“I don’t care about the celebrities. It’s the clothes!” says New York Times fashion photographer Bill Cunningham. For nearly 50 years he’s been capturing fashions at their best in the most candid of moments on New York’s streets. Now, the documentary “Bill Cunningham New York” has recreated the flair of his photography while still getting to know the man inside the clothes.
Cunningham’s column “On the Street” (which you can see in its audio form here) is best at capturing life in the heat of the moment. He’s an 80-year-old man peddling a bicycle through alleyways and busy roads, blending in to highlight the things that stand out. In his visual column, he selects from hundreds of photographs to point out trends in fashion for the week or season.
Yet he’s an old-fashioned journalist wonderfully versed in modern trends. He selects photos from their negatives and lives in near shambles in basically a filing cabinet inside Carnegie Hall. Dressed in a frumpy blue smock and donning a beret and a big, droopy smile, Cunningham is a wonderfully upbeat, fun, congenial and good-hearted person.
Fashionistas, designers and other photographers speak to how he always focused on the narrative in fashion and never tried to depict people at their worst. He’s a deeply happy human being with no needs other than to work and see people live and look good.
He’s a lovely character, and director Richard Press does his wonders in crafting a film that is as quick and alive as he is. The editing of the photographs flashing on screen seems to move amongst his columns as the subjects leap to life. And yet the film is never gaudy, never loud and never does it drench you in fashion philosophies, ideas or judgments. It just basks in the joy of looking and feeling good.
Talking heads like Vogue editor Anna Wintour, author Tom Wolfe or designer Annette De la Renta are photographed with sparkling vibrancy. Their backdrops are busy and colorful, and it surprises us with juicy, fun details like De la Renta’s passed out dog lying behind her or a UN diplomat seen in the most bizarre of suits in a hilarious series of jump cuts.
When Cunningham goes to a fashion show, he shoots from the side rather than at the long end of the runway. Cunningham distinguishes himself from other fashion photogs by viewing clothes at a natural perspective that’s more alive than the head-on look, and he does it by staying nearly invisible.
Similarly, “Bill Cunningham New York” takes a skewed angle to view this peculiar guy, finding its invisibility in its craft and subtlety. It’s a delightfully fun documentary.
3 ½ stars