Bill Cunningham New York (2011)

Bill Cunningham is an influential and beloved fashion photographer working at the New York Times but very few people actually know him. He has been photographing the fashion seen on the streets for around 30 years. He rides his bicycle. He eats cheap food. He doesn't spend money on clothes. His small Spartan apartment is filled with file cabinets holding all his negatives. He doesn't care about money. He and his friend Editta Sherman are getting evicted. At his core, he is obsessed with fashion and photographing the changing style in New York. It's a fascinating portrait. It also doesn't shy away from the obvious personal questions. It comes later in the movie just as the lack of personal life starts to be prominent. It reveals the real person behind the camera.

This is a very touching portrait of a most talented individual. It is shot well and considering the tiny budget presents as outstanding viewing.The structure and presentation flows very well and Bill is frankly captivating. The guy and the relationships he has with those around him of all ages is captured in a very candid manner.I don't know that I have ever seen a documentary where the needs and sensitivities of the subject get conveyed so well. From the on stage awards to the truly intimate trip around the most captivating of (his) apartment.In the end you feel like you a know a guy so well, if you bumped into him in downtown NY, you'd be able to walk up and strike a conversation.Sensitive, touching, intimate and what a great American.

www.eattheblinds.comI just got off an overseas flight from London and was lucky enough to start the long journey with a great documentary: Bill Cunningham New York, by Richard Press.Even if fashion isn't your thing, Bill is such a rare and inspiring person, it's impossible to not be moved by his story. At 80 years old, Bill continues to bike all over Manhattan, snapping photos for his NYT feature "On the Street." He's one of the original street style photographers and his legacy is not only respected by those in the know, his influence ripples through the entire fashion industry.

I had very little idea of who Bill Cunningham was other that he is a photographer, works for the New York Times and that's about it. This documentary is a stunning insight into a man who is really an unknown. At 80 years old Cunningham stills works for the Times, he cycles around the streets of NYC taking photos of everything and anything, but his real passion is fashion. The images that get into the Times are of everyday people in NYC, who for what ever reasons, perhaps a unusual coat, or pair of shoes, stand out from the rest. As he himself says, he's not interested in celebrities, the everyday is more beautiful.His passion for what he does is immense and consuming, he admits he had no time to do very little else, but has no interest in the glamour side of fashion and lives incredibly humbly, prefers cheap sandwiches to fancy dinners or repairing a cheap rain mac with tape to save buying a new one 'that will eventually tear anyway'. He is a wonderful character with a seemingly endless joy for his work and the world around him. A career spanning decades has lead to him meeting an array of people and photography thousands more, his work fills endless filing cabinets in his tiny studio apartment above Carnegie Hall (which sadly came to an end, after the Carnegie artist director kicked out the last remaining tenants) much of which will never be published. His passion for his work shows clearly when he is awarded a medal by the French government. Not only his acceptance speech wonderful and moving, before hand he is busy working, snapping guests, which as one woman describes, 'You are working at your own party?!' The film follows Cunningham as he goes on his daily journeys, as well as a trip to Paris for fashion week and we also get to see him putting his column together, remarkably he still uses old film cameras and choices to get them developed at a small shop. He has absolute perfection for his column, ensuring the photos are in the right order. We also see a handful of Cunningham's subjects from over the years, an array of wonderful if not eccentric New Yorkers, all individual and delightful in their own way. The excitement they have for appearing in Cunningham's column is great to see and shows what a wonderful job he does. As he is never rude or horrid about what he sees, it's almost a stamp of approval, Anna Wintour, editor of Vogue, even says that Cunningham foresees fashion well before desingers do and suddenly next season, an idea is everywhere.Cunningham remains an unknown in the sense that the film reveals very little about him. Nor does it seem that those who have known him for years, know much about him. When near the end of the film he is asked if he has ever had a relationship, he laughs and says no, he never has had time. He opens up briefly about family and desire. It is a fascinating moment, one that becomes ultimately sad as Cunningham breaks down momentarily, for what reason we can only guess.This film is a fantastic insight into one person and their passion, one that is simply told but is uplifting and often funny and if anything inspiring. It shows that some people lead the most simplistic life and yet achieve so much happiness and that is a glorious thing.More reviews at my site iheartfilms.weebly.com