Photographer Alfred Wertheimer 's task to cover the concert of an unknown singer turned out to be the defining shoot of his career. Here he discusses the shots of a youthful, carefree Presley before he was swallowed up by the publicity machine.
Season 1
10 episodes
Photographs charting the rollercoaster life in and out of the ring of the ex-world heavyweight boxing champion, from iconic images to less familiar shots of Ali in off-guard moments.
Her waif-like figure may have redefined Hollywood standards of beauty, but few people knew that the enigmatic actress owed her slender physique to the long-term effects of wartime starvation and a childhood scarred by fear and emotional distress. Pictures in this programme shed light on the less familiar side of her story.
How did a camera-shy politician end up the world's most photographed man? Initially, Hitler was suspicious of the medium, but later wielded its power as a tool for mass manipulation. Hitler's chosen photographer was Heinrich Hoffmann. In the 1930s, his carefully composed portraits showed the Nazi dictator as strong yet benevolent - insidious propaganda that was to enthral and corrupt a nation.
Anxious and filled with self doubt on a film set, with a photographer the Hollywood beauty felt at ease and in control. This was despite a nude photo taken at the start of her career which ended up as the first Playboy centrefold and threatened to destroy her reputation.
JFK concealed secrets that might destroy his presidency. He was glamorous, a patriot with a glittering record, a loving father and husband. But he hid fragile health and promiscuity.
In February 1955, photographer Dennis Stock was given unique access to the troubled, enigmatic star. But Stock felt that some of the shots were so disturbing he refused to release them to the press. This film reveals those pictures taken just seven months before Dean's sudden, violent death.
Gandhi brought the British Empire to its knees. He liberated India with protest, prayer and fasting - but also photography. This is the unknown history of Gandhi's life in front of the lens, from an 18-year-old dandy in London, through a fruitful rapport with Life magazine photographer Margaret Bourke-White , to Cartier- Bresson haunting images of the millions that mourned at the funeral of the Father of the Nation.
The monarch's accession to the throne in 1837 coincided with the invention of photography. Initially, she and her family used the camera purely for pleasure. But soon the queen began to understand its value as a political tool: to win her subjects' affection and to establish herself as the figurehead of British imperial power.
The bizarre game of cat and mouse between Garbo and the camera is a disturbing parable of our obsession with celebrity. One photographer stalked her for the last ten years of her life - some of his photographs are revealed here for the first time.
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Episode 1
Elvis Presley
Photographer Alfred Wertheimer 's task to cover the concert of an unknown singer turned out to be the defining shoot of his career. Here he discusses the shots of a youthful, carefree Presley before he was swallowed up by the publicity machine.
Episode 2
Muhammad Ali
Photographs charting the rollercoaster life in and out of the ring of the ex-world heavyweight boxing champion, from iconic images to less familiar shots of Ali in off-guard moments.
Episode 3
Audrey Hepburn
Her waif-like figure may have redefined Hollywood standards of beauty, but few people knew that the enigmatic actress owed her slender physique to the long-term effects of wartime starvation and a childhood scarred by fear and emotional distress. Pictures in this programme shed light on the less familiar side of her story.
Episode 4
Adolf Hitler
How did a camera-shy politician end up the world's most photographed man? Initially, Hitler was suspicious of the medium, but later wielded its power as a tool for mass manipulation. Hitler's chosen photographer was Heinrich Hoffmann. In the 1930s, his carefully composed portraits showed the Nazi dictator as strong yet benevolent - insidious propaganda that was to enthral and corrupt a nation.
Episode 5
Marilyn Monroe
Anxious and filled with self doubt on a film set, with a photographer the Hollywood beauty felt at ease and in control. This was despite a nude photo taken at the start of her career which ended up as the first Playboy centrefold and threatened to destroy her reputation.
Episode 6
John F Kennedy
JFK concealed secrets that might destroy his presidency. He was glamorous, a patriot with a glittering record, a loving father and husband. But he hid fragile health and promiscuity.
Episode 7
James Dean
In February 1955, photographer Dennis Stock was given unique access to the troubled, enigmatic star. But Stock felt that some of the shots were so disturbing he refused to release them to the press. This film reveals those pictures taken just seven months before Dean's sudden, violent death.
Episode 8
Mahatma Gandhi
Gandhi brought the British Empire to its knees. He liberated India with protest, prayer and fasting - but also photography. This is the unknown history of Gandhi's life in front of the lens, from an 18-year-old dandy in London, through a fruitful rapport with Life magazine photographer Margaret Bourke-White , to Cartier- Bresson haunting images of the millions that mourned at the funeral of the Father of the Nation.
Episode 9
Queen Victoria
The monarch's accession to the throne in 1837 coincided with the invention of photography. Initially, she and her family used the camera purely for pleasure. But soon the queen began to understand its value as a political tool: to win her subjects' affection and to establish herself as the figurehead of British imperial power.
Episode 10
Greta Garbo
The bizarre game of cat and mouse between Garbo and the camera is a disturbing parable of our obsession with celebrity. One photographer stalked her for the last ten years of her life - some of his photographs are revealed here for the first time.
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