Fame, Fashion and Photography: The Real Blow Up

Watch Movie

Fame, Fashion and Photography: The Real Blow Up

2002

2h 0m

8.5(2 votes)

Documentary

TV Movie

Overview

Tells the story of the photographers who cemented the image of swinging London and who, through their pictures, irreversibly altered the face of fashion and pop.

Links & Resources

IMDbView

Social & External

IMDb

Production Companies

The people behind it

Cast & crew

10 featured cast members

Starring

Neil Pearson

Narrator (voice)

Twiggy

Self

Christine Keeler

Self

Mary Quant

Self

David Hemmings

Self

Vidal Sassoon

Self

Veruschka von Lehndorff

Self

Andrew Loog Oldham

Self

Terence Stamp

Self

Michelangelo Antonioni

Self (archive footage)

Creative team

Directed by: Mary Sackville-West
Produced by: Elaine Shepherd

Similar Movies

7.0

2017

My Generation

The vivid and inspiring story of British film icon Michael Caine's personal journey through 1960s swinging London.

Movie

1967

Look at Life: IN gear

Join the cool kids on the Kings Road and Carnaby Street as youth fashion brings a welcome splash of colour to Britain. “Don't take it too seriously, or you'll be missing the point!”

Movie

2011

Carnaby Street Undressed

Carnaby Street Undressed is a story of fashion, music and eye opening insights into London's Carnaby Street in its 1960s heyday, told by the owners of the fashion shops that defined the iconic Street, and the popular musicians who were part of the “the scene”. This includes The Who lead sing Roger Daltrey, Donovan, Frank Allen from the Searchers, Gary Leeds from The Walker Brothers, and Peter Noone from Herman’s Hermits. The film is the story of a generation that rebelled against the grey conformity of the 1950s with a cultural revolution emanating from Carnaby Street from where it spread across the globe changing fashion and music forever.

Movie

8.0

1968

Dolly Story

Swinging London - a phenomenon which emphasized the young, the new and the modern. Fashion, music, art, media, life style and attitude. An era of optimism, and hedonism. A cultural revolution.

Movie

7.5

2013

Jimi Hendrix: Hear My Train a Comin'

An account of the short life of genius musician Jimi Hendrix (1942-70), probably the most talented and influential guitarist of the twentieth century: his humble beginnings in Seattle, his time in New York, his rise to fame in swinging London… Live fast, love hard, die young.

Movie

7.3

1966

Blow-Up

A successful mod photographer in London whose world is bounded by fashion, pop music, marijuana, and easy sex, feels his life is boring and despairing. But in the course of a single day he unknowingly captures a death on film.

Movie

6.7

1965

Darling

Diana, a beautiful but shallow and easily distracted model and failed actress, toys with the affections of several men while attempting to gain fame and fortune in Swinging London.

Movie

1966

Cilla at the Savoy

In April 1966, Cilla opened in a 3-week cabaret season at London’s Savoy Hotel. On her final Sunday, she starred in her own television special produced by her manager Brian Epstein’s film company, Subafilms. It was the first colour television show of its kind to be made by an independent producer in Britain. The show was broadcast in the UK in black & white but aired in colour in The Netherlands and the USA. ‘Cilla at the Savoy’ was one of the most watched television specials of the 1960s.

Movie

4.9

1969

The Haunted House of Horror

Teenagers in an old mansion are being murdered one by one. The survivors must discover who among them is the killer before they're all finished off.

Movie

5.3

1967

Deadly Sweet

Bernard meets Jane in a Night Club, in London, and he likes her. Her father was killed in a car accident, but Jane thinks he has been killed because he was blackmailed for a picture of his second wife, Jane's mother in law. In the same Night Club Bernard finds the blackmailer corpse and Jane near him, but he believes she is innocent. So Bernard and Jane run away followed by a dwarf, the blackmailer's men, who believe Bernard killed their boss and of course, the Police. They believe that Jerome, Jane's brother, can help them to solve the case. But Jane doesn't know where he is, or so she says. Corpse after corpse, Bernard will find out the truth. But will the truth help him?

