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Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Happy Birthday today September 25th
Supple: Matthias by Bodytorium
Supple:
-capable of being bent or folded without creases, cracks, or breaks
-able to perform bending or twisting movements with ease
Earlier this month, I featured Bodytorium's shoot with the athletic Matthias at a hillside quarry in Slovakia. (Boys & their Toys) Since the first piece featured some of my favorite shots from the outside portion of the shoot, I also wanted to share some of my favorites from their time in the studio. Check out hundreds of more shots of Matthias on Phil's site HERE:
A Vintage Vantage: Burt Lancaster in The Swimmer
'Pool by pool, they form a river all the way to our house.'
Ned Merrill
Although I had heard of actor Burt Lancaster, until about six years ago, I'd never seen any of films, including his iconic role From Here To Eternity. (still on my list to watch...) Thanks to my love of circus, and circus themed films, I did DVR and watch TCM's airing of Trapeze, the 1956 circus film co-starring Tony Curtis and Gina Lollobrigida.
I thought Lancaster was incredibly hot in the flick, and put together a piece for FH about Lancaster and the film. (HERE:) During my research, I discovered something many of you already knew, Lancaster's early work as a nude physique model. I didn't however know, until last week, that Lancaster also had a nude scene in 1968's The Swimmer.
The Swimmer (1968)
I DVR'd and watched another of Lancaster's film, this time 1969's Airport. I'd heard of Airport, and it's sequels before, and loved Airplane, the Leslie Nelson spoof of the film. I've loved watching many old disaster films from the 70's and 80's, but for some reason, Airport never really interested me. I really enjoyed it, mostly because the 'disaster' wasn't really the focus of the film. Instead, the focus is on the character drama which leads up to it.
I again crushed over the ruggedly handsome Lancaster and once again, I clicked on Google images and typed 'Burt Lancaster nude'. This time, not only did some of Lancaster nude modeling shots come up, but a black and white still of Lancaster's meaty backside from The Swimmer.
I immediately found a copy to watch, enjoy and cap for FH. The Swimmer was written and directed by Academy Award-nominated husband-and-wife team of Eleanor Perry (screenplay adaptation) and Frank Perry (director). The film was based on a 1964 short story by Jon Cheever which appeared in The New Yorker.
In the story, Ned Merrill, discovers a series of backyard swimming pools which he thinks / hopes will allow him to swim home. Checking out the pools, and their owners, means Lancaster is in his tight black bathing suit, (except when remove it....) for almost the entire film. Lancaster was 55 during the filming of The Swimmer, but looked incredibly fit. I read this was one of Lancaster's favorite roles, and like in Trapeze, Lancaster seems to welcome leaving his tough guy roles for parts that spotlight his physique and sex appeal.
Bare-Faced: Alvin Banks by Bob Burkhardt
'Alvin's got a great face among his other attributes.'
When photographer Bob Burkhardt send on his work with Alvin Banks, I was glad to read in his comments a reference to Alvin's beautiful face. Although FH is focused on the male form, specific body parts don't interest me on their own, I find myself drawn to the whole package. Models with not just a great body, but also a great face, and a model able to use every inch of their body to connect with the viewer through the camera.
When it comes to fitness and nude modeling, there is such a focus on the body, often, ignoring that there's a face and man attached. This is even more prevalent with models like Alvin, who also makes his living in porn. As you can visually see, physically, Alvin has it all. A great physique, and an incredible ass and beautiful penis. For a porn star, all the main boxes are checked.
When I was going through Bob's shots however, it was Alvin's face that caught my attention. I think especially his great mouth and smile, and his big, beautiful eyes that really drew me in, and had me spending far to too much time, choosing my favorite images. Not to downplay his other attributes, they're certainly impressive, but most models, porn or otherwise, have impressive bodies.
I'm not sure about you, but the men I'm drawn to have something more, and in most cases, it's expressed through their eyes and their face. It speaks to the strength Alvin excused through his beautiful eyes, that he's able to drawn draw the viewers gaze upwards, especially given all that lies below...
In addition to his photographer's application for Alvin's face and physique, Bob shares that Alvin was a delight to work with, funny and very open. They had a very successful shoot and Bob definitely plans to shoot Alvin again, hopefully for his upcoming portrait show.
'Working with Bob was really cool. It was actually an ex, who had previously worked with Bob, that showed me how great his work was, I waited a few years and then finally get to work with him. I was really happy that he was also excited to work with me. Bob made me feel comfortable, and didn’t rush me, but he definitely like to catch me when I was more natural. I loved the shoot and the images and had a lot of fun.'
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