Unfolding Florence: The Many Lives of Florence Broadhurst

Having been a great fan of Gillian Armstrong's films in the past I was very excited to have the opportunity to preview her latest documentary at Sundance, and I was not disappointed. Gillian gave the story of Florence Broadhurst the color and excitement it deserved. With beautiful cinematography and design, this documentary is a stand out. As I am not a big fan of talking head doco's, this film gave the documentary genre a fresh new look. With colorful, stylised drama re-enactments shot on film mixed with Monty-python style animation, fantastic archival footage and interviews surrounded in worlds of wallpaper, it becomes a roller coaster ride of style. Loved it.

I have just finished watching this movie on Sundance channel, and I thought it was inspirational. As an artist, I enjoy learning about other women artists, from different time periods, and Florence Broadhurst was an interesting,vibrant, and powerful woman, who had many careers. I have also found that some women artists have not had children, because that can be a full time career itself, and even though she did have children, she was not a good mother to them. She focused on her businesses and her art, to the neglect of her children.

I did love the film though, her designs are timeless and I think the film gave her the credit she deserved. I did also like the style of the film , it seemed like a collage of her life and her work, very artistic and mindfull of the periods of art in which she lived.

While this was an interesting and unusual story, I'm not sure the subject was worth the effort. She reminded me a little of the Conway con-man depicted in Colour Me Kubrick, though perhaps not as criminally inclined as Conway.

The start of the film was very irritating. The cuts of different speakers were very abrupt and the animations were very distracting from the core story. Fortunately they decreased as the film progressed.

I found myself totally not caring for the subject. She appeared to have no scruples, cared for no-one but herself, and was prepared to do anything to get in with people who were not worth knowing. I really felt for her poor, unwanted son.

At first I was put off by the seen-too-much-of-it cutesy animation, but it WAS suited to the subject, and before I could chill utterly, I fell in love with Florence Broadhurst. The story was nicely set-up, It had a nice structure, and it had some drama which helped it work, but it was the people interviewed that captivated along with the few actual shots of Broadhurst and the charismatic sound of her rather amazing VOICE, the quotes from letters: all those things were laid out with tremendous charm. I loved The Ladies of the Black & White ball with their clothes and furniture and hairdos and grudging admiration, AND the employees of the company with their affection and humor, and then all the work she FINALLY did, the artistry and craftsmanship she had in her all along. Tremendously satisfying film.