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Exhibition - Being There
Photographs by Stanley Reilly
Verdict: Celebrity snapper defines the 60s
Edinburgh - Harvey Nichols - August 03
3rd Floor, Harvey Nichols, 34 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh EH2 2AD
M-W 10-6, Th 10-8, F-Sa 10-7, Su 12-6. Free.
The world of 1960s celebrity springs to life in this stunning set of photographs. The sharp black-and-whites of celebrated Edinburgh photographer and friend of the stars Stanley Reilly define the era. And his own story's no less remarkable.
Born 60 years ago, an orphan, Stanley Reilly moved to London, knowing nobody. He slept rough for 6 months before finding somewhere to stay. At the orphanage, he'd been given a Box Brownie. Now, as an adult, he got a job labouring, bought a Pentax, and started covering film openings. A gentleman photographer of the old school - courteous, never intrusive - Stanley Reilly knows all the celebrities - and they know him. This exhibition records one decade of his 40 years as snapper to the stars.
And here they are. Roger Moore, handsome as ever, impossibly young in pre-Bond days, throwing a charming smile over his shoulder. Michael Caine in the days of The Ipcress File, cool with cigarette. The complex and troubled Peter Sellers, brilliant impersonator of others, stares through tinted glasses at the lens, revealing nothing of himself. Glamorous Dusty Springfield, in heavy makeup, smiles gently. Elton John (who writes the foreward to book and exhibition) stretches out on a sofa, relaxing between rehearsals. Cliff Richard plays acoustic guitar at a rally in Hyde Park, with mop-hair - and cravat.
Being There more than defines an era. From shots of political protests against Vietnam and the Bomb, to the glitter of showbiz, Stanley Reilly's photographs show, more than anything, his affectionate interest in people.
Whether it's a snap of a little girl trying to tease a smile from an impassive Grenadier, to asylum seekers protesting against passport restrictions, Stanley Reilly's lens catches the facial expressions of individual human beings.
A warm and compassionate man 40 years into his career, and hopefully many more to come.
Pictures at the exhibition 29 b+w prints, including (alpha order): Shirley Bassey, Michael Caine & Shakira Caine, Sean Connery & Diane Cilento, Marty Feldman, Dustin Hoffman, Bob Hope, The Jacksons, Elton John, Cleo Laine, John Lennon & Yoko Ono, Lee Marvin, Spike Milligan, Roger Moore, Ryan O'Neal, Dusty Springfield, Cliff Richard, Harry Secombe, Peter Sellers, Omar Sharif, Gregory Peck, Mr & Mrs Topol.
Book of Stanley Reilly's photographs: Being There, A Personal Photographic Record Of The Sixties, by Stanley Reilly, foreward by Sir Elton John. Published by Waverley Care, 58a Queen Street, Edinburgh EH2 3NS, tel 0131 226 2206, fax 0131 226 2209, email fund@waverleycare.org, website www.waverleycare.org; in conjunction with Gray's School Of Art. ISBN 0-9544729-0-X. 64 photographs in black and white, including most of those in the exhibition. £9.99 with all proceeds going to Waverley Care, a charity looking after people with HIV.
END
John Park
Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2008
www.fringereport.com