Movie

6.2

1963

Bitter Harvest

A pretty young woman will do anything to escape her deadly dull existence in the backlots of Wales. But when she reaches the bright lights of London is the price too high?

Movie

7.0

1965

Up Jumped a Swagman

A dreamy Australian singer comes to London to seek his fortune and falls for a down-to-earth lass and a high-strung debutante at the same time.

Movie

7.0

1971

Deep End

London, England. Mike, a fifteen-year-old boy, gets a job in a bathhouse, where he meets Susan, an attractive young woman who works there as an attendant.

Movie

1987

Hawaiian Soul

The Hawaiian world view was once clearly reflected in a society created over 2000 years of existence in the islands. With the changes brought in the last 200 years, we who now live in the land of the Hawaiian may wonder: what does it mean to be Hawaiian in Hawaii today? A contemporary Hawaiian world view is shared here by 11 Hawaiians who have struggled with the question of maintaining cultural identity in this modern world, and who have each found their own answers. (Victoria Keith)

Movie

2026

The Mastodon in the Room

In memory of Brent Hinds 1974-2025

Movie

2017

Anubumin

In Nauruan, Anubumin means "night"—and darkness is what the fourth joint film by Zanny Begg and Oliver Ressler begins with. The small and inconspicuous island of Nauru with close to 10,000 inhabitants lies in the Pacific at a great distance to the mainland. But Nauru is a tragic place steeped in history that has been overwritten by numerous narratives. The film addresses these different narratives, starting with the early exploitation of the island and its calcite and phosphate deposits by the colonial powers in the 19th century. After the golden 1970s, when the "Birdshit island" was flush with money, the phosphate was completely mined and the island state soon became insolvent. Since then, Nauru has turned into a gloomy place: 80% of the area is uninhabitable; the attempt to tap new sources of income led to the wide-scale practice of money laundering.

Movie

7.0

2019

Umbra

The film UMBRA deals with rare and common optical phenomena that occur in nature. These phenomena evoke familiar images such as shadows or reflections on a water surface; but also unusual ones like the "Brocken spectre" or the pinhole effect during a solar eclipse. These ancient and natural projections can be considered as precultural and independent of any apparatus. They occured even before mankind and are united by their intangible, ephemeral presence. In their immateriality and fragility, they are precursors of the cinema image. UMBRA develops a visual dialogue between phenomenon and apparatus, archetype and image, self and self-perception.

Movie

2018

Faire-Part

On the eve of postponed Congolese elections, two Congolese and two Belgian cineastes make a film about Kinshasa and its resistance against the legacies of colonialism. The four filmmakers want to tell a story together, but having grown up on other sides of history, they have different views on how to tell that story. What should it look like? Who should be in it? For whom is it made? Faire-part is the search of four filmmakers for a way to portray the city. Through filming artistic performances in public space, they paint a provocative picture of Kinshasa and its relations with the rest of the world.

Movie

5.0

2009

The Fashion Designer and His Muse

Documentary about Givanchy and Audrey Hepburn.

Movie

2009

Paramount in the 1950s

A short documentary about pictures produced by Paramount in the 1950s, the directors who made them, and the stars in them.

Movie

Recommended Movies

7.0

2017

My Generation

The vivid and inspiring story of British film icon Michael Caine's personal journey through 1960s swinging London.

Movie

Louis Theroux: Twilight of the Porn Stars

6.4

2012

Louis Theroux: Twilight of the Porn Stars

In 1997, Louis Theroux made a documentary about the world of male porn performers in Los Angeles. 15 years later, he returns to find a business struggling with the deluge of free porn on the internet. Louis revisits some of the original programme's contributors as well as meeting the latest crop of porn performers dreaming of porn stardom.

