Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/11/06

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Subject: [Leica] re: Ruth Orkin's hoax Rome photo
From: Andrew Nemeth <azn@nemeng.com>
Date: Fri, 7 Nov 2003 05:34:16 +1100

> > overview nevertheless.  On "part 4" there are also background details
> > on Ruth Orkin's faked (or should I say "hoax") "An American Girl in
> > Italy 1950".
>
> Interesting choice of words? Faked? Hoax? Why. Did those men not 
> behave like
> that towards the woman coming past them? Certainly they did - it's 
> there
> recorded on film.

Or background on Ms Orkin's photo, read the relevant paragraphs in
Mr Mraz article at:

<http://www.zonezero.com/magazine/articles/mraz/mraz04.html>

See also the email discussion between Mr Mraz and John G. Morris at:

<http://www.zonezero.com/magazine/articles/mraz/mailsmm.html>


I think you will see there enough discussion to back up the assertion
that this image was heavily "directed".

So why call it a fake or hoax?  Because it pretends to be something it
is not.  It pretends to be a spontaneous, slice of life shot of a woman
being harassed on a street in Rome, when it is actually a carefully 
staged
tableaux of "actors" being directed by the photographer.  In the 
specific
case of the guys on the motor scooter, they were actually *paid* to 
react
the way they did.

None of this was noted anywhere when this rancid piece of anti-male
propaganda was published.  It only came out (much) later.

This is "truthful"?  I think not.


Regds,

Andrew Nemeth
Blue Mountains  NSW   Australia
<http://nemeng.com>

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Replies: Reply from Jerry Lehrer <jerryleh@pacbell.net> (Re: [Leica] re: Ruth Orkin's hoax Rome photo)