Elise: Blow Up

A common theme throughout "Blow Up" was disappearing objects, and a questioning of reality. It began with the actual photos disappearing, then the woman, then the body. Even when he had the photographs, however, the strangeness of the situation caused the photographer to question the reality of its occurrence. He did not have much purpose or seriousness in his life, which many of the seemingly random scenes in the movie highlighted. (For instance, his search for "landscapes" and final purchase of the propeller in an antique store, and his little incident with the two girls who wanted to be photographed.) His only encounter with something of substance was the story behind the photographs, and his life seems to exhibit a change when he realizes the gravity of the situation he witnessed. The photos are pretty blurry since they've been blown up so much, so he returns to the site to confirm what he thinks his camera witnessed. He finds the dead man, and yet when he gets home he still seems to be in partial disbelief so he tries to share the uncanny events with his "friends" for further confirmation. Everyone is too stoned to be able to grasp the situation, however, so he is left alone. Did it all really happen? Is he just making it up?
This theme is culminated in the very last scene. The photographer has returned to the park, where the dead body is no longer there. Instead, a van of mimes pull up and begin to play tennis on a tennis court. It is all make-believe, however, and there are no balls or rackets. The two tennis players act with all seriousness, and even the crowd around the court stands in rapt attention, doing a good job I thought of joining in the act. It was entertaining and seemed very "real." This scene, however, could be playing out the photographer's fear of the reality of his situation. He is witnessing a whole group of people living out an illusion together. They are pretending and acting as if it is a reality, but it's not. And finally, at the very end of the film, he's given the choice to join in on their false reality, and pick up the tennis ball that is hit over the net. He joins in and is left yet again with questioning reality. Has he just been acting out an illusion too?