Bill Cunningham New York

source: Bill Cunningham New York

This documentary follows the subject in the title: a freelance photographer in his eighties who is hired at high society functions but is more interested in photographing the fashion on the streets. His photos of average people periodically showed in the New York Times. This film is praiseworthy for various reasons. One is the skillful directing style by Richard Press. But the main draw is the genuinely humble and likeable subject matter. Like the Topp Twins, the subject of another documentary of the same era, Bill Cunningham manages to stay genuine despite the potential trappings of the arts and culture scene. This is especially true of the fashion scene which is frequently elitist, superficial, and downright snotty. Cunningham's belief is that everyone is interesting in their own way. His own lifestyle is very modest likely due to his working-class, Catholic background. After being exposed to Cunningham for so long, it is clear there isn't a false note about him. This is not always the case in other fashion documentaries. One such example is "The September Issue" which was more of a public relations attempt for Anna Wintour to look good after being indirectly pilloried in "The Devil Wears Prada". Incidentally, Wintour shows in this current film. She's at least a little more genuine this time around. The best thing about this film is its egalitarian outlook on fashion. Nobody is left out or chastised. What a wonderful attitude whatever the subject. It also includes a welcome rarity: looking back on the beginning of the flower-power, hippy movement with fondness rather than disdain. - dbamateurcritic.

Nominated for a Spirit Award for Best Documentary, 'Bill Cunningham New York' is an entertaining and enjoyable film about a fascinating eccentric who no doubt belongs in the pantheon of all-time great NYC characters. 'Bill' initially worked as a fashion columnist but has now been at the NY Times for many years primarily as both a roving photographer and fashion maven/columnist. 'Bill' is now in his early eighties, and has been seen bicycling around the city for years. Director Richard Press found some footage at the NY Times, from over twenty years ago, which featured Cunningham talking about his work, and he hasn't changed a bit. Bill lived for years in a very small apartment above Carnegie Hall where he kept all his negatives and photos. There are some interviews with some of his neighbors and friends, extraordinary in their own right. What's great about Bill is that he is full of energy and loves his work. His main thing is photographing people (mainly women) who are dressed in a way that impresses him. Bill only photographs those who he's drawn to—he appears to be an excellent critic when it comes to fashion. Even though he often covers big society events for the NY Times, he's never drawn to the cult of celebrity. Despite his great talents, Bill is completely modest in his personal life. He hardly has any clothes and seems to delight in wearing the same windbreaker wherever he goes. He has no interest in food per se and basically indicates that he's asexual. Bill becomes emotional only when he discusses his devotion to his Roman Catholic faith (attending church every Sunday appears to provide him with an 'anchor' as otherwise, he is constantly 'on the run'). There is no doubt that Bill Cunningham is a beloved character. This is evidenced by the birthday party thrown for him by NY Times staff as well an award given to him in Paris as a man of letters. You'll also get a peek at how his columns at the Times are put together, with the able assistance of a production assistant. You don't really have to be interested in fashion to appreciate Bill Cunningham New York. He is a one-of-a-kind, modern day Peter Pan.

Wonderful film about the misunderstood and often contradictory peculiarities of the fashion world. Bill himself is an everyday man strikingly distinct from some of the outrageous fashions on display in contemporary New York yet he is respected ans one of the most enduring authorities on fashion today. His simple and discreet way of living as embodied by his spare and modest studio in Carnegie hall (a stark contrast in itself) illustrates Cunningham's principles on fashion itself: "It's not the celebrity, the spectacle, it's the clothes." What is also insightful is how tends and set and grow organically out on the street, not on some fashion runway (although it remains a fascination for Bill). The idea that fashion is not just for the rich and famous, but for the everyday person is exemplified by the "bag ladies" of new york, the "water bottle", "baggy jeans", and 80s fashion; it's lovely to see Bill pay tribute to these somewhat eccentric trends in the column that also charts the who's who of high society in New York as if to say "these are our people, and this is our culture, no matter who you are." Bill is a charming and enigmatic character, still going strong at 80(!) years and heartwarming to see with so much respect amongst his peers. The city of New York is a character itself as always, the variety of fashion and cultures is incredibly rich and entertaining. He shows that there are many good people in high society who donate themselves to charitable and artistic institutions; yet while he becomes involved in that world of riches he remains cautious about becoming too involved dedicating himself solely to the art of fashion. While Bill concedes he may not have lived the ideal life (and I think the interviewer probes just a little too close), his life remains immensely rich from his friends and connections, one in which he has almost free rein to document his passions, ironically without the material things fashion itself can exemplify. He is such an enigmatic and joyous character that one can only believe his is greatly fulfilled by life, and only wrongly assume, he is missing out on anything.

