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Men In Black 3

It’s not a sequel that needed to be made, but thanks to the charm of its leads and a tone that harks back to the wit and humour of the original, it’s a pretty enjoyable trip.

Bel Ami

The excellent female support cast saves this patchy effort, which is let down by its leading man and a flat screenplay.

The Dictator

A disappointing, often repulsive and mean-spirited mess of a film with seemingly only one real criterion on its agenda: to shock and offend.

The Woman In Black

Packed with atmosphere, this old-fashioned but deftly told ghost story delivers ample chills and thrills.

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The September Issue (Film)

by Annette Basile | August 18, 2009 09:34 | Edited August 18, 2009 09:34

Staying true to its premise, viewers get an insight into Vogue but the real drama is found in revealing much more about Wintour and her staff.

Fashion magazine Vogue and its glacial editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour, make for interesting documentary material. Yet The September Issue intrigues for another reason entirely. It does deliver the promised insider's look at Vogue and the fashion world, but this doco is really about Wintour's psychological battles with the magazine's creative director, Grace Coddington.

Wintour is a dominating force in fashion, and is thought to have inspired Meryl Streep's editor-from-hell character in The Devil Wears Prada. When she talks about how she brought fur - quite literally - back into vogue, Wintour is a real life Cruella De Vil. In short, she's someone you love to hate. In dramatic contrast with the groomed and guarded Wintour is Coddington. With untamed hair and minimal make-up, Coddington, a former model, is refreshingly real. She shows - even to non-fashionistas - the fantasy and romance of it all, and she's the reason why Vogue's images are so artistic. It's her prickly relationship with Wintour that forms the documentary's nerve centre. But this film is ostensibly about the manufacturing of Vogue's September 2007 issue.

 

September is the start of the fashion year, and that month's edition is the magazine's biggest (weighing around two kilos) and most crucial. Fittingly flamboyant "extras" and stick-insect models pass through, while Sienna Miller, the issue's cover girl, also makes an appearance. There are amusing moments as poor Sienna's smile (it's too "toothy", declares Wintour) and "lacklustre" hair are dissected.

 

Elegantly photographed, and buoyed by a crackling indie soundtrack, The September Issue occasionally stalls, but is unexpectedly thought provoking. You wonder if director R.J. Cutler (The War Room) has an agenda to dethrone Wintour and reveal Coddington as Vogue's true creative force. And it leaves you with more questions than answers about Wintour. As the credits roll, you still don't know what makes her tick...but the enigmatic Anna Wintour was never going to give much away.