The Philippe Halsman Archive: Halsman Archive File 17 -Clint Eastwood 1973

Halsman’s 100th LIFE cover came in 1970 when he was 64 years old. Around that time he was transitioning from commercial photographer to teacher. Sometimes he would get an interesting request, as in 1973 when he was commissioned to shoot the poster image for Clint Eastwood’s “Magnum Force” film, the second in the Dirty Harry series. Eastwood was 43 at the time, and had worked his way up from an untrained actor who routinely failed auditions, to one of America’s biggest action heroes. His first break was in the Western TV series Rawhide in 1958, after which point he was typecast in predominantly gunslinger films. In 1964 he starred in Sergio Leone’s Spaghetti Western “A Fist Full of Dollars” where he played the anti-hero: The Man With No Name. In 1967 Leone’s film trilogy starring Eastwood was released in America, and despite bad reviews from the critics he became a star with the public. In 1971 he starred and directed “Play Misty for Me”, and starred in “Dirty Harry,” a film about a loose cannon cop with a .44 Magnum gun and a big box office appeal. Two years later the Dirty Harry character returned for a sequel called “Magnum Force,” and the art director wanted Halsman to shoot the poster image. Halsman had a reputation for creating constructed images that exaggerated reality, which is why he was hired to translate the sketches into photos. In preparation, Halsman made a fake gun out of cardboard, and did tests with his wife Yvonne to figure out how to create the desired exaggerated look. Halsman and Yvonne flew out to Hollywood to meet with Eastwood, who they were warned was impatient with photographers. They showed him the test shots and Eastwood was impressed and enthusiastic, and gave Halsman several hours to get all the required shots. In the photograph of the archive envelope we can see Halsman’s working process; the numbered contact sheet, and proof prints showing Halsman’s multiple exposure tests. The final version of the poster would become iconic and imitated in the subsequent years. Halsman returned to NYC and his role as a teacher, imparting to students all the lessons he had taught himself through trial and error. Eastwood would continue to star and direct in award winning films which challenged preconceived ideas about heroes.