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Persona (Ingmar Bergman 1966)
Persona (Ingmar Bergman 1966)
ubique


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: The Oscars (Advanced Editing VII)
Camera: Olympus XZ-1
Date: Feb 20, 2012
Aperture: 1.8
ISO: 125
Shutter: 0.5
Date Uploaded: Feb 20, 2012

 Persona is everything that popular Hollywood films are not and can never be, so I suppose it's an ironic entry into a challenge celebrating The Oscars.

In spite of being widely considered Ingmar Bergman's masterpiece and one of the most influential films of all time (and indeed considered by some commentators one of the 20th Century's greatest works of art in any genre), Persona was not accepted even as a nominee for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards of 1966.

Persona is also one of the great "photographers' films" in that has some of the most original and powerful black and white cinematography ever seen. It's as if the film has been lifted entire out of a series of a dozen or so searingly graphic B&W stills.

My photograph is inspired by the film's opening sequence in which an image of the dangling hand of a corpse appears (with no apparent relevance to what follows in the film itself).

Also present in the pre-title sequence was an image of an erect penis, but it was of course removed by the censors for American audiences. Oddly, it did look rather like an Oscar.

Statistics
Place: 71 out of 77
Avg (all users): 5.0769
Avg (commenters): 7.8571
Avg (participants): 5.4082
Avg (non-participants): 4.8765
Views since voting: 2202
Views during voting: 257
Votes: 130
Comments: 12
Favorites: 3 (view)

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AuthorThread
 03/05/2012 01:52:15 AM
Firstly, it created a positive feeling in me, seeing the rising hand. The longer I looked, the more depressing it became. Thanks for such an engaging image.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/05/2012 12:37:47 AM
Originally posted by Yo_Spiff:
I'll be interested in what the border patrol leaves for comments on this one!

I was disappointed to not receive any disapproving comments on the border. It was supposed to suggest a frame from the film stock. Groan.
 03/05/2012 12:28:44 AM
This took a second second to see the hand. My favorite type of photo, the thin line.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/05/2012 12:20:26 AM
Lovely work Paul. A landscape feeling and the obscure blurred hand falling forward forming an arch, excellent emotional image.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
03/04/2012 09:43:58 PM
I'll be interested in what the border patrol leaves for comments on this one!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/03/2012 12:53:11 PM
Mysterious energy.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/03/2012 12:48:13 PM
so absolute bergman;) 9
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/03/2012 11:58:44 AM
You take Bergman one step further into obscurity. I didn't see the hand at all until the second time I looked at it. I suppose if somebody else said that, it would be a criticism. But I just want to say thanks for the trip.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/28/2012 12:14:56 AM
Amazing!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/27/2012 05:12:59 PM
Very interesting, very different. It probably won't score too well, but I imagine that you used this because YOU liked it. I almost missed the hand, I saw the blur, but almost missed it. I like this.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/27/2012 04:12:27 PM
Very Ingmar
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/27/2012 06:13:14 AM
creepy scary and surreal excellent 8
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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