By Seb Jenkins September 11, 2024
Sky Cinema seek to make Lee Miller a household name in this biographical drama about her transition from model icon to World War II correspondent.
The story of Lee Miller is simply one that must be told, known, and revered. In fact, the main question that arises from the 2023 biographical drama 'Lee' is, why has it taken so long to get this made? Kate Winslet provides a powerhouse portrayal of the titular character that is dwarfed only by the force of nature that drives the film - Lee Miller herself. For those who are unfamiliar with Miller’s work, 'Lee' is a much-needed education packaged as a very watchable big-screen biopic. But the story behind the film itself is perhaps just as interesting as Ellen Kuras’ adaptation.
Synopsis
'Lee' follows the life and career of model and photographer, Lee Miller as she transitions from New York photoshoots to the fronts of World War II. Unwilling to remain in Britain and serve the war effort by providing lifestyle content for Vogue magazine, Miller fights against sexism on the front line to enlist and become a war correspondent in occupied France, following the Allied forces during their advance through the North-West. She was one of the only female photographers allowed to make that trip. It was during this time that Miller took some of the most eye-opening and gut-wrenching photos of the Second World War – including shots from the concentration camps at Buchenwald and Dachau, and the liberation of Paris. 'Lee' tells the journey of Lee Miller’s career, from America to Britain to Paris and eventually to Adolf Hitler’s very own apartment.
Review
'Lee' has been a movie eight years in the making, but director Ellen Kuras sent a Lee Miller book to Kate Winslet as inspiration even before that. When Winslet eventually started developing an on-screen adaptation, Kuras was her first call to come and direct. The dogged spirit of Miller was seemingly carried by Winslet throughout the process, with the 'Titanic' star even paying the salary of the entire crew out of her own money for two weeks due to funding issues. The movie made its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2023, and Miller’s story finally received the audience it deserves.
Unfortunately, Lee Miller is a classic case of a trailblazer celebrated after her time. Even her own son, Antony Penrose, knew little of her wartime work until he discovered boxes of old film and photographs in the attic following her passing in 1977 - sixty thousand photographs, documents, journals, letters, souvenirs, negatives, and cameras, to be exact. Since then, Penrose has dedicated his life to promoting his mother’s life work - something Miller herself did very little throughout her own career. 'Lee' itself is an adaptation of Penrose’s 1985 biography The Lives of Lee Miller – a fitting testament to one of the most respected war correspondents of her generation.
Kate Winslet carries the weight of that purpose with dignity and strength throughout the 116-minute run time, not only bringing Miller’s photographs to life but also shedding light on the human behind the lens. As Penrose’s 1985 title suggests, Lee Miller was a woman
who lived more than one life and 'Lee' does a beautiful job at both separating and expertly merging them. In fact, the only potential criticism of the film itself is that it treads the line between biopic and documentary – leaving us asking ourselves which would have been better suited. Perhaps we could have seen even more of Miller’s work on the front play out on screen, but the scenes we did get were illuminating, harrowing, and important.
'Lee' certainly secured the supporting cast it deserved in Marion Cotillard, Josh O’Connor, Andrea Riseborough, Alexander Skarsgard, Noemie Merlant – and somewhat surprisingly, Andy Samberg. Although his first few seconds on screen are met with the knee-jerk reaction of – what is Jake from Brooklyn Nine-Nine doing in World War II – it was actually a shrewd move from the casting team. We associated Samberg with that trademark goofy grin and side-splitting humour, so seeing him downtrodden and broken on screen as David Scherman leaves an even deeper scar.
In a time in which censorship was so rife and the truth was few and far between, Lee Miller believed, more than anything, that the world needed to see – and the victims needed to be seen. Her own past makes that point even more poignant. If the powers that be are unwilling to shed light on inhumanity on the biggest scale we have ever seen, what hope do singular victims have behind closed doors? Hopefully, 'Lee' can serve as another reminder of the importance of unfiltered truth from one of the most iconically unfiltered correspondents.
Star Rating
'Lee' releases in cinemas September 13
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