fur

The other night I watched HBO’s First Look for the new movie, Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus. I was excited to watch it because it has created a bit of a ruckus in the online photography community.

Some people are appalled at this movie. It’s not a true portrayal of Arbus or her family or her craft, they say. Others say that Kidman is the wrong person to portray Arbus. Still others say that making something up about a real person is an abomination.

I like movies. For me, they are all about escaping from the every day and going into a totally different world. I am interested in movies with photographers in them – real or not. It’s interesting to see a writer’s/director’s portrayal of the art.

As I watched First Look, I found the commitment of the actors in the film to be amazing. They all read up on Arbus and the people she photographed. They studied her photography. They learned as much about her and her craft as possible.

The screenwriter, Patricia Bosworth, also wrote a biography about Arbus. She said that she was interested in taking the reality of the photographer and applying it to a fictional situation. She said that it speaks of the type of person that Arbus was. Amy Danger, the production designer, has created amazing scenery that is worthy of being photographed itself. It is pure eye candy that pulls the viewer into a world that is at once retro and, at the same time, surreal.

If this movie gives us even the smallest glimpse into the kind of person that Arbus was and why she photographed in the way she did, it will mitigate the misgivings of the naysayers. If it delivers on the beautiful colors, subtle nuances and interesting characters as the trailers and First Look intimate, it will be just the type of movie that I can lose myself in for a few hours. I’m looking forward to seeing it.