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Bert Stern: Original Mad Man

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Legendary photographer Bert Stern discusses his iconic portraits of Marilyn Monroe and other stars, his pioneering work in advertising and his friendship with Stanley Kubrick.

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Bert Stern: Original Mad Man

Critics Reviews

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Peter Keough Boston Globe 05/02/2013
3/4
An effusive, sad, visually gorgeous, and illuminating portrait of the artist. Go to Full Review
Moira MacDonald Seattle Times 04/25/2013
2/4
It's a documentary that's filled with beautiful images but nonetheless feels unfocused. Go to Full Review
Kenneth Turan Los Angeles Times 04/19/2013
2/5
If someone is that bored with their own life, it's not clear why we should bother listening in, no matter what they've accomplished. Go to Full Review
Sarah Brinks Battleship Pretension 02/26/2021
Stern's legacy exists in the hundreds of boxes of breath-taking photos in his studio and office. He lived the life of an artist, often with no limits - unspeakable highs, and tragic lows. Go to Full Review
Jonathan Kiefer SF Weekly 02/04/2014
The latest in a long parade of limp couture-chronicle documentaries. Go to Full Review
Gerald Peary Arts Fuse 09/16/2013
2.5
Nobody is easier on Bert Stern than the filmmaker, four decades his junior, and his long-time squeeze. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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07/07/2013 Apesar de ter marcado a sua geração de fotógrafos, Bert Stern responde às questões, no documentário que lhe é apontado, vestido de robe, assolapado num cadeirão e com as mãos atrás da nuca - quase como se quisesse deixar todo o glamour da ocasião para as muitas mulheres bonitas que fotografou. E o toque de Midas de Stern chegou a estar de tal modo apurado, que as mulheres por ele fotografadas transformavam-se em celebridades, da mesma maneira que as marcas por ele trabalhadas passavam a ser símbolos de sucesso. Tudo isto, como em qualquer boa história de rápida ascensão nos anos 60, leva aos habituais excessos e Bert Stern, de roupão e sem alibis, conta as coisas de um modo aparentemente sincero. Para lá das muitas fotografias emblemáticas (fez os retratos promocionais para "Lolita" do Kubrick), o documentário revela um homem com um gosto insaciável por mulheres, tão disposto a dar conta das suas conquistas (parece que o seu pretexto mais natural para aceitar um trabalho era a vontade de beijar a modelo), como de admitir que levou uma tampa da Marilyn Monroe quando ficou com ela trancado num quarto de hotel para uma segunda sessão fotográfica (a última da diva). See more 04/28/2013 Amateurish attempt to tell the story of a not-very-nice but brilliant photographer. Too bad he didn't direct--or edit--this disaster. See more 04/14/2013 This documentary looks into the life of a man who never has opened before. A truly rare opportunity for all who see it. See more 08/09/2012 Photographer Bert Stern took some of the most iconic photo portraits of the 20th century, including Marilyn Monroe's famous 'last sitting', and this is his story. The fact that it's told by his ridiculously younger muse and partner Shannah Laumeister means that it's told without much overt criticism, which is fine when you consider how superb his work was at his creative peak. But while his fascination with beautiful women made him a famous photographer, it also reveals that perhaps he wasn't a very nice person. The direction is too starry-eyed to delve much into his very real flaws though, and too much time is spent reflecting on his present-day octogenarian condition, when all the audience wants is to see more of those glorious images from his heyday. See more Read all reviews
Bert Stern: Original Mad Man

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Movie Info

Synopsis Legendary photographer Bert Stern discusses his iconic portraits of Marilyn Monroe and other stars, his pioneering work in advertising and his friendship with Stanley Kubrick.
Director
Shannah Laumeister
Producer
Shannah Laumeister, Gregory McClatchy, Phyllis Stuart, Jeff Werner
Screenwriter
Shannah Laumeister
Distributor
First Run
Production Co
Magic Film Productions
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 5, 2013, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 6, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$32.9K
Runtime
1h 32m
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