Bill Cunningham New York

Composite Score: 82.4

Featuring: Bill Cunningham, Anna Wintour, Michael Kors, Editta Sherman, Patrick McDonald, Howard Koda, John Kurdewan, Carmen Dell’Orefice, Annette De la Renta, Iris Apfel, and Shail Upadhya

Director: Richard Press

Genres: Documentary, Biography, History, Fashion

MPAA Rating: Not Rated

Box Office: $2.21 million worldwide

Why should you Watch This Film?

                Bill Cunningham New York is a documentary about the life and impact of the New York-based fashion photographer, Bill Cunningham. It is a fascinating and wholesome watch about someone dedicated to their passion who has been able to leave an impressive impact up on their field of work. Bill Cunningham had been a part of the New York fashion scene since the 1950s, starting out as a milliner before getting into photography. This combination slice of life and biographic documentary gives its audience a rewarding and eye-opening view into the world of fashion and into the mind of one of the industry’s most influential and greatest photographers.

Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?

                I don’t have much negative to say about this particular documentary. If documentaries aren’t your thing, this might be a solid entry into the genre. It doesn’t ever really drag or feel overlong, and most of its characters/interviewees provide solid insight either into the life of Bill Cunningham or his work or the greater fashion industry as a whole. Maybe the biggest gripe with this particular film is its limited scope, painting basically a purely good picture of this photographer. Some might find the optimism of the film excessive or saccharine as the best parts of this man’s life, friendships, and career are put on display with no real lurking skeletons or underlying implications to be revealed. This is a documentary that is virtually free of drama, which might leave some viewers disappointed, considering the typically dramatic nature of the industry in question.

So wait, why should you Watch This Film?

                Like I said above, this might be the ideal entry-level documentary. It runs short (only an hour and twenty-four minutes) and fills that time with a solid mix of action shots, interviews, and examples of the subject’s work. Because Bill is such a unique person, different from basically anyone that I have ever encountered, the film easily holds its audience’s attention by promising more about Bill, his work, and his life. Additionally, the film provides new information in a palatable way about subjects that its audience quite likely knows very little about – photography and fashion. Finally, the film leaves its viewers feeling happy, satisfied with the information that they received and inevitably optimistic thanks to Bill’s consistent presence and inability to be brought low throughout the film. By combining this lingering optimism with fun, new information, and consistently moving action throughout, Bill Cunningham New York crafts a near perfect documentary for any viewer, making it an ideal film to be among the Greatest of All Time. Check it out streaming on HBO Max.