A Gallery of 50 Amazing Behind the Scenes Photographs From the Making of “A Clockwork Orange” (1971)

Hailed as one of the greatest movies ever made while also standing out as one of the most controversially violent movies ever made, Stanley Kubrick’s film adaptation of Anthony Burgess’ novel A Clockwork Orange still has the ability to shock half a century after it hit theaters (in a select few countries, as it was banned in a lot of places).

Anthony Burgess sold the film rights of his novel for $500 (equivalent to $5,000 in toay), shortly after its publication in 1962. Originally, the film was projected to star the rock band The Rolling Stones, with the band’s lead singer Mick Jagger expressing interest in playing the lead role of Alex, and British filmmaker Ken Russell attached to direct. However, this never came to fruition due to problems with the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), and the rights ultimately fell to Kubrick.

McDowell was chosen for the role of Alex after Kubrick saw him in the film if.... (1968). When asking why he was picked for the role, Kubrick told him: “You can exude intelligence on the screen.” He also helped Kubrick on the uniform of Alex’s gang, when he showed Kubrick the cricket whites he had. Kubrick asked him to put the box (jockstrap) not under but on top of the costume.

During the filming of the Ludovico technique scene, McDowell scratched a cornea and was temporarily blinded. The doctor standing next to him in the scene, dropping saline solution into Alex’s forced-open eyes, was a real physician present to prevent the actor’s eyes from drying. McDowell also cracked some ribs filming the humiliation stage show. A unique special effect technique was used when Alex jumps out of the window in a suicide attempt, showing the camera approaching the ground from Alex’s point of view. This effect was achieved by dropping a Newman-Sinclair clockwork camera in a box, lens-first, from the third storey of the Corus Hotel. To Kubrick’s surprise, the camera survived six takes.

Kubrick was a perfectionist who researched meticulously, with thousands of photographs taken of potential locations, and many scene takes. He was so meticulous that McDowell stated: “If Kubrick hadn’t been a film director he’d have been a General Chief of Staff of the US Forces. No matter what it is—even if it'’ a question of buying a shampoo it goes through him. He just likes total control.” Filming took place between September 1970 and April 1971. Technically, to achieve and convey the fantastic, dream-like quality of the story, he filmed with extreme wide-angle lenses such as the Kinoptik Tegea 9.8 mm for 35 mm Arriflex cameras.

A Clockwork Orange was a box-office success, grossing $41 million in the United States and about $73 million overseas for a worldwide total of $114 million on a budget of $1.3 million. The film was also successful in the United Kingdom, playing for over a year at the Warner West End in London. After two years of release, the film had earned Warner Bros. rentals of $2.5 million in the United Kingdom and was the number three film for 1973 behind Live and Let Die and The Godfather.

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The First ‘Selfie’ in History of Iran Was Taken by Nasseredin Shah With His Concubines

This historic image is widely considered to be one of the very first selfie photos ever taken in Iran. It features Nasseredin Shah (or Nasser al-Din Shah), the fourth king of the Qajar dynasty, and his wives captured in a mirror of Andaruni (harem).

Born 1831, died 1896. Nasseredin looks at least twenty at the posted picture, so that would put the photo at least around between the 1850s and1860s.

The king had an immense love for photography and was a skilled photographer himself. During his numerous trips to Europe, he acquired the latest cameras and even appointed at least two official court photographers.

Iranian history has been closely intertwined with photography, with the first photographic images appearing in the country in the mid-19th century. 

The first daguerreotype cameras were brought into Iran by request of Mohammad Shah Qajar from Russia and England. Russian cameras, which were a gift from the emperor, arrived first and were brought to Tehran by young Russian diplomat, Nikolay Pavlov, who had previously learned photography for this purpose.

According to the notes of Jules Richard, the first photography in Iran was carried out by mid-December 1842. Iranian Prince Malek Qassem Mirza and Frenchman Jules Richard are among the pioneers who also did photography in Iran via daguerreotype.

Apart from one photo, none of the Iranian daguerreotypes have survived, but some of them, including portraits of Mohammad Shah and Crown Prince Naser al-Din Shah, have been handed over to Kamal-al-Molk, who used them to create painted portraits.

In the early 20th century, with the arrival of modern technology and access to cameras, Iranian photographers began documenting the daily lives of their compatriots in greater detail. Photography, which was before in the serve of the kings and elites, became an essential tool for documenting glimpses of history and culture.

