Charming portrait of NY Times fashion photo-columnist who identifies trends on the street and at high society parties. “We all get dressed for Bill.” — Anna Wintour. “A great documentary for a deserving fashion legend.” — Esquire
Screened as part of NZIFF 2010
Bill Cunningham New York 2010
Photographer Bill Cunningham, well into his ninth decade, has two weekly columns in the ‘Style’ section of the New York Times: ‘On the Street’, where he identifies fashion trends as he spots them emerging on the street; and ‘Evening Hours’, his coverage of high society charity benefits. His work constitutes a long-running chronicle more reliable than any catwalk of fashion as expression of time, place and individual flair. This documentary introduces us to a dedicated artist whose only wealth is his own lovely, graceful generosity. — BG
“The movie charms by bringing you into the private world of a man who would clearly prefer you direct your attention at the glorious, gaudy beauty embodied by the passing human parade that he immortalizes – and insistently democratizes – with lightning-fast moves and palpable joy. Despite his proximity to fashion’s power elite (hello Anna Wintour!), Mr Cunningham retains a remarkable innocence. Fashion is his muse, not the manufactured glamour and celebrity fetishism that often pollutes it.” — Manohla Dargis, NY Times