Annie Leibovitz gets my gig!

[wogears]

<p>Around a year or two ago, I started a thread about photographing "celebrities". I said that I would like to photograph Jessica Chastain (then not-so-celebrated). Unfortunately, Annie Leibovitz seems to have beaten me out for that privilege. I am NOT a great admirer of Ms. L, but I have to admit she did a wonderful job channeling Rene Magritte, JW Waterhouse, JM Cameron and others in <a href="http://astairwaytofashion.com/2013/11/12/jessica-chastain-by-annie-leibovitz-for-vogue-us-december-2013/">this <em>Vogue</em> shoot</a>. Nothing ground-breaking or extraordinary, but a very solid result. I <em>will</em>, however, claim some credit for recognizing Chastain's beauty before most of the world had noticed her.</p>

[michael_darnton2]

<p>If you're coming to that realization a year ago, you must have missed her in <em>Tree of Life</em> in 2011!</p>

[KenPapai]

<p>^^^ Ditto on the Malick film from three years ago. Superb.</p>

[Norma Desmond]

<p>Check out <em>The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby</em> for a more down to earth, human and less overblown movie than <em>Tree of Life</em> where Chastain and James McAvoy really shine. Frankly, as a Malick lover, I thought <em>Tree of Life, </em>with strokes of genius that forced me to wade through way too much forced spirituality. was a ponderous mess and am not sure he ever again has quite matched the brilliance of <em>Badlands</em> and <em>Days of Heaven</em>. It's interesting to note the similarities in the temperament and looks of Chastain with the earlier Sissy Spacek.</p>

<p>Leibovitz, for me, missed with Chastain, an opportunity to go understated (even if in an overtly Liebovitz fasion), which is the woman Chastain seems to suggest to me. The one black and white shot comes the closest for me, but even that misses the soft, quiet beauty that is Chastain. The first shot has potential but is too mythical a cliché and the almost monotone wedding-gownish shot is not bad. The next to last shot in the red stripes and polka dots is awful and not Chastain at all. The expression is all wrong, like a deer caught in the headlights. The cover shot is about as generic as you can get. I <em>am</em> a fan Liebovitz, thinking she's great at what she does, but this shoot feels like it's just kind of a bunch of rote shots with no real new ideas and nothing that really speaks to Chastain's individuality. It's just a bunch of generic ideas thrown at a face and person with a lot more potential. I kind of feel like Liebovitz, here, was just going through the motions.</p>

[wogears]

<p>She's playing <em>Miss Julie</em> for heaven's sake. That takes serious guts. As for Annie, I thinks she has to please clients, but I like what she did on these.</p>

[AlanKlein]

<p>I think they're pretty nice. Perfect for Vogue readers.</p>