|
|
HELMUT NEWTON: THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL
Director: Gero von Boehm MPAA
Rating: Running Time: 1:33 Release Date: 7/24/20 (virtual cinema) |
|
Review by Mark Dujsik | July 23, 2020 Director Gero von Boehm admirably evades a biographical approach to the life and work of his subject. Helmut Newton: The Bad and the Beautiful would rather have a discussion about the work of the famed, late photographer of the title. That's even more admirable, in theory. In practice, the filmmaker mostly wants this to be a one-sided conversation. The talk, using archival footage of Helmut Newton (in TV appearances, at work, and at home) and interviews with various models who worked with him, is entirely about how daring, subversive, revolutionary, necessarily controversial, influential, and all-around great Newton was and his photography is. This documentary strikes a note of hagiography and then keeps pounding upon it. The instinct is understandable. We see Newton's photographs, published in magazines and showcased in galleries around the world, and instantly spot their strengths. They are mostly of women—in various amounts of clothing (or, often, none at all)—posing with confidence and power. Some of the pieces are clearly satirical digs at how women are sexualized by culture (a cooked chicken with its legs spread wide, as a jewelry-clad hand prepares to cut) or undermined by society (one model, dressed like a fashion doll, lying on a bed with a startled look on her face). The interview subjects, including notable celebrities from the worlds of movies and music and fashion, state the obvious and offer conflicting details of their experiences with Newton (One says she felt like a puppet, while another—along with Newton himself—says the photographer didn't care about a model's inner life and yet another says he captured her soul). Von Boehm doesn't attempt to examine these different opinions. They are all, apparently, equal in truth and worth, because each one reinforces the idea of Newton as a great artist. Even less examined is the possibility that Newton's work possessed qualities that could have been—and were—perceived as fetishized, sexist, and/or even misogynistic. The exploration of such ideas might have given us a better, more thoughtful understanding of the man and his work. Instead, they're dismissed outright by everyone here (either because they believe it's wrong or it doesn't matter). Helmut Newton: The Bad and the Beautiful doesn't want anything even slightly or possibly negative to come its subject's way. As understandable as that may be, it definitely doesn't feel entirely honest. Copyright © 2020 by Mark Dujsik. All rights reserved. |
Buy Related Products
|
