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Lee (2023 film)

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Lee
Kate Winslet as Lee Miller
Official poster
Directed byEllen Kuras
Screenplay by
Story by
Based onThe Lives of Lee Miller
by Antony Penrose
Produced by
  • Kate Solomon
  • Kate Winslet
  • Troy Lum
  • Andrew Mason
  • Marie Savare
  • Lauren Hantz
Starring
CinematographyPaweł Edelman
Edited byMikkel E. G. Nielsen
Music byAlexandre Desplat
Production
companies
Distributed bySky Cinema
StudioCanal[2]
Release dates
  • 9 September 2023 (2023-09-09) (TIFF)
  • 13 September 2024 (2024-09-13) (United Kingdom)
Running time
116 minutes[3]
CountryUnited Kingdom[3]
LanguageEnglish[4]
Box office$23.3 million[5]

Lee is a 2023 British biographical war drama film directed by Ellen Kuras in her feature directorial debut, from a screenplay by Liz Hannah, John Collee and Marion Hume, and story from Hume, Collee and Lem Dobbs, adapted from the 1985 biography The Lives of Lee Miller by Antony Penrose. It stars Kate Winslet as WWII journalist Lee Miller. The cast includes Marion Cotillard, Andrea Riseborough, Andy Samberg, Noémie Merlant, Josh O'Connor and Alexander Skarsgård in supporting roles.

The movie took eight years to make and, at one point, due to precarious funding, Winslet (who also produced the movie) paid the entire cast and crew's salaries for two weeks. The film made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 9 September 2023. It was released theatrically in the United Kingdom by Sky Cinema on 13 September 2024.

Lee received generally positive reviews from critics and became Sky UK's highest-grossing original film. It has grossed $23.2 million worldwide. For her performance in the film, Winslet was nominated for the 2025 Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama.

Plot

In 1977, Lee Miller tells her story to an interviewer, depicted in a series of flashbacks.

In 1937, Lee is a former New York City fashion model and aspiring photographer living a bohemian lifestyle in Europe when she meets and falls in love with Roland Penrose. She later moves with Roland to London, and gains employment with Vogue magazine during World War II, photographing Britons during The Blitz. However, her ability to further document the war is restricted due to the United Kingdom barring women from serving near combat. However, after the United States enters the war in late 1941, Lee is assigned as a war correspondent alongside photojournalist David Scherman.

Following the Normandy landings in June 1944, Lee photographs combat during the Battle of Saint-Malo, unknowingly recording the first use of napalm. During the Liberation of Paris, she photographs members of the French Resistance publicly shaming French women who collaborated with the Germans. Lee finds her distraught friend Solange d'Ayen, who recently escaped imprisonment and whose husband is still missing. Lee also reconnects with friends Nusch Éluard and Paul Éluard, who inform her of the thousands of people who went missing during the German occupation.

Lee and Scherman enter Nazi Germany, travelling the frontlines via Jeep, photographing their experiences. They document the atrocities committed at Buchenwald and Dachau. In April 1945, Scherman photographs Lee in the bathtub at Adolf Hitler's Munich apartment; Germany surrenders soon after.

Returning to Britain and with Roland also home from the war, Lee is furious when she discovers her wartime photographs were not published. Editor Audrey Withers explains the British censor prevented it, worried the photographs would upset an already traumatized population. Lee and Roland marry in 1947; their son Antony is born soon after.

The interviewer is revealed to be Antony, who only recently learned of his mother's wartime experience. Antony and Lee discuss his turbulent upbringing, including the effect of Lee's post-traumatic stress disorder and alcoholism on his adolescence. Following the death of his mother shortly after, thousands of photographs and manuscripts were discovered in Lee's attic, out of which Antony and his wife Suzanna created the Lee Miller Archives.