As a creature Bill Cunningham exists not just in New York but could only exist in New York. Only The Big Apple would provide an environment supportive of an someone obsessed with photographing what people are wearing. Certainly, the Los Angeles area provides a sustaining environment for huge populations of paparazzi but they survive by taking photos of celebrities and only by extension the clothes they are in (or more accurately the clothes they are mostly out of). Cunningham's visceral need to bike around NYC's streets and snap photos of what folks on the street are wearing in addition to his paparazzi duties wouldn't pay in other towns. And it is his obsessiveness that gives this documentary of his life its fire. Watching him interact with other people in the film is interesting because they seem to be talking with a cartoon character come to life. If Bill is the Road Runner (or Wile E Coyote, your choice) then New York is the cartoon canyons they compete in. Bill actually lives at Carnegie Hall (answering the age old question on how you get there - you move in when it was still residential and rent controlled and fight their efforts to evict you.) Like a cartoon canyon, Bill's New York is simplified down to a pantomime background. Bill's work limits itself to just the glamorous, well-tailored residents and beautiful spaces of the city making the streets seem like one massive catwalk. But in the same sense that Bill does not see the need to define himself further than photographer, his documentary does not need to define the city greater than a stage. The only major shortcoming of the movie is the question of whether it carries substantive enough material to have warranted a theatrical release. This could have easily been a two-part PBS special and it would not have seemed to have pushed the boundaries of televised entertainment. In short, if you enjoy New York or fashion r biography, this light documentary is for you.

Wow. Just wow. I really have no words that emphasize enough the brilliance of this documentary. I am a complete fashion illiterate. I mean, the only things i wear are sports clothes, jeans and t-shirts. So i've never heard before of Bill Cunningham. He's a fashion photographer for the New York Times, and a damn fine one, it seems. This is his story, and what a story! Like a modern-day Thoreau, he lives alone in his tiny apartment, filled only with art books and filers full with negatives of his work of this last 60 years. He still uses an old analog camera and rides his bike everywhere, only replacing it when it gets stolen. But, what's really special in this little marvel, at least for me (because of the fact that i don't do for living something that i really care about... if i think about it, i don't really know what could that be...) is the chance to watch someone who is completely and utterly in love with what he does. He exudes happiness and content, because he is right where he wants to be, doing what he really wants to do, with all his heart. He's 80 years old, and still kicking it like the best, when most people would be wasting away, retired after 30 or so years of unfulfilling work. His elation transpires into his personality and daily interactions with his colleagues and acquaintances, he's always smiling and good-humored. He's fiercely independent, and seems to be in a never-ending search for beauty in all its forms. I believe that the world is a candid place with people like Bill Cunningham in it. Now it's up to the rest of us to find that which we can be passionate about.

