait was tricky business. Each star needed to be prominently shown, with the all-important lighting capturing each individually while displaying their mutual attraction. The best of these photographs are sublime. Like the film itself, the photo can give the illusion that we are peering into a very private and personal moment, only the photo freezes that image in time.
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| Hedy Lamarr and Robert Taylor in "Lady of the Tropics," 1939. |
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| Valli and Gregory Peck in "The Paradine Case," 1948. |
Since the set up for the portrait shot was complicated, and the cameras used bulky, the screen lovers rarely peer into each other's eyes. Often they seem to stare into the distance - firmly connected - yet dreaming their own dream. The photographer's art was to capture that moment on film - the double-visioned dream.
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| Loretta Young and Joseph Cotten in "The Farmer's Daughter," 1947. |
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| Jean Arthur and Charles Boyer in "History is Made at Night," 1937, |
When the screen lovers stare into each other's eyes, we can feel the intensity of the moment. It's the moment before the kiss. These photos were usually taken on the set, where there is more room for action, and where a drama may unfold.
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| Joan Fontaine and Tyrone Power in "This Above All," 1942. |
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| Dolores Del Rio and Gene Raymond in "Flying Down to Rio," 1933. |
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| Faye Dunaway and Steve McQueen in "The Thomas Crown Affair," 1968. |
The art and practice of the double portrait is now largely lost. These images have a haunting beauty that was artfully captured on film. Love is eternal, and these actors in their youthful beauty and the photographers they worked with captured that essential truth.
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3 comments:
Excellent blog -- BTW, the Kent State University Museum link has to be updated to http://www.kent.edu/museum/index.cfm. The Hepburn exhibit there runs until Sept 4.
Thanks for the comment and the corrected link for the Kent State University Museum. The Museum always has excellent exhibits of great interest.
So beautiful...thanks for the post!
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