MovieChat Forums > Roxie Hart (1942) Discussion > photographs taken during the movie

photographs taken during the movie

posted 13 years ago by penscott70
2 replies | jump to latest

I just saw this movie for the first time, and found it very entertaining! I did have one question, though...

Several times throughout the movie, especially in the courtroom scenes, the photographers would all gather to take the same picture (which I understand), but every "important" person would scramble to pose in the picture as well - the judge, both attorneys, etc.

Was that really the way photographs were taken back in the 20's...everyone needing to be in every photograph, or was that done in jest, by the movie makers, as part of the comedy? Either way, each repeated time it happened made me chuckle more than the last. :)

"To do then now would be retro. To do then then was very now-tro, if you will."

[–] noirgirl 13 years ago

The photographers were usually working for different news services, so each paper wanted their own shot. Big-name trials, everyone wanted to be in on the publicity, so they would all get in on the shot. It was a very common process in real life, not just done for the movies. So it wasn't a joke all that much. Hope this helps! : )

[–] mcdemuth 8 years ago

That was kind of my thought too...

You know, get a photo of the witness on the stand... and give the media a quick moment to do that, so it would not actually interrupt testimony.

But when I saw the judge rush over to stand behind Roxie, and pose, I began to wonder too...