Lee

Kate Winslet turns in quite an effective performance here as the eponymous photographer who originally arrived in London to be with husband Roland Penrose (Alexander Skarsgård) and to work for the formidable Audrey Withers (Andrea Riseborough) at "Vogue" magazine as a fashion photographer. With the rise of the Nazis seemingly unstoppable throughout continental Europe, Penrose spends more time on the war effort leaving her more and more determined to prove that she is every bit as capable as her male counterparts. Needless to say there's quite a bit of resistance to her participation in combat zones, but thanks to her own perseverance and an alliance with David Scherman (Andy Samberg) she is soon actively involved in wartime photography and by the end is visiting some of the most ghastly sites ever built seeing, at first hand, the truly stomach-churning atrocities left behind by a now defeated war machine that turned large-scale annihilation into an art form. Her story is being relayed from the comfort of her British home in the 1960s to a man whom we assume is just a journalist. Indeed his obvious nervousness and her antipathetic attitude towards him and his task seems to suggest she sees no value in her memories, but as we develop the threads of her life, we begin to sense that something more exists between her and this young man (Josh O'Connor) which quite neatly puts quite a lot of perspective on the choices made by a woman who probably did put career first. Through the characters of Solange (Marion Cotillard) and Nusch (Noémie Merlant) the film also attempts to put a little meat on the bones of the story of those who had to "co-operate" with their new overlords. Some willingly, some less-so and some, well they didn't live to tell. The production and battle scenarios aren't really so effective - maybe just bit too manicured, the script is a little dry and there's maybe just a bit too much of it, but Winslet shows here that she has plenty of capacity to take on a role that it would have been easy to shower with bravado, but instead she brings a more considered charisma to her portrayal of a woman whose bloody-minded courage provided for some of the most significant imagery of the Second World War. Imagery that even now makes your flesh crawl.

Have just got home from watching "LEE" at my local Picture House.

Blimey, that was DARK. Well, it isn't all dark, but by the time you get to the last half hour... oooft. Let's just say that "feelgood" isn't a term anyone's ever going to apply to this one.

It's not like I went in unprepared: I'd seen Kate Winslet doing the promotional chat show appearances, and as I am already a great admirer of Lee Miller's photojournalism, I knew the kind of subject matter we'd inevitably be exploring, but still... don't say you haven't been warned. This film presents you with you the hideous fact of Nazi genocide, very convincingly as the revelation it must have been in the moment, without (thankfully) a scrap of sentimentality.

Winslet is magnificent in the title role - as is everyone else, to be honest: there are no shoddy performances to be found - and, speaking as a Rolleiflex TLR user myself, it was clear that she had done her homework viz how to wield that lovely machine convincingly. There were moments when the nit-picky photography pedant in me did query whether some of the interior photos were being taken in such low light that it was unlikely to have left any usable impression on the relatively slow film stock available in the 1940s, but let's not quibble!

It's quite a long movie and events are presented in a simple, linear fashion (via a series of chronological flashbacks) with rather uniform pacing throughout - personally, I would have preferred a bit more variation in pace; your taste may differ.

My only really negative criticism has to do with one, frankly bizarre, piece of casting. The role of Englishman Roland Penrose is given to Swedish star Alexander Skarsgård - whose plucky attempt at an English accent is ...I think "variable" is the kindest word for it. It was hard to tell what part of England he was supposed to be from, or indeed what social class, and there were several moments when he didn't sound any kind of English at all. I had to suspend my disbelief on some pretty strong elastic whenever he opened his mouth. Ah well... go figure!

We were lucky to catch a preview of "Lee" tonight and what a film it is.

This biopic about Lee Miller is not only a powerful look at her incredible life but also a strong reminder of the horrors of war. As both a groundbreaking photographer and war correspondent, the film captures the devastating things she witnessed and the emotional toll they took on her.

The storytelling is gripping and moving, offering a deep look into resilience, art, and humanity in the face of such atrocities. I highly recommend checking it out when it comes out in Australia later this month - it's a film that will stay with you.

"Lee" accomplishes its vision: To tell the truth of Lee Miller, and thus tell the truth of the life, pain, joy, & death, embedded in her photographs. The way the audience gets to see everything through Kate Winslet's eyes as she uses every single eye movement, mouth/lip wrinkle, breath, more. Love that the film doesn't have to show the already-known shocking scenes, but WE CAN SEE THEM just by looking at them through Kate's gaze. This makes the film so powerful. Lee is not about the war. It's about a beautiful woman who is also intelligent, genuine, and daring (thus Kate is perfectly cast as Lee Miller). The IMMEASURABLE challenges she faced to seek the truth, then tell the truth by recording these images.

The well-known bathtub scene is magical. The careful anticipatory build-up to one of the most iconic images is worth the price alone. The film manages to include some conviviality, as if giving the audience a needed brief respite during this historical moment. Brilliant.

The effectiveness of 2 door slams. There is also some funny "drunk acting" that brings some levity to some of the most horrific circumstances from WWII.

I've seen this film 4 times at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival): 2 public screenings and 2 press & industry screenings, from 4 different spots in the theatre, on purpose. Discovered new important details & distinctions each time.

Giving this an 7.5/10 rating

A very and honest as you can get biopic drama of Lee Miller, famous photographer from the 1930's and through out the second world war, showed the world the horrors in the world during her time. Played by, Kate Winslet, this is very much her film, and rightly so. Again, more fine work from an actor who still can pull your attention and works hard at it. Alexander Skarsgård and Andy Samberg are the backup who just as superb in this really near top notch movie.

Ellen Kuras directs us through pretty much a hellish world with touches of light and happiness, which are few, and proper, given the subject matter, and it is eerily lovely looking and tough too. Writers Liz Hannah, Marion Hume and John Collee give us a solid script and story, given how nasty the world was in, as Andrea Riseborough and Marion Cotillard also, pull out the stops in the acting, and look real rough, only Josh O'Connor is the clean person here.

The film could of been a bit more edger and stronger, but then it would of been very graphic and a higher rating, alienating more of he audience, who need to see this film. A good bit of cinema, and with what is out there, it shines and is never, never boring.