Movies | “Reg, let’s have some noise, can we?”

And off goes the blues circa late 1960s (The Yardbirds?). This is after some great jazz backing the opening credits, courtesy of Herbie Hancock. “That’s good. That’s good. Hold that.” Probably by now the most classic line one can utter when photographing a model. Face close ups; hands close to the face; expression; hair, hair; give it to me. Dominant (or is it exacting?) and successful hipster photographer, lording over his roost and its minions, that of course includes those doll-like models and want-to-be models. He floats through his hipster arty crowd, which searches for some sublime visions, makes art, dismisses it, holds on to it. These arty boys are self-absorbed brats in a ‘candy store’, although they also search for and would rather transmit something ‘real’, but such is the ‘conundrum’ of genius amidst the perks of popularity – looking at but being cushioned from the uglier reality. Will it all explode? “Get off”? After how many pull backs? The trademark of tension. This is “Blow-Up”, a 1966-movie by legendary Michaelangelo Antonioni. Every still perfectly composed, as it should be, especially if the main character is an über fashion photographer. It has also been Antonioni’s thing to demand – that visual perfection. The movie is all about the ambiance – the cinematography that is not so much about capturing a rapid story arc, but about transmitting a feeling of being a fly on a wall or one of foreboding. Recommended viewing for visually and mood inspired. Recommended.