Product Description

Lee Miller, a photographer, Vogue model, and muse to notorious artist Man Ray, lived an exceptionally rich, full life almost like a character from a movie. Inspired by the artist s community in Montparnasse in the 1930s, she made a name for herself as a post-surrealist photographer and a war correspondent accomplishments much different from those of other Vogue models. Called the most beautiful woman of her time, Miller claimed never to have wasted a moment of her life. Filmmaker Sylvain Roumette skillfully brings this exceptional woman to life through this fascinating documentary. Two men photographer David Scherman and Miller s own son, Anthony Penrose serve as guides to the remarkable life of this true adventuress.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #105126 in DVD
• Brand: Lee
• Released on: 2007-12-26
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled
• Original language: English, French, German
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 55 minutes

Features

• Lee Miller, a photographer, Vogue model, and muse to notorious artist Man Ray, lived an exceptionally rich, full life. Inspired by the artist's community in Montparnasse in the 1930s, she made a name for herself as a post-surrealist photographer and a war correspondent--accomplishments very different from those of other Vogue models. Called the most beautiful woman of her time, Miller claimed

Customer Reviews

Exciting Life; Second-rate Production
I saw this via a certain red envelope service, on a whim. I saw "Lee" in the title and assumed it would be about a male photographer. Instead, it's about a female Lee. She was multi-talented, working as a model, photojournalist, gallery owner, inter alia. The work is not static: it moves from the whimsical 20s to the sadness of World War II. (Surprisingly, little is said about the dark days of the Depression Era.) I don't know how important Ms. Miller was to history, but if you think of her in the light of Marilyn Monroe or Madonna, or many pretty women who accomplish much in their lives, then you'll find yourself interested.

The work only has three interviewees: Lee's son, his nanny, and Lee's friend/(lover?). I wonder if this is a self-financed or promoted work. Its lack of interviewees points to a low budget, but the photos and old newsreel clips may suggest something of a higher quality. It was bizarre to see a man refer to his mother by her first name and not as "Mom." However, he concludes by saying she wasn't much of an attentive mother. Perhaps this could explain his indifference in seeing so many nude photos of Ms. Miller.

This is a European work that gives you several language options that you wouldn't find on most American DVDs. Still, an unseen, French interviewer asks the questions and many of the native English speakers can't decipher what he's saying. My guess is that most of us Americans won't understand him either. Surely they could have gotten a native English speaker to ask the questions and then they could have dubbed and had subtitles to their hearts' content.

Wearing a feminist cap may make you have trouble with the work. The work starts with a lot of Ms. Miller's private parts. On the one hand, folk in their 20s may be the best candidates for posing nude. However, it may be a raunchy ploy to bring in viewers by showing "naughty bits." Further, Man Ray painted different parts of her body and feminist critics have said this dismembering of women, or reducing them to fractions unconnected to the whole, can be demeaning and misogynist. In all fairness, no one seems to have forced Ms. Miller in front of the camera. Also, she modeled right after First Wave feminism ended and decades before Second Wave feminism was to begin. Still, if it bothers you when women are valued for their minds more than their bodies, you may detest the first half of this documentary.