Reviewed by Ramona Prioleau

Helmut Newton: The Bad and the Beautiful is a documentary film about the life and times of Helmut Newton, the famous and ever-controversial photographer. Newton — who once said that “there are only two dirty words: art and good taste” — was known in life as a subversive artist, taking nude photographs of female models in voyeuristic positions. Though many — in real life and in the documentary — defend Newton’s work, there is an increasingly vocal contingent of people who believe that Newton’s work is less subversive than it seems.

And while that may be a valid argument, it’s certainly not one that the film gives much credence to. That’s perhaps the oddest thing about The Bad and The Beautiful: how safe the film plays it. As a movie about such a provocative, controversial figure, one might have thought that the film would be equally unflinching, but that is far from the case. The film is straightforward to a tee, almost tediously so, and it never really asks any hard questions.  It’s form and structure are familiar and practiced, and the direction is competent, though far from novel. Sure, there is a small portion dedicated to the images of Newton’s that have been labeled as misogynistic, but even then there’s only a single detracting voice (the fact that that voice is Susan Sontag carries a bit of weight of course, but the point still stands). Beyond that though, there’s less substance than one might have expected. There’s certainly less style.

In the end then, Helmut Newton: The Bad and the Beautiful is a fantastic film for someone who is new to the precarious world of Newton’s imagery. Superfans — of Newton, fashion, photography or all three — won’t find much here that they don’t already know, and, while there’s nothing wrong with treading familiar territory, it certainly feels that the filmmakers might’ve left a better film on the cutting room floor. With all the behind-the-scenes footage at their fingertips, it seems impossible that this safe and, for the most part, respectful film was the best or even the most interesting one to be made. M

July 2020