Review of Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006) by Susan R — 28 Jan 2008
The first Diane Arbus photo I remember seeing was of that awkward skinny boy clutching a play grenade somewhere in central park in N.Y.C. this movie kind of reminds me of that boy. it is a tale of strangeness in the midst of the most ordinary. but even the strangest is pretty contained and safe and there really isn't much risk involved in this acount of how Arbus found her calling.
Apparantly the reason they never show an actual Arbus photo is because her daughter refused to give permission. guess she couldn't endorse all the liberties taken with her mother's life. still, I liked this beauty & the beast fairytale well enough. it made for an enjoyable watch. just remember it is totally a fairy tale. someone like the Lionel character could never have afforded a manhattan apartment. his life would have likely looked more like John Hurts protrait of the elephant man. for 'a freak' with no apparent source of income other than the circus, Lionel lives a pretty plush life style.
I guess in the end I feel this transformation from housewife to artist is contrived. it falls a little flat.
This review of Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006) was written by Susan R on 28 Jan 2008.
Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus has generally received mixed reviews.
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