Emergency *ooof*: Iconic Antics

Ok, let’s make this quick. This was unplanned. I didn’t see that one coming. And I am sure as hell really pissed off to be put on the spot by Mr Armitage. WTF??? How can that be released on an *ooof*eve??????????????? But needs must, and once challenged, I am a terrier. So here goes this delectable bit of eye (and almost ear) candy:

Dancing to the Jailhouse Rock
Richard Armitage for MaxMovie Magazine, Dec. 2013
Photographer ???

The same day that Mr Armitage lets us know via Theonering.net that he has no real plans for musical theatre (but definitely the stage), we get to see him doing a bit of physical posing. Guylty says whoa. A black and white image of Armitage, shot against blown out white background. A full-length shot – as far as I can see in its original version together with his colleague Luke Evans in one frame. But for the sake of it and because, really, I just want to look at RA and noone else let’s pretend this is just a shot of RA (some opinionated revelations on that, later, anyway). Our subject is pictured full-length. He is placed sideways to the camera. His left shoulder turned slightly back, he has inclined his head slightly down and looks straight at the lens. This is a shot full of tension – from the concentrated stare on the subject’s face to the mid-movement pose of his body: Armitage’s thumbs are hooked behind his belt buckle, and while balancing on the balls of his feet, he is assuming a “rock’n’roll” pose where the hips are cocked forward, the heels point slightly outward (I think) and the legs are bent at the knee. This pose emphasises the slim length of Armitage’s neverending legs, his lean body, his posture control, and even his well-rounded arseitage of which we only see the merest curve but enough to get the imagination going *fansherself*. The tightness of the trousers around the upper thighs add to that impression, even though the rather formal jacket conceals and counteracts *awwww* rather than exposes his upper body. However, counteraction often results in titillation…

This picture is a direct reference to Elvis – the pose is characteristic of the King (even though the younger member of the fandom may associate it more with the King of Pop, Michael Jackson), and here is an image of Elvis doing exactly the same thing, even if pictured from a different angle. Jailhouse Rock. Even without knowledge of the reference, we can already take quite a bit from an image like that. An unorthodox pose for a man who has been known as a rather serious, reserved actor (the word “introvert” has been thrown around quite a bit lately). This smacks of fun, however glaring the facial expression may be. Irony at its best – because the pose does not fit the formal (upper body) wear and this is as artificial as a portrait can get. Noone stands like that in RL – and certainly not at any length of time – and so we know that this must have been a very physical shoot with a subject willing to contort and jump through the hoops. He is playing along with the concept that the photographer has sketched out for the shoot – which seems to be one of overemphasising either physical traits of his subject or characterising the subjects through an overstated pose. (cf. The other shots from the same series featuring other actors)

With a direct reference as in-your-face as that, it is impossible not to take it on board when reacting to an image. By association, the rock’n’roll pose stands for rebellion, scandal even, when you remember how shocking Presley’s hip gyrations initially were for his contemporaries. This is an “in your face” denotation for sex – the forward-angled hips literally push the crotch to the front. This would be even more pronounced when witnessed in motion and not frozen in a photograph: The angling of the hips is certainly (intentionally) reminiscent of the course of movement during intercourse. (Jeeps, I am having a hard time describing this matter-of-factly…) Moreover, having hooked his hands into the belt, the subject draws the viewers’ eyes to the genital area; in fact our gaze will inevitably follow the line of the hand down slightly further to the hidden bulge. Coupled with *that* look, this picture screams sex sex sex. This is further highlighted by the connotation inherent in the pose – it speaks of body control and tension, of being fit and strong, of having stamina and physical power, qualities, that may be associated with a healthy, active sex life. Or it could just be that I can only think of one thing right now… The ambiguity of the position of the hands – is he holding on to his best bits or is he about to open the buckle and… – adds to the potentially “sexy” interpretation of this shot.

The fact that the composition deliberately avoids any context – no props, no scene – adds to the ironic feel of the image. We expect to see a pose like that in a musical context, on a stage, with a band in the background. The pose is also anchored very clearly in a certain time – the 50s. Here, it is completely taken out of that context and time. Acted by a contemporary (to us) actor, in front of a white background, dressed in formal-ish clothes, this could be seen as a comment on the malleability of an actor. A puppet on a string – doing what he is asked to do, no matter whether it makes sense or not. I can almost see the invisible lines, tugging Armitage’s arms to the front, forcing his knees to slack and to stand on tip toes. Or is it a reference to Armitage’s roots in musical theatre after all – something that has come to the fore since his impressive singing in TH? Or – and one shudders to think – does this mean nothing at all, and the photographer was just having fun, asking his sitters to assume a few ludicrous poses and laughing off the madness of it all?

