Image Analysis

Jared Murawski

February 15, 2010

Visual Lit

Analysis of an Image

This picture I am analyzing is one taken in 1960 during a New York Giants-Philadelphia Eagles game. The two men pictured are Chuck Bednarik (Eagles, top) and Frank Gifford (Giants, bottom). It is a photo that most football fans have seen but not all truly have analyzed or know the story behind it. The history behind the picture only adds to the intrigue of the photo, which I will describe later. After reading Nick Lacey’s piece on image analysis, I will try and describe this photo using the process he himself uses including composition, context and code.

First, the composition of the photo needs to be taken into account. The picture, taken in black and white, portrays an image and a game that has been changed greatly over the years. Not even taking into account the men in the photo, the grainy and colorless composition conveys an image of grit, ferocity and rage. The players are dirty and taped up passing on the idea of pain and pure violence. The position of Bednarik over the seemingly lifeless body of Gifford portrays pure dominance. Bednarik is shown as a towering figure filled with absolute aggression while Gifford lies on the ground in a purely helpless state. The Eagles linebackers monstrous figure is the initial form spotted when looking at the photo and rightfully so as he takes up about 4/5 of the photo. There is truly only one way to convey the mood of this photo and it is in that of dominance and pain.

The framing of the photo, which amazingly has to be purely by chance due to the speed of the game, is perfectly conveying the struggle and battle between these two men. It is an action shot and allows for the rule of thirds to actively be displayed in the photo. The referee’s body to the left side lines up with left vertical line while Bednarik’s towering body lines up with the right vertical line and his eyes align with the upper horizontal line. Gifford’s entire body is practically the bottom horizontal line as he lays unresponsive.

The context of the photo only furthers the grittiness of the shot. It portrays a fierce game that wasn’t governed by so many rules and safety regulations and was full of men who played numerous positions and played the game because it was their job. For those who don’t know the story behind this picture. It portrays the aftermath of one of the NFL’s most fierce and memorable tackles. Bednarik laid out Gifford on his blindside on a passing play on a clean hit and knocked him completely unconscious. Bednarik claims himself that his words for Gifford after the hit were “Stay the fuck down!” but Gifford couldn’t attest to this. While the photo shows the pure dominance and devastation of the hit, the story furthers the lore. The hit caused Gifford, mainly a running back, severe head damage and took him out of the game (as he retired) for eighteen full months. He would eventually return to the game and still prosper but most believe he never returned to the form he played at prior to the hit.

In understanding the history behind the actual hit, it is amazing to think that a photographer could capture this brutal moment in which one man physically and mentally dominated another man to the point of semi-retirement. The pure rage shown in the photo can bring a viewer back to the age of a different game. And while one looking at this photo can almost feel the hit lay upon Gifford himself, I’m sure when Gifford looks at the photo he still feels it.