"Fur" the Diane Arbus 'biopic'

[Lady Day]

Alright, I just picked this up, because it was done by one of my favorite directors Steven Shainberg of 'Secretary' fame, but I gotta say, when I started the movie, and that silly disclaimer about how this isnt a 'factual' account of her life, but an 'idea' of it, they totally lost me.

Now I know nothing about Arbus' life and maybe thats good, but to me, it was a chraracture of the feeling one gets when they see her photographs, a disconnect, an outside view, and altho I can see what they were going for, in truth, that totally kept me from being able to relate to Arbus.

I wonder why they just didnt make her a fictional character, its not like its 1000 years ago and we have no detailed account of how she lived. Why grossly fictionalize her experience to this point. I dont get it.

Oh well, moving on.

Costuming was that way as well. Set design was lovely but in the same vain as the concept of the film.

The acting was great. Downey was fab, as always, and Kidman was good too, if not a bit stiff.

So I guess my review is, interesting story, but it was not real, but about a real person, so I couldnt get into it enough to relate to the person, so I left feeling hollow.

Yeah, thats about it.

LD

 

[Jack Scorpion]

I loved Secretary. Didn't know it was the same director. I was semi-interested in seeing the movie, "Fur," but never enough to actively seek it out. Even less-so now.

 

[Lady Day]

I love him as a director, he does some of the most beautiful women empowered sex scenes. Just beautiful, but this film was just....silly.

LD

 

[Girl Friday]

There's actually a really great (so I have heard) biography on Diane Arbus. She was a very strange lady, but a genius photographer.

In July 1971, Arbus committed suicide in Greenwich Village at the age of 48 by ingesting a large quantity of barbiturates and then cutting open her wrists. Rumors held that she photographed her suicide, but no photos were discovered by the police.

I haven't seen the movie yet, but I think it is kind of a shame they didn't do a "based on her actual life" movie instead.