Bert Stern: Original Madman (2012)
-
50% of critics liked it
(18 reviews) -
71% of users liked it
(156 ratings)
Bert Stern, also known for his seminal film Jazz on a Summer's Day, experienced a meteoric career that began as a mailroom-boy at Look Magazine, where he formed a close relationship with young staff photographer Stanley Kubrick. The launch of Stern's career and the Golden Age of Advertising… More Bert Stern, also known for his seminal film Jazz on a Summer's Day, experienced a meteoric career that began as a mailroom-boy at Look Magazine, where he formed a close relationship with young staff photographer Stanley Kubrick. The launch of Stern's career and the Golden Age of Advertising would coincide with Stern's iconic and legendary "Driest of the Dry" campaign for Smirnoff in 1955. Set against the backdrop of the Egyptian pyramids, this ad would sell more vodka than Smirnoff had dreamed, transforming America into a martini-sipping country and launching Stern to star photographer status at the age of 25. Sought after by Madison Avenue, Hollywood, and the international fashion scene, Bert was at the heart of what creative director George Lois called "the creative evolution." His groundbreaking images of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, Marilyn Monroe, Twiggy and the infamous Lolita image from Kubrick's film, coupled with his astonishing success in advertising, minted Stern - along with Irving Penn and Richard Avedon - as a celebrity in his own right.
- Directed By
- Shannah Laumeister
- Written By
- Shannah Laumeister
- Genres
- Documentary, Special Interest
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Apr 5, 2013 Limited
- Studio
- First Run Features
Critic Reviews
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Peter Keough, Boston Globe
An effusive, sad, visually gorgeous, and illuminating portrait of the artist.
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Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune
Now in his 80s, Stern recalls his rise, fall and reinvention without evasion or apology.
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Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times
It's a documentary that's filled with beautiful images but nonetheless feels unfocused.
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Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
If someone is that bored with their own life, it's not clear why we should bother listening in, no matter what they've accomplished.
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Ronnie Scheib, Variety
While Bert Stern: Original Madman mines its subject's work for a steady stream of striking visuals, his self-narration proves to be of little interest, offering little variation on a single theme: his love/lust for women.
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Cast
- Bert Stern
- Shannah Laumeister
- Larry Chilnick
- Judith Crist
- Albert d'Annibale
- Peter Deal
- Jerry Della Femina
- Tracy Doyle
- Gene Gitelle
- Carol Halebian
- Allegra Kent
- Lisa Lavender
- Lynette Lavender
- Twiggy Lawson
- George Lois
- David Montgomery
- Nancy Pearl
- Jody Quon
- Charlie Scheips
- Larry Schiller
- Sam Shahid
- Susannah Stern
- Dorothy Tristan
- George Wein
- Trista Stern Wright
-
Clive Kennedy
as Dr. Watt
-
Zak Barnett
as Young Bert
-
Philippe Garner
as Moderator at Christie's Auction
- Suzie Parker
