Bert Stern: Original Madman (2011)

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Bertram Stern (Oct. 3, 1929 – June 26, 2013) was a school dropout-turned-soda jerk in Brooklyn who eventually found his way into the mail room of Look magazine when he was just 16 years old. After serving in the Army, where his talents as a photographer landed him the opportunity to shoot pictures of the beautiful ladies of Japan, Stern won an award for an amazing Smirnoff vodka ad; this led to his legendary career as a portrait and fashion photographer, with famous subjects including Liz and Dick, Audrey Hepburn, Sue Lyon, Twiggy and, most famously, Marilyn Monroe (he also co-directed a highly-acclaimed 1959 jazz documentary, "Jazz on a Summer's Day", snippets of which are seen here). Directed by his third and final wife, Shannah Laumeister (who hoped to be Stern's next discovery but settled on being his wife and muse), this documentary is not (surprisingly) filled with colorful anecdotes on the rich and famous. Stern (who resembled a more-handsome version of Hugh Hefner in his youth) tells very few behind-the-lens stories; he comes off as a would-be self-effacing man, modest to the point of being arrogant about his modesty, who doesn't think he himself a very good subject. Not all of his celebrity photographs are worthy of the praise he has received (some of the women, with their faraway eyes and sad mouths, look rather hard), although his advertisement layouts are still striking today. This is not an incisive look at the enigmatic Stern, but that's not due to Laumeister's lack of effort. Everything is here for a great film-record of Stern's life, but he appears to have taken the best chapters to his grave. ** from ****

To me the power of this documentary was in the display of the stunning photographs of Bert Stern. To me they were not only stunning but could be highly provocative and erotic, capturing the personality of the person (usually a famous woman) that was being photographed.The film traces Stern's career as he began to receive notoriety with his highly successful advertising campaign for Smirnoff Vodka(interesting to note that due to the moral codes of the 1950's women were not allowed to appear in liquor ads). He went on to be a major contributor to Vogue magazine, in the 60's. Also, Stern created the highly controversial movie posters and ads for the 1962 film "Lolita", which not only stirred up the censors but the general public.Considered to be his most famous shoot was the "Last Sitting" photos of Marilyn Monroe shortly before her death, in '62. They captured Marilyn's sensual naked body covered in part by jewelry or sheer wraps. Just a note here that a number of photos in the film reveal either bare breasts or full frontal nudity of women, but to me they seemed professional and certainly not smutty.I saw that Stern passed away earlier this year at the age of 83, as he was over 80 when the movie was being shot. He's telling the story of his life to the filmmaker Shannah Laumeister, whom he calls his muse while she maintains they have been soul mates for many years. Stern seems emotionless and monotone as he reveals his life, and possibly depressed at times.There is some history of his personal life, which includes failed marriages due to womanizing and drug use. He became addicted to amphetamines which eventually led to his hearing voices, mania, and agoraphobia. He lost everything including his career and his money and ended up in Spain at the home of a friend.Amazingly, having to return to the States for a divorce hearing, he made a startling comeback by photographing pills out of "The Physicians Desk Reference Book", for what became "The Pill Book", selling 17 million copies to date. It seemed to me there was a lot more to his story than was revealed, but I didn't really care as I was more interested in his photographic work.As mentioned, the strength of this documentary was seeing the amazing ability of Stern to capture an image with his photographs. To me they seemed timeless, brilliant, and unforgettable.

I saw this documentary at the MSP International Film Festival last night and I just loved it. It didn't hurt that Shannah Laumeister, the writer and director, was there to provide additional and very personal perspective on this remarkable man. I hadn't recognized Bert Stern, but I learned that he directed Jazz on a Summer's Day, which I saw at a film festival in Seattle a couple of years ago and which is one of my all- time favorite movies. Stern was imaginative, artistic, and extremely successful at what he did. His career gave him many opportunities, including access to many of the most beautiful women in the world, and his photos are simply amazing. My wife, on the other hand, didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I did. It would be interesting to know if the film generally appeals more to men than to women. One distressing thing we learned from Ms. Laumeister is that no one has archived Stern's extensive collection of negatives. Unfortunately, that probably means that the colors have deteriorated over time and will continue to do so. It's interesting that the next movie we saw at the festival was the restored version of 1902's "A Trip to the Moon."

I just saw Bern Stern: Original Mad Man at the Palm Springs International Film Fest on January 14, 2012. It was an amazing documentary about an amazing man. I had seen many of Stern's photographs in magazines and print advertisements over the years and had never connected them to the the person who took the photographs. The film had a nice mix of interview dialog and still photographs to tell Stern's story. Kudo's to Shannah Laumeister who was the producer, director, artistic director and cinematographer who put this wonderful film together. After seeing the film, I hope Stern can find something satisfying to do with the remainder of his years. I hope I can find a copy of his 1952 classic, Jazz on a Summer's Day.