As one of the 20th century’s masters of photography, Helmut Newton made a name for himself exploring and elevating the female form through his striking, often nude images. Newton imbued fashion imagery with narrative depth and gave context to his subjects by creating stylized, dreamlike scenes that were disturbing, ambiguous, and bold. Critics questioned whether the women in his photos were treated as powerful icons or as submissive erotic objects - or as both. The film is an eye-popping romp through five decades filled with treasure troves of rare home videos, behind-the-scenes archival footage, and countless, strikingly beautiful photographs that track his beginnings in Berlin to eventual cult status.
Helmut Newton, who would have been 100 this year, tragically died in a car crash in 2006 in LA. The film includes candid interviews with many of his subjects: Grace Jones, Charlotte Rampling, Isabella Rossellini, Marianne Faithfull and Hanna Schygulla; fashion icons Anna Wintour, Claudia Schiffer, Nadja Auermann; as well as his wife and creative partner June Newton (known as Alice Springs from her photography). Susan Sontag, in a pointed exchange with Newtown, broadcast on French television, raises the question of the photographer’s alleged misogyny.