R | 1h 56m| Drama, Biography, War, History | 2024
As someone who considers himself well-versed in World War II history, I have to admit I'd never heard of photographer Lee Miller prior to last month. This underscores what I’ve believed for many years. WWII is a seemingly bottomless well of source material even for those with an already strong grasp of the subject.
“Lee” opens in 1977 with an interview of the title character (Kate Winslet) by an initially unnamed journalist (Josh O’Connor). Chain-smoking and downing gin and tonics, Miller is prickly and combative, but never evasive. She’s always blunt and to the point.
Superb Supporting Cast
Among the many standouts is Alexander Skarsgard as Miller’s future husband Roland Penrose, Marion Cotillard as French fashion editor Solange D’Ayen, and Andrea Riseborough as British Vogue chief editor Audrey Withers. The biggest surprise here is Andy Samberg in a rare dramatic role. He’s playing Miller’s working partner and fellow photographer David E. Scherman.
Despite being frequently (and appropriately) awash in monochromatic blues, blacks, and grays, the movie looks spectacular. Part of the credit for this goes to veteran Polish cinematographer Pawel Edelman (“The Pianist,” another WWII movie).
First time director Ellen Kuras has worked as a cinematographer for nearly a quarter century with directors such as Martin Scorsese, Sam Mendes, Spike Lee, Jonathan Demme, and Michel Gondry. “Lee” is as much her vision as it is Edelman’s.
While working on Gondry’s 2004 “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” co-lead Winslet gave Kuras a copy of the 1985 biography “The Lives of Lee Miller,” written by Miller’s son Antony Penrose.
Too Many Cooks
Despite the stunning aesthetics and tremendous performances, “Lee” is torpedoed by too many cooks in the kitchen. There are four credited “story by” and “screenplay by” writers, and very rarely does this work out for the better. The book already provided the “story,” and it’s not terribly complicated.Only fleetingly mentioned is Miller’s brief but meteoric career as a fashion model in the late 1920s. For two years she was one of, it not the most, in-demand models in the United States. It was only after unauthorized images of her appeared in feminine hygiene ads that her modeling career abruptly ended.
Ignored completely here was Miller’s subsequent career. She relocated to Paris to collaborate with photographer Man Ray, another American artist living abroad. In tandem with Ray, Miller rediscovered the photo technique of “solarisation,” a process where an image on a photonegative is reversed in tone.
The full-figured Winslet and the lithe real-life Miller have radically different physiques; Kuras and Edelman could have employed fancy lighting and strategic angles to at least give us an idea of Miller’s looks and life prior to becoming an acclaimed wartime photojournalist.
Half a Story
What we’re left with in “Lee” is only half of a biography, a partial portrait of a woman that would “rather take a picture than be the subject of one.” Like Lamarr, Miller achieved early success based solely on her looks. Whether by chance, fate, choice, or a combination of all three, she chose to be a force of good, albeit in far different ways, to aid America during WWII.I’m a big Winslet fan. Although she does a good job here with the wanting material, she wasn’t the right actress to play Miller. Gwyneth Paltrow, Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron, or Margot Robbie would have been far better suited for the part. All of them look more like Miller than Winslet, and each has superb acting chops.
Even with several narrative hiccups, “Lee” remains indispensable for WWII movie completists, or those interested in the history of wartime photojournalism.
There’s no doubt Miller was a trailblazer. She was woman trying to gain acceptance in what had been, and largely still remains, a boy’s club. It’s just unfortunate that not all of her accomplishments were covered here.