In the end, the meaning does not really matter much. Again, we come to the conclusion that enjoyment can be taken from an image, no matter what is intended with it. Whether ironic or not, we can admire the strength and body control that Mr A exercises in order to create this pose. We can ignore the shenanigans and instead simply enjoy the aesthetic look of a body sculpted by vigorous training. We can let our gaze roam over our favourite spots – be it the round curve of the arse, the lean thighs, the long legs, the smouldering look. We can even appreciate the vision of a well-dressed man if everything else is too close to the pubic bone.

A note on the image format. The original that this has been cropped from features fellow actor Luke Evans next to Armitage. However, the two actors were not posing together in this shot. This is a post-produced composite, as is clear from a couple of differences that mark out two shots rather than one: 1) Evans appears to be slightly closer to the camera. Although Evans and Armitage are apparently almost the same height (an inch and a half separating them – or four centimeters), the height correlation does not seem quite right in this image. Also, Evans’ head looks bigger in the shot than Armitage’s – indicators that the final image was composed from two separate shots. 2) The two actors have been shot from slightly different perspectives. Armitage has been shot from about chest height, whereas Evans is photographed from even above-head height. These are subtle differences that you may not notice straight away. But if you look a little bit longer you might start feeling nauseous – that’s your brain telling you that something is not quite right… (and no, that is not a reaction to a foreign body Luke Evans in the shot).

Without having seen more about this shoot at the time of writing, it is hard to tell which purpose the shoot had. There are a number of other similar shots in the magazine, all of Hobbit actors. I presume they accompany an article on the forth-coming THTDOS movie. Credit to the magazine for producing a shoot that is “organic” – i.e. all images are shot in the same visual style, pared back, b/w (except for the silly red colouring of Evangeline Lily’s (?) dress – frankly, that kind of Photoshop effect is so unoriginal at this point, it hurts my eyes!), with the subjects dramatically emoting/posing. Note the inclusion of the black frames in some of the images – these are the characteristic frames of large format images. Strictly speaking, they are not meant to be visible in the finished shots (you won’t find any of these black lines in classic portrait photography – the image is cropped within the frame). However, with the renaissance of LF photography, the lines have become a bit of a “cool edge”, giving more weight to an image by insinuating that it has been carefully and time-consumingly *crafted* on LF film. (For more on that, check my old *ooof* on the full-length shot of Armitage by Robert Ascroft.) Whether these images here were genuinely shot on LF film, I am not sure. Thoretically the frames could have been imposed by the photographer in post-production – or by the magazine’s graphic designer. I suspect they were not shot on LF film, just because it is such a risky, time-consuming business. But if they are, I applaud the photographer – I love the use of old techniques and craft in modern photography, and I enjoy the added contrast of “modern pose” vs. “old process”.

“So what are your next plans, Mr Armitage?” The interview was drawing to a close and the journalist was getting to the customary outlook on the future. They had already gotten up from the table in the café where the interview had been conducted and were on their way out. He stopped and scratched his chin thoughtfully. If he was honest, he’d have to admit that he still hadn’t found a project that his heart was aching to commit to. He’d rather say nothing – keeping everyone guessing was actually quite fun to observe. Granted, his PR people were getting a bit impatient, they were talking of “deliberate stalling” on his part. The words “choosiness” and “diva” had been mentioned somewhere. Far from it. He was just a careful guy. And with the role of his dream under his belt, he was simply taking his time to check and choose what was out there. Plus, it greatly amused him to see the suggestions his fans were coming up with. The Bond chestnut repeatedly came up whenever he was seen in a tux, and he was fuelling the flames of the Poldark suggestions by lately growing his hair out. (Never mind that he actually just didn’t want any more fuss around his head after all the hair drama on the Hobbit set.)

“Is your new look any indication of what you are planning for the future?” Sure enough, there was the question from the journalist. Now, what would this look be suitable for? He scanned back over his previous roles. Ricky Deeming! The cool biker guy from George Gently. Dark rakish looks with a characteristic quiff that looked quite dramatic on his pale forehead. Straight from the early 60s. Biker feel. Rock’n’roll poet. The journalist looked at him with a quizzical look that prompted him to say something. He raked his hand deliberately slowly through his black quiff and put a dark pout onto his face. “Guess”, he growled, and bringing down his hands to his belt in a split second, he balanced on the balls of his feet in the iconic Elvis pose. He turned to go before the journalist had a chance to react. Already on his way out, he could hear a gasp go through the café. “Elvis has just left the building!”, he smirked to himself.

~ by Guylty on November 26, 2013.