Iwo Jima re-enacted

October 27, 2007 5:35 PM

This series of photographs, Iconic Moments of the 20th Century, was enacted by pensioners in a home for the elderly in Glasgow. Aged volunteers pose in their everyday outfits and in the vicinity of their Home to re-create scenes from well-known historic photographs
posted by growabrain (40 comments total)

That woman does a mean Lutz.
posted by phaedon at 5:44 PM on October 27, 2007

At first I couldn’t figure out what the Kim Phúc photo reenactment was supposed to be. I thought, When in the 20th century did zombies attack?
posted by tepidmonkey at 5:56 PM on October 27, 2007 [1 favorite]

Very compelling in a bizarre sort of way.
posted by amyms at 6:13 PM on October 27, 2007 [1 favorite]

Wow. I recognized all of those photos immediately. Shame there aren't more.
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 6:14 PM on October 27, 2007

Shouldn't that be 'Iwo Jima re-re-enacted'?
posted by shakespeherian at 6:19 PM on October 27, 2007 [1 favorite]

I'd have preferred a little more this and a little less that.
posted by IndigoJones at 6:20 PM on October 27, 2007 [1 favorite]

I'm glad the woman in the blue jacket wasn't nude in the second photo.
posted by Balisong at 6:20 PM on October 27, 2007 [3 favorites]

(good one, shakesphereian)
posted by IndigoJones at 6:20 PM on October 27, 2007

Wow. That's pretty cute.
posted by mmahaffie at 6:28 PM on October 27, 2007

I gotta say - for a whole century, I was rather expecting more than 7 iconic moments.

It's a great idea though. And I'd request more photos were it not for the fact that I'd rather take a cheese-grater to my fingers and rub them down to stumps than navigate that site again.
posted by forallmankind at 6:32 PM on October 27, 2007

Next week, my office takes on the challenge the 1939-1940 Finno-Russian Winter War.
posted by parmanparman at 6:38 PM on October 27, 2007

That was awesome. There's something subtlety ironic but innocent about them. Oh, and the Yalta photo was bang on, even the age!
posted by phyrewerx at 6:39 PM on October 27, 2007

Pretty astonishing, actually. Kinda glad the Marilyn Monroe skirt photo wasn't included.
posted by maxwelton at 7:08 PM on October 27, 2007

Does someone have a link to the original photo of the last one in the series? I have no idea how to Google 'Nazi' and 'flowers.'
posted by shakespeherian at 7:35 PM on October 27, 2007

Every photo instantly recognizable. Iconic indeed. But I have to agree with forallmankind. I'd like to see more.
posted by nax at 7:43 PM on October 27, 2007

Jesse Owens at the Berlin Olympics in 1936
posted by growabrain at 7:56 PM on October 27, 2007

Nice. I'd like to see their take on this one.
posted by Casuistry at 8:03 PM on October 27, 2007

I'm just glad they didn't try to re-enact the 1999 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

Or any SI Swimsuit Issue, really.

Or Playboy.

/shudders
posted by b1tr0t at 8:04 PM on October 27, 2007

thanks, growabrain.

wow. i wish my pensioner-aged father was involved in something as cool as this.

instead he just watches bill o'reilly every day...
posted by CitizenD at 8:35 PM on October 27, 2007

I would laugh my guts out to see the Marilyn Monroe white-dress photo. That would be awesome. Hell, to see her original playboy centrefold image would be hilarious too. Not at all enticing, but still worth a laugh.
posted by Kickstart70 at 8:57 PM on October 27, 2007

I could see an Art Frahm scene working.
posted by b1tr0t at 9:38 PM on October 27, 2007

What photograph is the third one, where the lady in the middle is recoiling in fright/horror from whatever the man with his back turned has?
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 9:40 PM on October 27, 2007

I loooove those photos. Funny shit. Cute!

...I'd rather take a cheese-grater to my fingers and rub them down to stumps than navigate that site again.

Totally. Clicking the arrow button to get to the next picture was difficult stuff.
posted by Titania at 9:43 PM on October 27, 2007

The third picture is Lee Harvey Oswald being shot, after he supposedly shot JFK.
posted by Titania at 9:49 PM on October 27, 2007

The third picture is Lee Harvey Oswald being shot, after he supposedly shot JFK.

It's a measure of how much I hated that comment that I contribute to the whole loathsome "fixed that for you" meme.
posted by yhbc at 10:01 PM on October 27, 2007

I'm making plans to do the same thing, but with kindergarteners.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 11:55 PM on October 27, 2007

What's the pope photo of?
posted by jacalata at 1:58 AM on October 28, 2007

What's the pope photo of?

Probably when the previous pope met in prison with a would-be assassin that once wounded him. Can't remember his name, but seem to remember he was from Turkey.
posted by Harald74 at 3:11 AM on October 28, 2007

I'd always wondered what happened to the Batley Townswomen's Guild.
posted by Mike D at 3:48 AM on October 28, 2007

Probably when the previous pope met in prison with a would-be assassin that once wounded him

Ah, so the pictures are:
Vietcong execution
Kim Phuc
Lee Harvey Oswald
Yalta conference
Pope and assassin
Iwo Jima
Jesse Owens
posted by cillit bang at 4:35 AM on October 28, 2007

Careful Mike D. You might get that Python reference removed by the Admin...no sense of humor has he.
posted by Gungho at 5:13 AM on October 28, 2007

Ha! Old people are the shit! Good thing they pried themselves away from the Wii long enough to do this

More!!! Moooorreeee!!!!!!!

*waves lighter in the air*
posted by The Deej at 5:52 AM on October 28, 2007

Ooh! Ooh! Do this one!
posted by Horace Rumpole at 6:34 AM on October 28, 2007

Holy shit, please, Jesus, hearken to my plea. If in Your infinite mercy you see fit to make me live long enough to become a wonky old pensioner, please, please O Lord, let me be as cool and with-it as these oldtimers, unlike the crotchety, mean old bastard that You and I both know I'm going to become instead.

Amen.
posted by John of Michigan at 8:46 AM on October 28, 2007

And, Jesus? While I still have Your blessed ear? Could You please ask those nice old people to re-enact this iconic photo?

Thanks again.

Your friend,
John of Michigan
posted by John of Michigan at 8:48 AM on October 28, 2007

That was fabulous, though I was originally disappointed because I read the FPP as "Ironic Moments of the Twentieth Century" and I thought that would be really cool.
posted by not that girl at 4:03 PM on October 28, 2007

More: Yalta Conference by Subtle_squid
posted by growabrain at 4:50 PM on October 28, 2007 [1 favorite]

uhm...

uh...

*blink*

I don't get it.

I've seen entire movies re-enacted with legos that was better than this. What's there to love here? This just looks like old people entertaining themselves. Nothing wrong with that. But...

*scratches his head*
posted by ZachsMind at 6:50 PM on October 28, 2007

This just looks like old people entertaining themselves. Nothing wrong with that. But...

...They did it on the internet!
posted by b1tr0t at 7:37 PM on October 28, 2007

Absolutely fabulous
posted by RubberHen at 8:13 PM on October 28, 2007