- When I think of British mysteries, I usually conjure a vision of a Sherlock Holmes or Miss Marple type. They take a weekend trip to a secluded mansion, a body is found, deductive logic is relentlessly employed, and finally the murderer is revealed, usually in a drawing room. Not so in Michelangelo Antonioni's Blow-Up. Here, the story begins in a manner similar to that of Rear Window, namely that a photographer named Thomas (David Hemmings) is looking where he probably shouldn't. Thomas is an impulsive type who's used to getting what he wants, whether he's barking orders to vacuous supermodels or buying an antique propeller from a junk shop. Naturally, Thomas also photographs whatever or whomever he wants, regardless of how the subject might feel. "Some people are bullfighters, some people are politicians. I'm a photographer," he explains.
- Trouble is, some subjects don't want to be photographed. Take Jane (Vanessa Redgrave), a lovely young woman whom Thomas snaps shots of in a secluded park. By all appearances, Jane had been enjoying a charming afternoon with an older male suitor, but she charges full steam at Thomas when she notices him. Why would anyone be so upset at having their picture taken? Later on, she shows up at his studio to demand the film. Needless to say, Thomas' curiosity is piqued, especially when it becomes obvious that Jane is willing to exchange just about anything for those pictures. After a sly substitution gets Jane out of the apartment, Thomas gets to work developing the roll. Nothing odd at first glance, just two people in the park. An enlarged shot shows Jane staring off at something in the woods. Another blow-up suggests the presence of another person and...are they holding a gun? A later image in the sequence may reveal the older man's dead body, but how much of this is real and how much is imagined?
- So does Thomas rush off to notify the authorities? Not at all! You see, Thomas' life is rather full of distractions. As a photographer in swinging London, it's only natural for young aspiring models to stop by his studio to ply their wares. And then there's his neighbor, Patricia (Sarah Miles), who only has eyes for Thomas even when she's in bed with her husband (John Castle). Eventually, Thomas returns to the scene of the crime, where he actually discovers a body! And here he is, a photographer without a camera. He has every intention of returning for that photo, but it's easy to get waylaid by Yardbirds concerts and drug parties. His final trip to the park is notable only for what isn't there, a lot like that mimed game of tennis that concludes the film. Nothing but the sound of the wind blowing through the trees.
- So what really did happen in that park? Well, that's the beauty of Blow-Up: you'll never know. In addition to being a great example of the difference between resolution and magnification, those photos clearly illustrate just how important the issue of interpretation can be. I'm not sure how audiences in the 1960's would have reacted to such a theme, but it was difficult for this reviewer to look at those grainy images and not think about searches for elusive "weapons of mass destruction." Thomas sees what he wants to see, whether it really is there or not. Initially, I thought there must have been a body (after all, we saw it!), but the lingering sounds of tennis balls being volleyed at film's end only convinced me that nothing in this film is certain.
- Dude, that was the Yardbirds. And Herbie Hancock did the rest of the soundtrack.
