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I always loved the work of Helmut Newton, a photographer who was best known for creating highly stylized images (often erotically charged, mostly of women) that transported us to fantastic worlds that allude to intriguing stories. Yet some viewed these same photos as offensive, disturbing and misogynistic. The documentary, "Helmut Newton: The Bad and The Beautiful" from director, Gero von Boehm, does touch on this dichotomy over the photographer and his transgressive vision but the film remains largely a celebratory affair of his life and career.
He was born Helmut Neustädter in 1920 to a wealthy family who owned a button factory in Berlin. But with the rise of fascism and the Nazi party, the Neustädters, who were Jewish, would end up losing their business and be forced to flee out of the country with the family settling in Argentina.
Newton developed an interest in photography as a child and would apprentice with Else Neuländer (a talented photographer who was known professionally as Yva) at twelve. She would become a great influence on the young Newton, introducing him to the commercial possibilities of photography. As Yva was also Jewish, her fate was not as fortunate as Newton's and would end up perishing in a concentration camp sometime during the war.
When he turned eighteen, Newton went off in to the world with his camera and arrived in Australia where he would meet another woman who would impact his career. June Browne, an actress and model, entered his life during a photo shoot and they married not long after that. She would become his muse, art director, editor, curator and even became a photographer herself, using the alias, "Alice Springs".
As his reputation grew as a fashion photographer, Newton's first major contract was with British Vogue and would soon go to work with all editions of Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and Playboy. Newton's fashion work was unusual at the time as he exclusively used black & white photography and increasingly pushed the boundaries of taste by creating pictorials that featured an assertive sexuality, fetishistic scenes and nudity. His models wore bold, dramatic make-up and almost always appeared expressionless, giving off an icy and aloof demeanor.
From previous interviews with the photographer in this film, Newton comes across as good-natured, playful and serene. This was in stark contrast to the dark, hard-edged, glacial glamour he would produce with many of his more memorable photos. Beautiful women were always the main focus and he even states that men were usually just background or accessories in his pictures. Watching footage of Newton at work, he was very precise in his approach, knowing exactly how he wanted the outcome of the image to be seen, no matter the brief discomfort of the model.
The director von Boehm, who has had an extensive career making documentaries in his native Germany, keeps the focus of "The Bad and The Beautiful" on the creation and enduring impact of Newton's craft. While the film does explore the photographer's childhood and family, there is no deep psychological evaluation of his life. Newton dismisses the idea that the vivid imagery of Nazi propaganda might have shaped his aesthetic or how the trauma of being Jewish during the war may have served as some inspiration to his art.
There is very little critical examination of Newton's photography in the film. The only moment we see is a clip from some French television talk show where Newton and writer, Susan Sontag are guests. Newton states that he loves women and defends his work as an appreciation to them. And as the feminist activist admits that he does seem like a perfectly nice man, she firmly believes that Newton's photos are derogatory and very harmful to women.
Some of the more famous faces who posed in front of Newton's camera are assembled to discuss their experiences. We have models, Nadja Auermann, Claudia Schiffer and performers, Isabella Rossellini, Grace Jones, Marianne Faithfull and Charlotte Rampling (who are all formidable personalities) reveal, in various ways, how they were well aware of the potential of sexism and exploitation while working with the photographer. Yet they all found Newton endearing and he made them feel very comfortable to do whatever he asked of them.
Newton had his first heart attack in 1970 which may have slowed him down but certainly did not count him out. He would eventually do less magazine work and devote more time on portraiture and fine art studies. The Newtons would spend the winter in Los Angeles, always staying at the Chateau Marmont, the famed hotel of the rich and fabulous on the Sunset Strip. It is believed that Newton had a heart attack while driving away from the hotel in 2004, crashing in to a wall and passing away at the age of eighty-three.
It doesn't seem likely that an editor of a fashion magazine would be brave enough to publish Newton's work today or that contemporary models and actresses would be willing to participate in such graphically sexual photo shoots. "Helmut Newton: The Bad and The Beautiful" is a rather conventional look at a wildly provocative artist. Yet the film successfully points out that Newton still remains a compelling influence in fashion, art and photography. People may not agree on whether he was a seductive saint or perverted sinner but the complicated responses to his work is one of the reasons why Newton continues to fascinate and excite.
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