Customer Reviews

Frames from the Edge: Helmut Newton (ArtHaus - Art and Design Series)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Helmut Newton - Frames From the Edge is a video primarily geared towards the ardent fan of photography. However, a person who is interested in the development of 20th century pop culture would certainly be more than amused by this wonderful video. The most striking aspect that shines throughout the video is Helmut's fun loving and sparkling personality. Witty, adventurous and most of all - fun loving - Helmut keeps the viewer informed and amused. Not at all like many photography videos centered in the class room, the range of locales in this video is dazzling. More importantly, the camera follows Helmut during shoots, conducting interviews with potential models, and riding with Helmut in Los Angeles. In the age where technological gadgets seem to proliferate it is telling that Helmut reveals that he uses one or two cameras to conduct his work. In summary, the photography fan would learn a great deal and the pop culture fan would learn why Helmut Newton is an important 20th Century icon. Much like Helmut's personality this video merits five stars.

This is a fun documentary on Helmut Newton. I was at his lecture at the New School and the film gives you the same feel for him and his work. Most of the photos are sexy, he has a wonderful photographic identity, you can always spot his work. The DVD and video (they are not exactly the same) are worth watching for any serious fashion or commercial photographer. This is not a how to do a photo DVD. However, if you pay attention he tells you a lot about how he likes to work. Straight ahead, almost no camera hardware or crew and lots of vision. You know he saw the shot before he took it.

This film has been newly released on the Arthaus label distributed by Naxos. The original film was made in 1988 it was previously released on DVD by Image This is a basic transfer of the film. It has not been restored and does appear grainy in parts. That said, here is my review:

More than a documentary about this world famous photographer, best known for his fashion photos and nude photos of women in unusual and erotic positions, this is a series of "living photos", as we follow Newton as he shoots these models and the photos come to life. The narrator gives us the basic facts and the rest consists of interviews with Newton, who definitely has a big ego but can be very funny as well, along with his wife and his models, both famous (Candace Bergen and Catherine Deneuve) and not. WE don't learn about his growing up years - that would have been nice - but, rather, on his life during his productive, and lucrative, years. He refers to his high fee often.

The film is rather long - at 100 minutes - but there's such beauty in the women he shoots that you don't mind. You won't learn anything about photography here, nor much about Newton's background, but you won't be bored. You will experience pop culture in Monte Carlo and Los Angeles (his two homes) in the 80s as you follow him to his favorite haunts.

If you like Newton's photographs, and especially if you enjoy great black and white photographs of nude females, you will definitely like this film. Though not perfect, its worth seeking out in this new release.

Steve Ramm
"Anything Phonographic"

This is not the best documentary film about Helmut Newton and his photography. There is a more recent one about the production of his massive book project "SUMO," but I've not been able to find it for sale anywhere. I saw it on the Sundance Channel in the last year or two. This one however is worth seeing and owning by those interested in his erotic style of fashion photography. It is a re-release of a 1988 documentary and drags a bit here and there although the beautiful nudes that grace the entire 100 minutes of film manages to keep the audience's attention from straying from the television or computer screen.
Although I have no way of knowing for certain, I think the films and videos of his work may have problems with the censors of many nations and that's why they are hard to find?
Unlike "Newton's Autobiography" that paints him much like a randy gigolo, one of the startling conclusions that is so obvious in this film is that he is a very professional, somewhat shy professional photographer that enjoys being around stunningly beautiful women but it's strictly a business proposition for him. Several of the more interesting scenes in the video are of Helmut sitting in a directors chair literally surrounded by star-struck beautiful young women that seem to be dying to be photographed in the nude by him. He is constantly shown looking at them and their modeling book samples and asking questions about their experience and physical condition. Some of them disrobe to show him their physical attributes but several are too shy to do that, at least on camera. After all, Newton's wife June, the motion picture camera crew, his photographic assistant and make up people are always present.
It was also fascinating that so many of his models were interested in having nude photographs done by him that they didn't even want to be paid modeling fees for their work. More startling was that seemed okay with Helmut who appeared to accept their offer to work for no pay. Models often work for free prints for their own books and photos by Newton are always impressive when they are looking for a paid modeling gig.
There were lots of other interesting things in this documentary. Helmut had so much trouble with people digging through his trash to claim prints that he'd rejected as not up to his standards, that he always ripped up those rejects before putting them in the trash. For some portraits he printed the proofs on a brown plastic photographic paper that quickly turned completely brown after a very short time or if someone attempted to have them copied. Even unsigned Helmut Newton prints are very valuable and at least one magazine art director was caught trying to sell some of his work at auction without owning the rights to it.
The video provides some very interesting peeks into the edgy photographic style of one of the masters of photographing female nudes. Much of his work reflects his memories of the German women he met throughout his long life. He claims to like to recreate the memories of his long life in a very erotic way. From his lifestyle, it seems he also managed to make a good living doing what he liked and photographing in his own unique style. The video includes movie star models such as Catherine Deneuve and "Ghost Busters" and "Alien" star Sigourney Weaver. It's obvious from the film that both those female motion picture greats love working with Helmut Newton.