Cast

Production

Development

The project originated when cinematographer Ellen Kuras was at a bookshop in New York and spotted a tome about war photographer Lee Miller.[6][7] Kuras noticed a similarity between Miller and actress Kate Winslet–with whom she had worked in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)–and sent Winslet a copy of the book and kept another copy for herself.[7] Years later, Winslet started developing a movie project about Miller and asked Kuras whether she would like to direct it.[6]

The project was officially announced in October 2015, with Winslet attached to star as Miller.[8] In June 2020, cinematographer Ellen Kuras was set to direct the film–her feature directorial debut,[9] with Liz Hannah adapting the screenplay from the 1985 biography The Lives of Lee Miller, written by Miller's son, Antony Penrose,[10] who supported the film and gave Kuras full access to his mother's personal archives, diaries,[10] and even her unpublished work.[7] The screenplay went through several rewrites.[11] It was originally written by John Collee and Marion Hume from a story they developed together with Lem Dobbs, with Liz Hannah joining on later.[7] Winslet also served as a producer on the film.[1] She chose the screenwriters and was also in charge of finances and casting, even personally calling her co-stars.[11]

The most significant development in the film came in October 2021, when Marion Cotillard, Jude Law, Andrea Riseborough and Josh O'Connor joined the cast, with a crew including Alexandre Desplat as a composer, Michael O'Connor as costume designer, cinematographer Paweł Edelman and Ivana Primorac as head makeup and hair artist.[12] In February 2022, Andy Samberg was announced as being part of the cast.[13] He would be confirmed in October 2022 alongside additional castings including Alexander Skarsgård, who replaced Law in the role of Roland Penrose.[1] Winslet wrote a letter to Cotillard asking her to play French Vogue editor Solange d'Ayen in the film.[14] Winslet and Cotillard had previously co-starred in Contagion (2011).[15]

Winslet said she was patronized by male executives when she was trying to get funding for the film. "The men who think you want and need their help are unbelievably outraging. I've even had a director say to me: 'Listen, you do my film and I'll get your little Lee funded...' Little! Or we'd have potential male investors saying things like: Tell me, why am I supposed to like this woman?", Winslet told Vogue. During pre-production, Winslet covered two weeks of wages with her own money due to insufficient funds.[11]

Filming

Filming began in late September 2022 in Croatia.[16] Production paused for a short period that month when Winslet slipped during filming and was taken to the hospital.[17] The accident happened on the first day of shooting, when Winslet slipped and injured her back while she was rehearsing a sequence where Lee Miller was running down the street in Saint-Malo under bombardment. Winslet decided to keep filming despite her back injury and barely being able to stand up.[11]

Filming also took place in Hungary and wrapped in early December 2022.[18]

Release

Lee had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 9 September 2023.[3] It was released theatrically by Sky Cinema[19] in the United Kingdom and Ireland on 13 September 2024.[20] In February 2024, Roadside Attractions and Vertical acquired US distribution rights to the film, originally scheduling the film for a theatrical release on 20 September 2024.[21] The film's release was subsequently delayed by a week to 27 September.[22]

Reception

Box office

The film was released to 605 theaters in the United Kingdom and debuted at number 3 at the box office, grossing $926,064 in its first weekend.[5] For its second weekend, the film was expanded to 40 more theaters and grossed $2,4 million.[5]

Lee is Sky UK's highest-grossing original film at the UK box office.[23] As of December 2024, the film has grossed $5.6 million in the United Kingdom, $5.3 million in France, $4.1 million in Germany, $2.7 million in Australia, $2 million in the United States, $1.1 million in the Netherlands, and a total of $23.2 million worldwide.[5]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 67% of 136 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.5/10. The website's consensus reads: "Kate Winslet's gripping performance in the title role helps elevate Lee beyond its disappointingly conventional biopic trappings."[24] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 62 out of 100, based on 30 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[25]

Accolades

Year Award / Festival Category Recipient(s) Result Ref(s)
2023 Camerimage Golden Frog - Main Competition Pawel Edelman Nominated [26]
2024 Women in Film Honors Crystal Award for Advocacy in Film Kate Winslet and Ellen Kuras Won [27]
British Independent Film Awards Best Cinematography Pawel Edelman Nominated [28]
Best Effects Glen McGuigan and Ingo Putze Nominated
Best Sound Mike Prestwood Smith, Csaba Major and Jimmy Boyle Nominated
2025 Golden Globe Awards Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama Kate Winslet Pending [29]

