Bill Cunningham New York

by Elizaveta Gorbunova

I recently watched a film about a happy and wonderful man who does what he loves. He is a
photographer. This film is called “Bill Cunningham: New York”. The film premiered in the United States on March 16, 2011, and immediately received many positive reviews. This documentary was produced in America and directed by Richard Press. The director may not be as well-known, but this film is really worth watching. A lot of famous personalities in the field of fashion took part in “Bill Cunningham: New York”: Bill Cunningham himself, Anna Wintour, Carmen Dell’Orefice, Iris Apfel, Michael Kors and other influential people in fashion. This film tells the story of the life of the photographer Bill Cunningham: it was interesting to know how fashion and the ordinary well-dressed people of New York affect him, how to arrange photos to make them look more beautiful, how he entered the world of fashion and photography and what famous people associated with these areas think of him.

The direction of this film is great because thanks to Richard Press, you really immerse yourself in this pleasant atmosphere of the world of fashion and photography. Sometimes the filming style made you feel like you were right next to the participants of the film. Interviews with various people and Bill’s stories are done in such an easy and enjoyable manner that you really appreciate their speeches and wonderful stories. I never got bored for an hour and 24 minutes. This is not the kind of documentary that immediately comes to mind when we hear this word. This film is like just an emotional story about the life of a fashion photographer Bill Cunningham. In addition to the stories about Bill’s life, many of his photographs were shown, which helped to understand how talented this man is. The stories themselves caused only positive emotions, a smile, and sometimes even laughter. The only time I felt sad was when Bill said that he had never had an affair. This suggests that he was so carried away by his occupation that he did not need a relationship.

After watching this film, I became even more interested in fashion and photography. I think that this documentary is worth watching for people who want to be real fashion photographers in order to understand what it is. And it is also suitable for those who love these themes. I really like the film “Bill Cunningham: New York”.