I did something today! Despite temporary disabilities of broken elbow and knee I was able to accompany my better half Mr. Twister to the Stanley Kubrick exhibit at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Above, Twister approves of Clockwork Orange Milk Bar props.
LACMA had curated this exhibit as part of a catch up mission to acknowledge motion picture artistry as part and parcel of L.A.'s innate culture. Kubrick accomplished what no other visionary in Hollywood could, not even fellow film titan Orson Welles, that of directing major productions on his own terms-- what, when and how he envisioned all components. Granted, he eventually had to relocate to England to cement this.
Twister
and I were particularly interested in the many lenses displayed.
Kubrick, a widely published pro still photographer pre-movies, utilized a
dizzying array of lenses that were cannibalized from still cameras or
bizarre technical uses unrelated to cinema to achieve the astounding visuals in his films Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Barry Lyndon, A Clockwork Orange, Spartacus, Lolita, Eyes Wide Shut, The Shining et al.
The
above Fairchild Curtis lens next to the 2001: A Space Odyssey baby
"starchild" prop is a Cinerama 160 degree wide angle lens generally used
in planetariums, but used by this director to show H.A.L.'s p.o.v. in
the film and according to some reports portrayed the malevolent computer itself.
My
shot below is Mr. Twister, UCLA film school graduate whose biography
veered into rock stardom and other surreal detours. The 35mm motion
picture camera (couldn't determine if Arriflex or Mitchell) is on a
Majestic tripod, just like the one in my photo studio!
Above, Twister
gallantly pushed
my inflexible carcass around in a wheelchair
then took this pic in front
of art installation. Right,
awaiting elevator on my own hind legs while Twister shoots an impromptu Mapplethorpe-esque shot. My chapeau du jour was an unqualified hit with fellow art patrons, who so declared. Guest photography courtesy of Kurt Ingham.