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiseman, Andreas (27 October 2022). "Lee: First Look At Kate Winslet As Pioneering War Correspondent & Photographer Lee Miller; Alexander Skarsgård, Andy Samberg, Noémie Merlant, More Join Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 27 October 2022. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  2. ^ "Lee (2023)". BBFC. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  3. ^ a b c "Lee". TIFF. Archived from the original on 6 September 2023. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  4. ^ "LEE". www.bbfc.co.uk.
  5. ^ a b c d "Lee". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  6. ^ a b Garrett, Diane (9 September 2023). "How Celebrated Cinematographer Ellen Kuras Finally Got a Chance to Direct a Politically Charged Drama With Kate Winslet-Starrer 'Lee'". Variety. Archived from the original on 9 September 2023. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d Canfield, David (6 September 2023). "Kate Winslet Embodies an Unsung American Icon in Lee". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on 7 September 2023. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  8. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (13 October 2015). "Kate Winslet Attaches To Play WWII Correspondent Lee Miller". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  9. ^ "Ellen Kuras to Make History as First Woman To Receive ASC Cinematographers Lifetime Achievement Award". Oscars.org. 2 February 2022. Archived from the original on 25 July 2023. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  10. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (26 June 2020). "Ellen Kuras To Direct Kate Winslet As WWII Correspondent Lee Miller". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  11. ^ a b c d Steavenson, Wendell (11 September 2023). "Kate Winslet on War Photographer Lee Miller, and the Film She Was Born to Make". Vogue.
  12. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (21 October 2021). "Kate Winslet Joined By Marion Cotillard, Jude Law, Andrea Riseborough & Josh O'Connor For Film On Model-Turned-WWII Photographer Lee Miller". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  13. ^ Bergeson, Samantha (3 February 2022). "Cinematographer Ellen Kuras Makes History as First Woman to Win ASC Lifetime Achievement Award". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 9 July 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  14. ^ "Marion Cotillard : " Le destin de Charlotte Salomon était plus nécessaire à raconter que jamais "" [Marion Cotillard: "The fate of Charlotte Salomon was more necessary to tell than ever"]. L'Obs (in French). 6 November 2022. Archived from the original on 7 November 2022.
  15. ^ Jagernauth, Kevin (25 August 2011). "Kate Winslet, Gwyneth Paltrow & Marion Cotillard Try & Stave Off The Virus In New 'Contagion' Photos". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 9 September 2023. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  16. ^ Zajović, Milena (1 September 2022). "Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Josh O'Connor, and Marion Cotillard to Shoot Lee Miller Biopic in Croatia". Film New Europe Association. Archived from the original on 7 September 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  17. ^ Gajewski, Ryan (18 September 2022). "Kate Winslet Taken to Hospital After Fall While Filming in Croatia". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 18 September 2022. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  18. ^ Evans, Chris (6 September 2022). "Kate Winslet and Jude Law Starrer, Lee, to Shoot in Hungary and Croatia". Kemps Film and TV Production Services Handbook. Archived from the original on 16 September 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  19. ^ Ramachadnran, Naman (1 February 2023). "Adam Driver, Penelope Cruz, Julianne Moore, Natalie Portman Star as Sky Cinema Boosts 2023 Slate". Variety. Archived from the original on 3 February 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  20. ^ "Sky Original film, LEE, starring Kate Winslet, in cinemas from 13 September 2024 in UK & Ireland". Sky Group. 23 February 2024.
  21. ^ Lang, Brent (8 February 2024). "Roadside Attractions, Vertical Buy Kate Winslet Drama 'Lee'". Variety. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  22. ^ Bergeson, Samantha (1 May 2024). "'Lee' Teaser: Kate Winslet Captures WWII as Iconic Photographer Lee Miller". IndieWire. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  23. ^ Goldbart, Max (31 October 2024). "Kate Winslet's 'Lee' Breaks Sky UK Box Office Record". Deadline Hollywood.
  24. ^ "Lee". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 3 November 2024. Edit this at Wikidata
  25. ^ "Lee". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  26. ^ Tizard, Will (7 November 2023). "Cinematography Opens More to Women, AI Reshaping Visual Language, Camerimage Regulars Report". Variety.
  27. ^ "WIF Honors 2024 - Women in Film". Women in Film. Retrieved 9 December 2024. Ellen Kuras, previously Oscar-nominated for directing her documentary The Betrayal will receive the iconic Crystal Award for Advocacy in Film for her collaboration with Academy Award® winner Kate Winslet on the film Lee. The award recognizes outstanding individuals who are creating increased opportunities for the advancement of women in the screen industries. Kate Winslet's and Ellen's vision and steadfast dedication to Lee exemplify the grit and passion it takes to create important work that centers women in the storytelling, and aligns with WIF's mission.
  28. ^ "British Independent Film Awards 2024: the winners in full". British Film Institute. 9 December 2024.
  29. ^ "Kate Winslet - Golden Globes". Golden Globe Awards. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
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