This film has been newly released (November 2009) on the Arthaus label distributed by Naxos. There is no separate listing on Amazon under its new UPC code. It has a different cover and contains a 35-photo slide show as its bonus. The original film was made in 1988 and this is a basic transfer of the film. It has not been restored and does appear grainy in parts. That said, here is my review:

More than a documentary about this world famous photographer, best known for his fashion photos and nude photos of women in unusual and erotic positions, this is a series of "living photos", as we follow Newton as he shoots these models and the photos come to life. The narrator gives us the basic facts and the rest consists of interviews with Newton, who definitely has a big ego but can be very funny as well, along with his wife and his models, both famous (Candace Bergen and Catherine Deneuve) and not. WE don't learn about his growing up years - that would have been nice - but, rather, on his life during his productive, and lucrative, years. He refers to his high fee often.

The film is rather long - at 100 minutes - but there's such beauty in the women he shoots that you don't mind. You won't learn anything about photography here, nor much about Newton's background, but you won't be bored. You will experience pop culture in Monte Carlo and Los Angeles (his two homes) in the 80s as you follow him to his favorite haunts.

If you like Newton's photographs, and especially if you enjoy great black and white photographs of nude females, you will definitely like this film. Though not perfect, its worth seeking out in this new release.

Steve Ramm
"Anything Phonographic"

I have never been a fan of Newton but I got the DVD to learn more about him. Interesting but not great. I have seen other DVD on other famous photographers much more interesting and done better

Seeing Helmut for the male pig that he really is or seeing those poor women lose all self respect as they posed for him. Nevertheless his work is wonderful and it was nice seeing exactly how he does it. I loved it from an artistic point of view, it really gets into his head and reveals what we may not want to see... he's just a simple guy who likes to make money and his reputation have gotten larger than life and women throw themselves at him. Or, the fact that he's just plain damned GOOD! Helmut's work is captivating, very rich in tone and contrast, and quite frankly spellbinding. You'll enjoy this DVD especially if you are a photography student or pro.

The DVD dose not realy show you any tips on how to shoot better photo's but it does give a good behind the seens look on fashion photography and Helmut Newton in it.

Well my local video stores didn't carry the film so... I ordered it online. It's very interesting to see how the man worked, both with his Hasselblad and behind the scenes. He obviously didn't have the internet to find his fetish models so he had agencies and associates recruit talent for him. Let me tell you-it was a LOT harder to find willing nude fetish models 30 years ago. (The term "fetish" I don't believe was used during the entire movie which was completed in 1988).

Very much a perfectionist, Helmut was quite the control freak as well. Everything from posing the models to ordering his printers to make enlargements to his stringent specifications. None of his images were left to chance. They were extremely calculated and technically expert. He took very few actual photographs during the shoots from what I can tell, but the ones he did take were absolutely spot on.

He and his wife lived quite a lavish lifestyle-staying in exquisite chateaus and hotels in some rather upscale cities of the world. Truly a voyeur, he peered through his telescope at the topless sunbathing women at his hotel's swimming pool. He wasn't actively 'nice' to his models it seems. He complained that they couldn't stand still enough or give him the look he was going for. Nevertheless, he found stunning models to work with and did absolutely incredible large-scale art so you have got to hand it to him. The video is worth owning if you're a fan of Newton or the history of fetish art.

Timothy M. Hughes

Good bio. Gives you the life and times of this man. Some nudity, but overall the whole DVD was just okay. Nothing ground breaking or earth shattering.