Bill Cunningham can't be bought. He is there to observe and to take pictures, not to consume the fancy meal or mingle with the celebrities; a line which most individuals in his position would most likely blur. Bill has a section of the Sunday New York Times Style section where he will point out a new clothing trend he sees on the streets, what people were wearing at a recent evening gala, or just profile an interesting looking person. I used to skip over this section every week; however, now that I know about Bill from the excellent documentary Bill Cunningham New York, I will never skip over this section again. Even though Bill is now 80 years old, he still dons his signature blue jacket every day and rides his bicycle all over Manhattan searching and taking pictures. If it is raining, he will duct tape a garbage bag over his shirt. He is searching for interesting clothing and it does not matter if a celebrity is wearing them or not. A major separation between Bill and other photographers is he is just fine not taking a celebrity picture; he does not care at all about a person's fame level, just in their choice of clothing. Bill is usually the first to notice a new trend. While frequenting street corners, crosswalks, and the outside of department stores, he will immediately stop his bike (sometimes in the middle of traffic) to snap a few shots. During the first week of August, he happened to notice that a lot of New Yorkers were wearing black and made that a his column's focus. Bill has become a celebrity on his bicycle as he cruises the streets and there are many influential people, who Bill could care less about, who crave his attention. There are interviews from Anna Wintour, Tom Wolfe, and other very powerful people in the fashion industry who will also take time out of their day to find out what Bill knows. Even though he has the power to affect clothing trends, until very recently, Bill lived in Carnegie Hall as one of the few remaining visual artist tenants before the final lot of them were evicted to new premises. He slept on a cot in what could be described as closet space surrounded by dozens of file cabinets containing his life's work. If Bill thinks he has seen something before, he is pretty sure he can go back and find it. One example is of a designer who revealed a new collection only for Bill to find a 1972 photo montage of an eerily similar line. Bill Cunningham New York is a documentary I was not eager to see because I assumed it was just about the fashion world. I was completely wrong. It is not about fashion, it is just about Bill and his routine which is completely absorbing and perhaps the best documentary of the year. It is also the second documentary this year dealing with the New York Times released just before Page One: Inside the New York Times. Now that I have seen them both, there is a reason the story on Bill Cunningham is on the short list of 15 documentaries which are eligible for this year's Best Documentary Oscar. If it happens to win, it will not matter very much to Bill. He will be doing what he does every day, riding his bicycle to find the next interesting pair of shoes.

This is one of the best documentaries you will see. A humble, honest, artistic and amazingly talented man manages to stay connected with the real world despite being a very integral part of the dizzy, artificial world of high fashion. One review here said the filmmakers hadn't really delved enough into Cunningham's personal life. I'd agree -- where did he come from? What were his family's occupations? Wasn't there anyone from his childhood to talk to? Maybe he ruled this out. And clues as to why they didn't persist with this line are in the film -- he is tongue tied when asked about his relationships, and a little shy. In fact some of those personal questions scenes make him excruciatingly self conscious. Like many photographers, he prefers to document the story, not be the centre of attention. And in any case, probably just capturing him cycle around New York and snap the perfect street fashion shots is pretty interesting. Especially the scenes in which he zeroes in on some amazing trend such as polkadots or ponchos or low slung jeans. Overall, the most likable thing about Cunningham is that he is very much an individual, which is also what he says he loves most about his photographic subjects -- how they express themselves, how they're not just part of the crowd. May he long continue to roam the streets of New York.

This feature about one of the worlds leading photographers is something not to be missed. It paints the portrait of a man who see's the world from a different view than most. It shows the beauty in the mind of one who's view on fashion is something that comes from a deeper place. We get to see snip-it's of Bill Cunningham's deepest emotions and also the vision of a true visionary. These moments captured are charming, slightly funny, and relevant. Of all the documentaries scoping the life of one person I've seen, they really don't get much better than this. This film, which does have much critical acclaim now, is one that is deserving of it's praise, and at the same time is not in any way pretentious. It is not only one of the most heartfelt films of the year, but also one of the very best.

Once upon a time this reviewer was a photographer who rode a bicycle for work. I carried a camera always. Film, until digital became cheaper. Here we have a man in love with his city and his camera. Director Press (what an apt name!), who also photographs and cuts, sets out to draw a man. In doing so he puts a tiny figure into a broad panorama of what some would say is the cultural capital of the world. Could a Bill Cunningham exist anywhere else? OK, we spend a little time in Paris, but the flavor is New York. This reviewer knows New York, has been influenced by Paris with but fleeting visits. This film alludes to the work of Jean Luc Godard, a director of imagination. Amongst photographers, Paris and New York evoke images that stimulate and provoke. In my reviews I've been critical of hand-held camera work. Otherwise fine films, I believe, have suffered because the cinematographers have forgotten that viewers expect to see steady images. This film uses hand-held wisely, intercutting it with fixed scenes. There is a rhythm of busy, noisy shots interspersed with quiet, even contemplative material. This is an absorbing, thoughtful motion picture, telling a story of a "stills" master. As I walked out of the cinema, people chatted animatedly with strangers about what they had seen, a reaction I had not before seen. My own reaction was envy and admiration. Here was an octogenarian riding a bike, when I had had to give it up; a photographer productive and imaginative. Lovely and exciting.