Our Review

                           Movie: LEE

      Rating: R, disturbing images, language                                   and nudity`

                            Length: 1:57

           Release Date: September 27, 2024  

Jeanne: Kate Winslet, in a truly riveting performance, portrays American war correspondent and photographer Lee Miller in Ellen Kuras’ directorial debut, LEE. Focusing on the decade of Miller’s life which included when she worked for British Vogue on the frontline during World War II, screenwriters Liz Hannah, Marion Hume and John Collee capture the essence of a woman who “didn’t take no for an answer”.

It was Winslet herself who began the creative process using Tony Penrose’s book, “The Lives of Lee Miller”, as a beginning. Penrose is the son Miller had with her husband Roland Penrose, an English Surrealist painter, photographer, poet and biographer, played here by Alexander Skarsgård.

Miller meets Penrose in France prior to the beginning of the second world war. They were spending time in the company of Max Ernst, Man Ray, Picasso and Duchesse Solange D’Ayen (Marion Cotillard), French Vogue’s fashion director, before Penrose returns to England and Miller joins him.

When the war begins, Miller prevails upon British Vogue Editor, Audrey Withers (Andrea Riseborough), to send her to the battlefields where she meets LIFE Magazine photographer, David Scherman (Andy Samberg). Together she and David photograph some of the most horrific images at Dachau, which document Miller’s tenacity at getting to the truth. Her work was unparalleled

--- and unique. 

The film is told via flashbacks as a young journalist, Antony, played by Josh O’Connor, takes a much older Miller through her time as a correspondent. Winslet gives a tour-de-force performance as the free-spirited model turned photographer/writer. Working with an injured back, much like Miller herself, who lived with chronic back pain, Winslet persevered, managing to wield the Rolleiflex camera like a pro despite her discomfort.

LEE is not an exceptional film, but it does include quite a few memorable moments, most of them revolving around Miller’s iconic photos. One of those depicts Miller posing in Adolph Hitler’s private bathtub while Scherman snaps the image. Others document abandoned train cars full of corpses, and photos of entire Nazi families dead together after ingesting cyanide.

Kuras’ first feature length film is a testament to Miller’s courage and Winslet’s determination to bring her story to light. Featuring a splendid soundtrack by composer Alexandre Desplat, LEE is an overdue exploration of an exemplary war-time photojournalist.

Opinion: Mild See It Now!

David: The new movie LEE stars Kate Winslet as Elizabeth “Lee” Miller, a determined and passionate woman who eschewed a career as a model for Vogue and Vanity Fair magazines to participate in World War II as a correspondent and photographer.

A fanatic for the truth, Miller had a burning desire to make sure that the world knew of the Nazi atrocities, so she captured what are called some of the most iconic images of the war. This was not a glamorous job for her. She had to immerse herself in difficult situations, including taking photographs in hospitals where soldiers were undergoing leg amputations, and box cars concealing the bodies of countless death camp victims.

Winslet spent eight years of painstaking research to properly make a film about Miller. As a producer of LEE, she convinced stars like Alexander Skarsgård, Marion Cotillard, Josh O’Connor and Andy Samberg to become part of the production. Winslet also prevailed on Ellen Kuras, cinematographer on Winslet’s film ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, to direct. This would be Kuras’ debut as a dramatic feature length director. And two-time Academy Award-winning composer Alexander Desplat provides the score.

Although the movie is a bit slow at times, there’s no denying that Lee’s photographs were, and still are, critical evidence of one of the darkest periods in human history. Winslet holds nothing back in her portrayal, and like all her films, you cannot take your eyes off her when she’s on screen.

Samberg plays LIFE magazine photographer David Scherman. Although he is known as a comic, Samberg holds his own in this dramatic role. O’Connor plays Antony, a young journalist interviewing the now older Lee, a strategy the filmmakers used to document this portion of Miller’s life and her innermost thoughts.

Skarsgård portrays Roland Penrose, Miller’s husband, and he’s an actor who has never shied away from difficult roles. Oscar winner Cotillard portrays one of Lee’s closest friends, Solange, whose storied life was shattered by the Nazis.

Costume designer Michael O’Connor ended up procuring a box full of “rags” which turned out to be full of Lee Miller’s actual clothes. Winslet wears these in the film, including a copy of Miller’s actual army dress uniform. Everybody associated with the making of LEE was adamant and amazed about even the smallest details being utilized.

Certainly, there are more dramatic movies about the Holocaust, but the story of Lee Miller has been unknown until now. That makes LEE, and Winslet’s portrayal, that much more relevant.

Opinion: Mild See It Now!