Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Black White & Gray: A Portrait of Sam Wagstaff and Robert Mapplethorpe

Play trailer Poster for Black White & Gray: A Portrait of Sam Wagstaff and Robert Mapplethorpe 2007 1h 10m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
85% Tomatometer 20 Reviews 69% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
Filmmaker James Crump looks at the complex relationship between art curator Sam Wagstaff and photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, and their influence on the art world.
Black White & Gray: A Portrait of Sam Wagstaff and Robert Mapplethorpe

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Vital documentation of an unsung 70's art patron and his famous photographer lover. A vivid and tragic story.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
James Christopher The Times (UK) 08/15/2008
4/5
This is a terrific documentary by James Crump about the unsung collector, Wagstaff, and his lopsided relationship with his hungry young lover, Mapplethorpe. Go to Full Review
David Jenkins Time Out 08/15/2008
4/6
Crump's film colourfully depicts Wagstaff's complex inner mindset and rarefied eye for imagery by allowing the stunning prints to linger on the screen. Go to Full Review
Sid Smith Chicago Tribune 02/14/2008
The movie makes its main point. Wagstaff was an important, complex, fascinating figure, well worth remembering. Go to Full Review
Dorothy Woodend The Tyee (British Columbia) 08/23/2017
Good taste is examined in all its implications in James Crump's elegant documentary Black White + Gray: A Portrait of Sam Wagstaff and Robert Mapplethorpe. Go to Full Review
Rich Cline Shadows on the Wall 08/15/2008
3.5/5
Crump's film is a vitally important document in this respect, bringing out Wagstaff's personality and vividly capturing the stories of the people who knew him. Go to Full Review
Sam Jordison Film4 08/15/2008
4/5
A well made portrait of an intriguing man, presented with a tragic but resounding weight. Go to Full Review
Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
11/22/2013 Excellent documentary on Maplethorpe, Wagstaff, and a lot on their interesting relationship with Patti Smith. Some interesting stories from many. Thoroughly enjoyed. See more 04/03/2012 Interesting, up to a point. See more 04/03/2012 Well done doc about the rich art collector and curator Sam Wagstaff whose relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe has largely been overlooked. The film's handling of his photography collection,now at the Getty, is wonderful, and of course, I love Patti Smith. I lived in NY during part of the time covered, so I have a tiny bit of nostalgia. See more 04/03/2012 great Insight on Sam Wagstaff & Mapplethorpe. Loved it. Loved Patty Smith. See more 04/03/2012 Really more about Sam Wagstaff then anything else... I didn't know him at all, so I found it interesting. But the title is a bit misleading in a way. See more 04/03/2012 I was very excited to watch this documentary, but unfortunately, I almost hated it. It wore me out, it focused on the wrong aspects of things, it's unnecessarily long and for someone who isn't familiar with either one of the two people this movie deals with, then this film doesn't do such a great job in delivering their greatness to the audience. However, this is the documentary where everyone should begin in order to learn more about Wagstaff and Mapplethorpe. Sam Wagstaff contributed in the reinvention of several art forms and Robert Mapplethorpe literally revived the black-and-white photography. Both men died of AIDS, Wagstaff in 1987 and his lover, Mapplethorpe, in 1989 -in a period when AIDS "killed" hundreds of mythic men. See more Read all reviews
Black White & Gray: A Portrait of Sam Wagstaff and Robert Mapplethorpe

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Movie Info

Synopsis Filmmaker James Crump looks at the complex relationship between art curator Sam Wagstaff and photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, and their influence on the art world.
Director
James Crump
Producer
James Crump
Screenwriter
James Crump
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 8, 2017
Runtime
1h 10m