Bert Stern: Original Madman

Name: Bert Stern: Original Madman
Genre: Documentary
Released: April 5, 2013
Rating: 35

2013

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Generally unfavorable reviews based on 8 Critic Reviews

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Movie Details & Credits

First Run Features | Release Date: April 5, 2013 | Not Rated

Summary: Bert Stern: Original Mad Man is the definitive voyage into the life and work of one of the greatest American photographers of all time. After working alongside Stanley Kubrick at Look Magazine, Stern became an original Madison Avenue "mad man," his images helping to create modern advertising. Groundbreaking photos of Elizabeth Taylor andBert Stern: Original Mad Man is the definitive voyage into the life and work of one of the greatest American photographers of all time. After working alongside Stanley Kubrick at Look Magazine, Stern became an original Madison Avenue "mad man," his images helping to create modern advertising. Groundbreaking photos of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, Marilyn Monroe, Twiggy and the infamous Lolita image from Kubrick’s film, coupled with his astonishing success in advertising, minted Stern – along with Irving Penn and Richard Avedon – as a celebrity in his own right; indeed, Stern’s photographs of Monroe in her last sitting are considered to be the ultimate images of the 20th century icon. After marrying the stunning ballet dancer Allegra Kent, the kid from Brooklyn was sitting on top of the world...until a dramatic fall from grace. [First Run Features]… Expand

Director: Shannah Laumeister

Genre(s): Documentary

Rating: Not Rated

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Critic Reviews

Peter Keough

May 4, 2013

An effusive, sad, visually gorgeous, and illuminating portrait of the artist. Read full review

The Playlist Kevin Jagernauth

Apr 4, 2013

No matter how it shakes out, 'Mad Man' will never be more than an interesting curio that provides a basic overview of why Stern matters. But for the rest of us, the images themselves will be the greatest evidence on their own of Stern's innovation in photography, fashion and advertising. Read full review

Frank Scheck

Apr 4, 2013

Despite its admittedly intriguing parts, the film ultimately feels too diffuse and self-indulgent to represent a truly incisive portrait of its subject. Read full review

Caroline McKenzie

Apr 1, 2013

Rote, rushed, and utterly uninterested in the power of Stern as an innovator of image, making it effectively the opposite of the output of the artist it attempts to document. Read full review

Kenneth Turan

Apr 18, 2013

Though the photographs are memorable, the photographer is not. Read full review

Jeannette Catsoulis

Apr 4, 2013

An unappealing jumble of sex, regret and hero worship, “Bert Stern” is an odd tribute to brilliance muffled by lust. Read full review

David Fear

Apr 2, 2013

The film does offer some revealing anecdotes about his infamous Monroe sessions, but mostly, it simply slouches from one sensationalistic, salacious bit to the next, sans any historical context. Worse, filmmaker Shannah Laumeister continually rhapsodizes on-camera about her own “soul mate” relationship with the subject—leaving viewers feeling mad as hell. Read full review

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