Ultrasuede: In Search of Halston (2012)

37% of critics liked it
(19 reviews)
50% of users liked it
(635 ratings)

A fascinating portrait of the rise and fall of America's first celebrity designer-Halston- the man who was synonymous with fashion in the 1970s, and became the emperor of NYC nightlife. Interviews with friends and witnesses (including Liza Minnelli, Diane Von Furstenberg, André Leon Talley, Anjelica… More A fascinating portrait of the rise and fall of America's first celebrity designer-Halston- the man who was synonymous with fashion in the 1970s, and became the emperor of NYC nightlife. Interviews with friends and witnesses (including Liza Minnelli, Diane Von Furstenberg, André Leon Talley, Anjelica Huston, Bob Colacello, and Billy Joel, among others) round out this glittering evocation of the man who defined the most beautiful and decadent era of recent memory. -- (C) Tribeca

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 29 min.
Directed By: Whitney Sudler-Smith, Caroline Whitney Smith
Written By: Anne Goursaud
Genres: Documentary, Special Interest

In Theaters: Jan 20, 2012 Limited
Studio: Tribeca Films

Critic Reviews

Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times
A self-indulgent pilgrimage to the shrine of '70s fabulousness, "Ultrasuede: In Search of Halston" assembles a fine assortment of archival material but falls far short of its stated goal.
Sara Stewart, New York Post
It's unfortunate that director Whitney Sudler-Smith seems to have spent more time on his own hair than his interview prep.
Rachel Saltz, New York Times
Lost in all this is Halston, who comes through only in dribs and drabs. If you're curious about him, skip this film.
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News
This isn't simply the biography of an American icon, but the chronicle of a misguided filmmaker.
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
This film has a grander trajectory than just about any other fashion doc.
Eric Hynes, Village Voice
A ghastly vanity affair for one Whitney Smith, the son of a socialite who, despite minimal credits to his name, feels entitled to make Halston's story his own.
Mike Scott, Times-Picayune
Halston's name is in the title, but the faintly irritating Ultrasuede isn't necessarily about the fashion designer. It's about director Whitney Sudler-Smith
Diego Costa, Slant Magazine
The tension between the amateurish interviewer and the star interviewees gives the doc a layer of authenticity that its otherwise formulaic structure and storytelling fail to find.
Chris Barsanti, Filmcritic.com
A dishwater-dull film about an electric subject
Sam Adams, AV Club
At least Smith has proof that he spent ample time with the beautiful people.
David Fear, Time Out New York
Abandon hope, all ye who expect insight into what made this game-changing gent tick...
Richard Knight, Knight at the Movies
Less a portrait of its ostensible subject than that of his times, and the film suffers from yet another examination of the disco era.
Philip French, Observer [UK]
A glossy, messy, highly watchable biography of the handsome, charismatic American milliner, innovative fashion designer, New York celebrity and brand creator Roy Halston Frowick...
Derek Malcolm, This is London
Sudler-Smith interviews Minnelli and other celebrities in a somewhat amateurish fashion. But it's the era that's intriguing rather than the man.
Andrew Pulver, Guardian [UK]
The man himself remains something of a cipher. But this is an interesting slice of pop history, nonetheless.
Nigel Andrews, Financial Times
Peculiar, picaresque and presided over by a self-appointed fashion paradigm.
Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
While the elusive subject of this documentary is fascinating, filmmaker Sudler-Smith us almost as interested in his own celebrity as in that of iconic fashion designer Halston.