Untitled Film Stills  

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The Untitled Film Stills are all black and white photos in which Cindy Sherman places herself as an unnamed actress in shots reminiscent of foreign films, Hollywood pictures, B-movies, and film noir. Sherman used her own possessions as props, or sometimes borrowed, as in Untitled Film Still #11 in which the doggy pillow belongs to a friend. The shots were also largely taken in her own apartment. The Unititled Film Stills fall into several distinct groups:

• The first six are grainy and slightly out of focus (eg. Untitled #4), and each of the 'roles' appears to be played by the same blonde actress.
• The next group was taken in 1978 at Robert Longo's family beach house on the north fork of Long Island. (Sherman met Longo during her sophomore year, and they were a couple until late 1979)
• Later in 1978, Sherman began taking shots in outdoor locations around the city. Eg. Unititled Film Still #21
• Sherman later returned to her apartment, preferring to work from home. She created her version of a Sophia Loren character from the movie Two Women. (Eg. Unititled Film Still #35 (1979))
• She took several photographs in the series while preparing for a trip to Arizona with her parents. Untitled Film Still #48 (1979), also known as The Hitchhiker, was shot at sunset one evening during the trip.
• The remainder of the series was shot around New York, like Unititled #54, often featuring a blonde victim typical of film noir.