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March 1994

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From:
"Mary C. Kalfatovic" <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Mary C. Kalfatovic
Date:
Thu, 10 Mar 1994 03:01:03 -0500
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It is interesting to note how present day sensibilities have been so
altered by the media that black and white photography is now considered
more realistic than color. The Holocaust and all other past events were,
of course, in color not in black and white but that idea is especially
difficult for younger people (under 50 or so) to accept because all of
their images of World War II are media derived (film and still photos in
b&w.)
     I recall seeing the color films of the D-Day invasion taken by George
Stevens' film unit and being stuck by how more effective they were because
they WERE in color. The past did not look like how I'm accustomed to
seeing the past look (which is in b&w). The past looked like the present.
The soldiers in the invasion looked like real people (people I might have
known) and were not the usual shadowy grey World War II figures. Would
anyone expect a movie about the more recent past (post color film era) to
be in b&w? THE DOORS, for example, or MY GIRL 2, which takes place in the
1970s. I doubt it. Media images of the 1970s are also in color so there
is no conflict. Sensibilities are not disturbed. The conventions of 19th
century photography have also effected our perceptions of that even
earlier period. We see only stiff sourpusses. Having your photo taken was
a big deal then. People wore their best clothes, did not smile (and
exactly when did people begin saying Cheese?) and had to stand very still
or else the picture would be fuzzy. Look at paintings from the same era.
Painting was not limited in the same way. People were often smiling and
badly attired.
 
Mary Kalfatovic, Washington, D.C.

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