The First Monday in May

PG-13

Released Apr 15, 2016

1 hr. 31 min.

Documentary

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77%

60 Reviews

Tomatometer

69%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Filmmaker Andrew Rossi examines an exhibit at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art that showcases Chinese-inspired Western fashions.

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Critics Consensus

First Monday in May may not resonate far beyond its target demographic, but for fashion aficionados, it should prove utterly absorbing.

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Audience Member

The documentary itself was well made but I got so annoyed at the participants! They started by saying that fashion is an art form, then proceeded to make shallow, ignorant judgements regarding how to portray Chinese culture. In so doing they proved why none of these people (with the exception of the fashion designers and the film directors) know anything about real art. The director of the costume department was a complete idiot. If Wong Kar-Wai tells you that putting the Chairman Mao coat in a room full of Buddha statues is insulting to Buddhists, don't argue with him, just accept it and move on. They got told that the exhibition was cultural appropriation by a number of museum staff and Chinese art experts but they carried on regardless because they didn't really care about anything except their own little shallow fashion world.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Kinda funny how all the important people involved in this extravaganza took such a long time and spent so much money to produce a record earning show on such a grand scale, and how all the curators and powerful political people from China saying (repeatedly) that they didn't want to cheapen the meaningful history of their historical artifacts with fashion. Then, Rhianna sings "Bitch Better Have My Money." lol If you were going to perform at an exclusive show like this one, why wouldn't you sing something nice?

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Only if you appreciate these NYC landmark people and place. Only if you love the crazy world of fashion and celebrity. The documentary really drug on in parts, but it ended well with snippets from the Met Gala event.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/09/18

Full Review

Audience Member

- The First Monday in May is an evening to adore - I'd been waiting for the The First Monday in May since the first Monday in May and holy Rihanna was it worth the wait. Before you watch this movie, I beg you to watch The September Issue first. Trust me, it adds dimension and depth to the story behind Vogue's iconic leader Anna Wintour who plays one of the central roles in The First Monday in May. I first began to appreciate fashion as an art form in the movie The Devil Wears Prada, which was based on Wintour's former personal assistant Lauren Weisberger's novel of the same name. Do you remember that scene when Miranda Presley talks about Andy's lumpy blue sweater? "That blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs and it's sort of comical how you think that you've made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you're wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room, from a pile of stuff." There was such conviction in Presley's voice when she talked about fashion. It's the same conviction many artists have when they speak passionately about their work. In an intimate and captivating moment, Wintour is asked about Weisberger's novel and subsequent movie. It's stunning to see Wintour catch her breath and smile graciously. She offers that she should thank Weisberger for elevating fashion to a respected global industry and artform. And with that, The First Monday in May is an elegantly threaded discussion of fashion's place in the art domain. It's about a village of fashion lovers coming together to create the exhibition China: Through the Looking Glass for the 2014 Met Gala Ball at MoMa in New York while also being a who's who in the celebrity world. There are several stars in this documentary including the costume institute curator Andrew Balton, Anna Wintour, Rihanna and Anna Wintour's assistant Sylvana Durrett. Durrett was fascinating to me. She was pretty, young, intelligent and surprisingly confident when talking to Anna. When fashion disasters struck, she placated the news to the world's scariest boss without too much fear, and I loved that. Durrent is not the focus of the film and yet her presence has really stayed with me. Why? Maybe it was because she was the most relatable person in the film. She's not the "pretty, young" thing. I can't relate to that. Instead she was so incredibly real. She was the antithesis of the intimidating standards of beauty and fame represented by Wintour and Rihanna at the Met Gala. The Met Gala's exhibition China: Through the Looking Glass is something that dreams are made of. The film meditates on its beauty time and again by hanging on stunning frames of mannequins draped in breathtaking garments. The curator, Andrew Balton, raises the political stakes of fashion as art by placing Chinese-inspired fashion among the relics of The Met's Chinese art collection. There is angst. There are stern words. Curators and critics alike fear for the wrath that could come as Chinese audiences take offense to mixing revered works with mere "costumes". The First Monday in May is breathtaking. It's something that has to be seen to be believed. As a woman who appreciates the elegance of exquisite fabrics that hang just so, this film delivers on beauty, style and perfection. As an audience, we laughed and sighed in appreciation together. There was a buzz in the air as the lights lifted. We were inspired. We were enchanted. We felt like satiated flies on the walls of Anna Wintour's very closed door. And we glided away feeling like we had, for a moment, taken part in one of the most glorious nights on the fashion calendar. ---------- This review was first published on Narrative Muse, http://www.narrativemuse.co/movies/the-first-monday-in-may, and was written Jules Raynes. Narrative Muse curates the best books and movies by and about women and non-binary folk on our website http://narrativemuse.co and our social media channels.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/08/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Perfectly pleasant docudiary of the 2015 exhibit, but it either needed to be more gossipy or more persuasive to be a good film.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

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Audience Member

not bad for a fashion docu, it will make you appreciate The Met even more (not that there aren't plenty of reasons already) and most likely put you in the mood for coffee, since 90% of Anna Wintour's shots are (how elsee but) featuring a Starbucks cup.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

Full Review

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Andrew Rossi

Director

Anna Wintour

Self

Andrew Bolton

Self

John Galliano

Self

Karl Lagerfeld

Self

Jean-Paul Gaultier

Self

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The First Monday in May: Trailer 1

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Beth Perkin

Little White Lies

Fashion is all about brushing over things; about wondering at the beautiful exterior while refusing to confront the myriad complexities -- and at times ugliness -- that lies beneath

Rated: 2/5

Jul 31, 2017

Full Review

Tara Brady

Irish Times

Maddeningly unfocused.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 27, 2016

Full Review

Kate Muir

Times (UK)

I am always a sucker for the eye-gasm of a fashion documentary.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 7, 2016

Full Review

Michael J. Casey

Michael J. Cinema

A fanatic study of creation.

Rated: 3.5/5

Aug 2, 2021

Full Review

CJ Sheu

Critics at Large

This [Orientalist] contradiction is hinted at throughout this traditional, even bland, documentary[.]

Jun 30, 2020

Full Review

Linda and Al Lerner

Movies and Shakers

This fascinating film has it all.

Oct 21, 2019

Full Review

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Synopsis

Filmmaker Andrew Rossi examines an exhibit at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art that showcases Chinese-inspired Western fashions.

Director: Andrew Rossi
Executive Producer: Sarah Arison, Jason Beckman, Josh Braun, Nancy Chilton, Ryan Kavanaugh, Tucker Tooley
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Production Co: Conde Nast Entertainment, Relativity Media, MediaWeaver Entertainment
Rating: PG-13 (Brief Strong Language)
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 15, 2016, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 31, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $527.3K
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby Digital, DTS

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