Although often remembered as a film from 1967, BLOW-UP was actually made and released in '66. Produced by Carlo Ponti and directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, BLOW-UP has a distinct European flair and its then-controversial use of adult language and nudity make it a cinematic groundbreaker.
Added to that, though, is the fact that it's a genuinely good movie, an artsy Hitcockian variation about a fashion photographer convinced that he accidentally photographed a murder.
Star David Hemmings was THE hot young thing for a while after this film and distinguished himself in a wide range of roles in many films.
His eyebrows did NOT age well, however.
The picture, set in swinging London, is also remembered as the only movie appearance of the Yardbirds--in their short-lived edition featuring both Jeff Beck AND Jimmy Page. The director had apparently wanted the Who, then made overtures to the Velvet Underground, and settled for the Yardbirds...but still had them destroy their instruments onstage like the Who.
About 1977 I was a young budding guitarist. One of my idols was Jimmy Page and Led Zeppelin. They were mysterious and larger than life that only existed on my albums and in music mags. When I heard that Blow Up would be playing on the "Z" channel at my friends house we stayed up late to watch the first airing of it. Don't remember anything about the movie but remember they played "Train Kept a Rollin" and smashed their instruments. It was great.
ReplyDeleteBlowup was filmed in summer 1966 and opened in America in December but did not get to Europe until 1967, so to us here it is a 1967 film - it opened in London in February, going on general release in March, and was a hit at the Cannes Film Festival. Some great posters there, including some I had not seen before. I was 21 when it opened in London and it was like seeing oneself on the screen, as that was how we looked and dressed then, Hemmings is perfect, its one of the defining roles of the 60s. He had no vanity at all as he aged and turned to directing and luckily completed his interesting autobiography before he died in 2003. He goes into a lot of detail about the making of BlowUp. He is also iconic in that hussar outfit in the 1968 Charge of the Light Brigade.
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