My Magnum Photo

Hi everyone!

I've decided for my Magnum photo, I am going to focus on this photograph of Anne Bancroft. This image is interesting to me on so many levels, but mainly because of all of the duality represented here. I know from the caption that this photograph was taken in 1963 during the shooting of the movie The Pumpkin Eater (trailer linked here), which is about a woman who is profoundly unhappy in a string a marriages. What really drew me to this photo was the look on her face. The almost beautiful suffering there grabbed onto me and didn't let go. For me, that was the punctum of this photograph.

However, I also like the framing of the photo. A good portion of the photograph is the space around her, almost as if to imply that even though she's the subject of this photograph, it isn't hers. She's also framed half in shadow, almost to compliment (what I found out later to be) the main struggle of the film: a woman's struggle against herself. Her lighter and darker natures merged.

Another duality here is what we see first vs. second. We see first this profoundly unhappy woman, but she's looking down. And what is down in the frame? A large amount of glasses, seemingly from a party or gathering. This gives the image a profound sort of contrast: alone in a room full of people.

Yet another contrast is between the opulence of her appearance vs. her sadness. We as people tend to think that if we just get that promotion, earn x amount of dollars, have the latest fashions that we'll be happy, but that's not true. It's written all over her face.

But I'll admit the duality that nagged me the most was was this image taken during filming or between takes? Is this sadness Anne Bancroft's or Jo Armitage's? That question is what kept me coming back to this photograph.

Image Identifier: NYC27668.jpg
©Erich Hartmann / Magnum Photos