The Movies | Monroe Gallery of Photography
Sid Avery/mptvimages: Audrey Hepburn On Her Bike With Pet Dog. Paramount Studio Lot, Hollywood, 1957
Written by Trip Avis
Photo Edited by Kelly Woodyard
Movies have shaped our cultural consciousness and captured our imaginations since the Lumière Brothers publicly unveiled their first moving picture in 1895 France. With the advent of the medium, people were treated visually to their wildest dreams; the words on the pages of books became flesh and blood, bright and dynamic, before their very eyes. As time passed, the films became more complex, vibrant, and dramatic, but the novelty of the experience became more commonplace. There was a transfer of obsession from the films to the actors themselves, bestowed by enraptured audiences who viewed these stars of the silver screen as near-deities. Hollywood Portrait Photography, popularized in the early 20th century by the film studios, largely fueled this star craze by treating fans to glamorized images of their favorite heartthrobs and screen sirens.
Portrait photography puts the actors on star-making pedestals. It helped create a general mystique around them. However, it was the job of the still photographer on set to capture the frenetic energy behind the scenes—the animation of cast, crew, and equipment that powers movie magic. On display between January 1st and April 14th, 2024, The Movies at the Monroe Gallery of Photography in Santa Fe invites visitors on a behind-the-scenes journey from the Golden Age of Hollywood, through the Hollywood New Wave, to the modern film industry as we know it today.
Alfred Eisenstaedt/Life Picture Collection: Marilyn Monroe, Hollywood, 1953
Since the dawn of filmmaking, actresses have won the hearts of moviegoers with their beauty and wit, vulnerability and strength, and general dramatic prowess. While the admiration for these performers remains consistent, shifting social mores have elevated certain actresses' appeal and cultural reach over others. In the 1950s, Marilyn Monroe rewired public perception of a movie star's appearance and persona after a decade dominated by Bette Davis and Katharine Hepburn. Her wavy blonde hair, bright smile, and airy, animated demeanor cemented her iconic status on screen and in photographs. One can sense her dynamism and magnetic appeal in Alfred Eisenstaedt’s 1953 portrait of Monroe for LIFE Magazine. The black-and-white composition doesn’t dim her vivaciousness; it accentuates the wintry white of her hair and the brightness of her megawatt smile. Eisenstaedt’s camera lens etches her eternal charm into our memory.
Tony Vaccaro: Ali MacGraw, for LOOK, NYC 1971
Hollywood New Wave, the film movement of the 1960s and 70s, reflected and influenced the era's social mores, much as Marilyn Monroe was both a product of and a driving cultural force behind her own time. The rise of the hippie subculture impacted the style and content of popular films and, in turn, the actors and actresses cast in them. Ali MacGraw, photographed by Tony Vaccaro for Look Magazine in 1971, unintentionally juxtaposes the earlier clean-cut image of a smiling Monroe. She bares a pensive look from behind a brightly-colored poppy, her hair long and lustrously dark against the flower and the patterns on her blouse. The publicity image posits MacGraw, fresh off her cultural landmark film Love Story, as a leading lady for a new generation. The aesthetics of her style—tie-dyed clothing, long hair parted in the middle—seem to take inspiration from the flower child generation; we see a powerful movement bleeding into the mainstream through a Hollywood star.
The Hollywood film set is the stuff of dreams: it is where dreams are made for the lucky stars chosen to grace them, and it colors the dreams of audiences who engage with the polished final product. Like all great art, a finished film feels effortless in its execution. The seamless flow of the plot paired with engaging performances glosses over the months (sometimes years) of hard work from the most overlooked crew member to the director to create the movie magic we audiences often take for granted. Still photographers, or photographers working on set, help to remove the wool from our eyes.
Steve Schapiro: Marlon Brando and Francis Ford Coppola, The Godfather, 1971
Steve Schapiro’s 1971 photograph of Francis Ford Coppola and Marlon Brando on the set of The Godfather is a striking example of that. A smiling Coppola gestures towards the table, giving Brando—in full Don Corleone costuming, with the jutting mouthpiece—directorial input. You can see the enjoyment on Coppola’s face, contrasting with the severity of method actor Brando’s expression. Schapiro’s image welcomes viewers to an intimate moment of two icons collaborating. As they say, the rest is history.
The Movies at the Monroe Gallery of Photography is a visual treat for anyone from the most hardened film buff to the casual moviegoer. The sheer breadth of iconic images will dazzle the eyes and inspire the mind, taking visitors back to that first romantic time they laid eyes on the silver screen.
Sid Avery/mptv images: The cast of “Ocean’s 11”, 1960