Movie

7.2

1964

Seven Up!

A group of British children aged 7 from widely ranging backgrounds are interviewed about a range of subjects. The filmmakers plan to re-interview them at 7 year intervals to track how their lives and attitudes change as they age.

Movie

7.2

2025

Come See Me in the Good Light

In an intimate and joyful story of love in the face of loss, celebrated poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley find strength—and unexpected hilarity—in what might be their final year together.

Movie

7.9

2025

John Candy: I Like Me

Those who knew iconic funnyman John Candy best share his story, in their own words, through never-before-seen archival footage, imagery, and interviews.

Movie

8.2

2013

One Direction: This Is Us

"One Direction: This Is Us" is a captivating and intimate all-access look at life on the road for the global music phenomenon. Weaved with stunning live concert footage, this inspiring feature film tells the remarkable story of Niall, Zayn, Liam, Harry and Louis' meteoric rise to fame, from their humble hometown beginnings and competing on the X-Factor, to conquering the world and performing at London’s famed O2 Arena. Hear it from the boys themselves and see through their own eyes what it's really like to be One Direction.

Movie

6.4

2026

A Toxic Love Story

A string of threatening emails escalates into a revenge plot involving a newly married US marshal and his ex-girlfriend.

Movie

8.5

2022

Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me

After years in the limelight, Selena Gomez achieves unimaginable stardom. But just as she reaches a new peak, an unexpected turn pulls her into darkness. This uniquely raw and intimate documentary spans her six-year journey into a new light.

Movie

7.9

2014

Unlocking Sherlock

Explore how writers Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss created the hit television sensation. Take a personal voyage through the versions of Holmes that have served as inspirations for the new series - the original stories, their factual origins, hundreds of film adaptations - to arrive at their thoroughly modern Sherlock. Moffat and Gatiss explain the challenges they encountered adapting the original adventures of the iconic super-sleuth. Go behind the scenes on the set of the hit television series, including interviews with actors Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman and Lara Pulver, who talk about the reinvention of their fictional characters.

Movie

7.8

2025

It's Never Over, Jeff Buckley

Rising musician Jeff Buckley had only released one album when he died suddenly in 1997. Now, never-before-seen footage, exclusive voice messages, and accounts from those closest to him offer a portrait of the captivating singer.

Movie

Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God

7.3

2012

Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God

Alex Gibney explores the charged issue of pedophilia in the Catholic Church, following a trail from the first known protest against clerical sexual abuse in the United States and all way to the Vatican.

Movie

6.9

2014

Marvel Studios: Assembling a Universe

A look at the story behind Marvel Studios and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, featuring interviews and behind-the-scenes footage from all of the Marvel films, the Marvel One-Shots and "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."!

Movie

6.7

2024

The Beach Boys

A celebration of the legendary band that revolutionized pop music, and the iconic, harmonious sound they created that personified the California dream, captivating fans for generations and generations to come.

Movie

7.7

1978

The Last Waltz

Martin Scorsese's documentary intertwines footage from The Band's incredible farewell tour with probing backstage interviews and featured performances by Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, and other rock legends.

Movie

7.6

1991

35 Up

Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.

Movie

7.4

1977

21 Up

After another 7 year wait, director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born children from Seven Up! and 7 Plus Seven. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.

Movie

Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D)

8.5

2026

Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D)

Captured during Billie Eilish's sold-out world tour, a concert experience from one of the most celebrated and successful artists of her generation, presented in immersive 3D.

Movie

8.7

2023

Thriller 40

Forty years after the release of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller,’ the best-selling album of all-time, director Nelson George takes fans back in time to the making of a pop masterpiece, featuring never-before-seen footage and candid interviews.

Movie

7.0

1971

Directed by John Ford

A documentary about the life and films of director John Ford.

Movie

6.4

2006

Fuck

A documentary on the expletive's origin, why it offends some people so deeply, and what can be gained from its use.

Movie