4/5
before the film, i didn't know that much about who Bill Cunningham is - except for the fact that he's the photographer for The New York Times style section. and to see him nervous, slightly uncomfortable, almost bashful, as the subject behind a camera (whilst behind his own camera) is pretty great. for a fashion photographer, Cunningham isn't exactly, um, stylish - each day he wears the same blue smock (that same that street sweepers wear), and when it rains, he covers it with a cheap flimsy plastic poncho (that's prone to ripping) which he continuously mends with duct tape.
but Cunningham's own clothes (or lack-thereof) are unimportant - it's his obsessive eye for what he sees on the street that makes him such a master. director Richard Press follows Cunningham as the 80-year-old bike rides through Manhattan taking candid photos of what people are wearing. it's great to see him in action, standing on street corners "waiting" for the fashion - no, CLOTHES, to come to him, or snapping someone who's wearing a great hat as he's cruising by on his bike. but Cunningham won't just snap anyone's photo - you had better bring it if you wanna catch his eye and make the style pages.
the man is a bit of a mystery, and the doc doesn't reveal much. Cunningham doesn't really talk about his life (outside of work) until Press asks him two very personal questions toward the end of the film (the theatre i was in was dead silent watching Bill's reaction to the second question about attending church) - it's a very candid and powerful but tender moment. and although he (sort of) answers the two question(s), one wishes Cunningham would give us more (but it's so great he doesn't), because he is SO interesting, but also (and i hate to use this word, because he's NOT), simple.
NO.
uncomplicated is better.
uncomplicated is better.
the sense i got from the film, and from the very little Cunningham allows us, is that, while the man is a bit of a mystery, what you see is what you get with Bill Cunningham.
for someone who knows his fashion and style, Cunningham doesn't do "fancy." i love the irony of this - because there is ZERO pretentiousness in the man (despite someone at Paris fashion week describing him "as the most important man on Earth"). i love the fact that his very, very, VERY small studio apartment has no bathroom (he says that the one down the hall is fine - "one less room to clean"). he sleeps on a cot surrounded by filing cabinets (filled with photos), and it's charming how happy he is eating a $3.99 lunch everyday.
the strange thing is, is that as eccentric as it sounds and looks, Cunningham comes across as SO normal. i guess it's the world in which he is so immersed that makes the juxtaposition so apparent - i mean, the man is wearing a street sweeper smock and is sitting in the front row at all the major fashion runway shows, next to Anna Wintour (Vogue editor-in-chief). in a crowd of his peers and subjects, it's pretty much undeniable that Cunningham is the most down to earth and unfussy of the bunch.
there are some fantastic interviews conducted in the film, including with Wintour, who has some pretty lovely things to say about Cunningham. it's amazing to see what his subjects and co-workers have to say about him - about his skill, his professionalism, his eye for what's "in" before it's IN. what i found really cool is Cunningham's photographic memory, and his calling out designers who replicate other designers' work (even from a dress he snapped in a show 20 years prior) - this was incredible to see.
what didn't really work for me in the doc though is the eviction storyline. six tenants, including Cunningham, all of which still have rent controlled life-work spaces in Carnegie Hall, are being evicted from the building. the film spends some time with the other tenants (who are, naturally, upset at being uprooted) and shows some footage of protesters in front of city hall asking to remain in their homes - but i think the film fails at garnering any sympathy for what the eviction would do to Cunningham, because Cunningham himself SO DOESN'T CARE - he smiles and says that it's no big deal, that they'll find him another place so he's not stressing about it (*holy sh-t, did they ever find him another home - an apartment overlooking Central Park).
i felt that whole storyline could have been trimmed a bit because i wanted the film to get back to HIM - watching him work (and be honoured) at Paris fashion week, listening to him talk about fashion and the people on the street, and the love he has for his work - this is where the magic of the film is - on the street, and then watching Cunningham put it all together on the page. brilliant.
i didn't learn much more from this doc about who Bill Cunningham is that i already didn't know - but as a gal who loves fashion and photography, i really enjoyed this documentary. to be able to see Cunningham do what he does, and how bloody well he does it (and loves it), well, that's what there was to really see.
here's the movie's website - definitely worth a snoop. http://zeitgeistfilms.com/billcunninghamnewyork/
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