I grudgingly accept...

...Angelina Jolie...is...attractive. I have been adamant in my stance on the opposing argument for years, but just yesterday, I swung the other way suddenly after flipping through W Magazine's November 2008 issue. Remember this one? Brad Pitt photographed these images himself. Now, don't get too 'I told you so' yet, because as much as I think the photos are stunning, there are issues that I have with how they were captured. But for now, let's just lose ourselves in the dream-like beauty of Brad's intimate photos.

The cover that sparked a million debates around the world.
A woman breastfeeding on the cover of a magazine, right or wrong?

Now. Onto the negatives. The story behind the photos is as follows...

For a hobbyist, Pitt certainly knew what he wanted. He was determined to shoot Jolie with Kodak Tech Pan film, which hasn’t been manufactured for four years. Photo Editor Nadia Vellam located 40 rolls of the stuff on eBay, which a courier then hand-carried to Pitt in Provence, France, where the couple have been hiding out since June. A week later Pitt called; he needed more film. Vellam’s first source was tapped out. She finally tracked down a guy who offered her 30 rolls—in Israel. She then had mere hours to find someone in Tel Aviv who could get on a plane to France with the film that very day. Pitt also wanted to try a specialized film used in World War II–era movies. That was a no-go. One of Vellam’s sources instead recommended Ilford to achieve the same romantic, grainy quality. Assistant Bookings Editor Will Higdon-Sudow hopped a flight with it and made the handoff in a hotel lobby.

...followed by the results speak for themselves. This may be true, but the means by which the photos were achieved (Brad had people fly halfway across the world, fetching film that hadn't been manufactured for years, so he could take these photos) have to be one of the most self-indulgent acts of hypocrisy I've come across in a long time. I believe in people suffering for their own art, but as someone who claims not subscribe to the whole diva lifestyle, as well as being an avid promoter of human rights on a global scale, it just seems a bit...well, wrong. Backwards.
Or is it just me? Let me know what you think.

Saviour this, because you probably won't find another Angelina post on The 16 Diaries for a while. I have nothing against her. She's just not my cup o' tea.

Catch.

Romany

[photos courtesy of thebosh.com]