I have always been a big fan of the style of the late 1960's because it has had and still has such a significant influence on popular culture today. Because of this last night I showed my students the film Blow up directed by Michelangelo Antonioni and produced by Carlo Ponti. London was at the epicenter of all that was cool at the time, Antonioni recognized this and wanted to record it. Cool Britannia was born! It is the story of a fashion photographer (based on David Bailey) living and working in London, starring David Hemmings, Vanessa Redgrave and Sarah Miles. Blow up won the Grand Prix at the 1967 Cannes film festival.
Blow up was released in 1966 - the year before the Beatles released the sound track of that summer 'All you need is Love, ' MP David Steel led the Labour party to pass a motion legalizing homosexuality and was the year before we saw Marion Faithful and Mick Jagger arrested for smoking and being in possession of Marijuana causing a huge for those days media frenzy, with newspapers like the Times publishing emotional articles calling for the drug to be legalized!
David Hemmings does a very good take on playing the legendary photographer David Bailey ( still alive and working for Vogue today)
Hemmings looks great dressed in white jeans and a black corduroy or velvet jacket and white shirt, Christopher Bailey take note. This film is 44 years old and the style and image is as cool today as it was then - inspirational !