Henri Cassiers: The Most Outstanding Flemish Poster Artist in the Late 19th Century

Born 1858 in Antwerp, Belgian Art Nouveau artist and illustrator Henri Cassiers was largely self-taught as a painter in watercolours, he became a skilful draughtsman. In 1881, he had his first exhibition of paintings, which went well, and gave up on architecture.

After 1881, Cassiers continued to exhibit and to travel. He had successful exhibitions in Brittany, England, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, and other countries. He established his focus on commercial illustration, and his work was featured in well-known newspapers, magazines, hotels, restaurants, and resorts.

Some of his most notable work was for Le Patriot Illustré, and his posters include several for the seaside town of De Haan. He also designed postcards.

Cassiers died in 1944, aged 85. Here is some of his work.

A View of Bruges

A Windmill near Volendam

Canal in the South of Flanders

Corner in Flanders

Dutch Sailing Village

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Before Batgirl: 50 Portraits of a Very Young and Beautiful Yvonne Craig From the Late 1950s and Early 1960s

Yvonne Craig (May 16, 1937 – August 17, 2015) was an American actress who was renowned for her role as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl in the 1960s television series Batman. Other notable roles in her career include Dorothy Johnson in the 1963 movie It Happened at the World’s Fair, Azalea Tatum in the 1964 movie Kissin’ Cousins, and as the green-skinned Orion Marta in the Star Trek episode “Whom Gods Destroy” (1969). The Huffington Post called her “a pioneer of female superheroes” for television.

As a young teenager, Yvonne showed such promise as a dancer that she was accepted to Denham’s Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. Her training progressed until she left the company in 1957 over a disagreement on casting changes. She moved to Los Angeles hoping to continue her dancing, but was soon cast in movies.

At first, Yvonne had small roles in movies such as Gidget (1959) and The Gene Krupa Story (1959). After that, her film career just bumped along. As Yvonne was dating Elvis Presley at the time, she did have a supporting role in the two Elvis movies, It Happened at the World’s Fair (1963) and Kissin’ Cousins (1964).

But her fame would come with the cult television series Batman (1966) in which she played Commissioner Gordon’s daughter, Barbara. Her secret identity was Batgirl and as the Commissioner’s daughter, she had access to all the calls of trouble taking place in Gotham City. Her character, Batgirl, was part of the 1967-68 season, which was the end of the run for the series.

After Batman, she also appeared on other television series such as Star Trek (1966) and The Six Million Dollar Man (1974). As her career wound down, Yvonne went into the real estate business. Yvonne Craig died at age 78 of breast cancer at her home in Pacific Palisades, California on August 17, 2015.

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30 Photos of a Young Janet Jackson in the 1990s

Janet Jackson, the youngest sibling in the musical Jackson family, is one of the best-selling artists in music history. Her roster of albums includes Control, Rhythm Nation 1814, The Velvet Rope and Unbreakable.

Since the very beginning of her career in the late 1960s as a child star, Jackson has had many definitive eras over the decades. But there was something about the 1990s that truly formed her signature style and put her on the fashion map. Whether it was a power suit on the red carpet or her love of crop tops and baggy denim, the pop and R&B musician always served casual-meets-powerful style. Plus, she was all about the details that really made her outfits stand out, from a simple pair of sunglasses to her go-to statement buckle belt or an added hat or hair accessory to complete the full look.

Here, check out Janet Jackson’s best looks throughout the 1990s:

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30 Vintage Photos of Jeanette MacDonald During the Filming of ‘I Married an Angel’ (1942)

I Married an Angel is a 1942 American musical film based on the 1938 musical comedy of the same name by Rodgers and Hart. The film was directed by W. S. Van Dyke and starred Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, who were then a popular onscreen couple. Supporting cast members included Edward Everett Horton, Binnie Barnes, Reginald Owen, Douglass Dumbrille, Mona Maris, and Odette Myrtil.

According to MGM records, the film earned $664,000 at the United States and Canadian box office and $572,000 elsewhere, costing the studio a loss of $725,000 - the studio’s least successful film of 1942. It was the last of the MacDonald-Eddy films.

These vintage photos captured portraits of Jeanette MacDonald during the filming of I Married an Angel in 1942.

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Rare Portrait of John D. Rockefeller at Age Eighteen, ca. 1858

John D. Rockefeller (1839–1937) was the wealthiest man in history and the founder of a great philanthropic dynasty. No American fortune has approached that of Rockefeller as a percentage of the United States economy.

Rockefeller sat for this rare early photograph at age eighteen when he was an assistant bookkeeper in Cleveland. After spending the 1860s building his oil business, he formed Standard Oil in 1870.