Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story
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| Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Alexandra Dean |
| Written by | Alexandra Dean |
| Produced by | Katherine Drew Adam Haggiag Michael Kantor Susan Sarandon |
Production company | Reframed Pictures |
| Distributed by | Zeitgeist FilmsMichael Kantor |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1,500,000 (estimate) |
Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story is a 2017 American documentary about the life of the actress and inventor Hedy Lamarr (1914 - 2000).[1] The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2017 and was released theatrically on November 24, 2017. It will be broadcast on PBS American Masters in 2018.[2] In December 2017 the song "She" from the film by Alice Phoebe Lou was included on the Oscars shortlist for Best Original Song.[3]
Synopsis
The film follows the life story of Lamarr from her youth as the daughter of assimilated Austrian Jews through her rise to fame, the Nazi onslaught, her departure for the United States, six marriages, her acting career, her landmark invention, decline, shoplifting and plastic surgery adventure,s and finally her death at the age of 85 in 2000. However the focus of the biopic is her co-creation with George Antheil of the technology of frequency hopping which has since been employed by the military and in cell phones, GPS and Bluetooth.[4]
The film delves into Lamarr's different, seemingly unhealthy relationships like that of Louis B. Mayer, the head of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, the famous Dr. Feelgood (Max Jacobson), and director Cecil B. DeMille. The film also shows how Hedy Lamarr became so reclusive at the end of her life.
Critical reception
The film has won several awards since being shown at the Tribeca Film Festival including a NYT Critic's Pick and 5 audience awards. It has been named, "One of the ten best films of the year" by Artforum.
Manohla Dargis writing in the New York Times says of the film ..."Directed by Alexandra Dean, “Bombshell” is a very enjoyable addition to what has become a minor Hedy Lamarr industry that includes documentaries, books and stage productions... Ms. Dean relates Lamarr’s ventures, those onscreen and off, with savvy and narrative snap, fluidly marshaling a mix of original interviews and archival material that includes film clips, home movies and other footage."....[5] She later listed it among her favorite films of year in the New York Times Best Movies of 2017.[6]
In their review of the movie, The Hollywood Reporter states .."first-time director Dean does an excellent job of marshalling old source material, setting the scene for an account of Lamarr's life on- and off-screen"....[7]
Kenneth Turan writing in the Los Angeles Times called the film ..."timely" and said ... "what makes "Bombshell" intriguing is not just Lamarr's gift for invention, it's also what a fiery individualist she was, someone who had no regrets about her eventful life ("You learn from everything"), not even its racy, tabloid elements." [8]
References
- ^ https://zeitgeistfilms.com/film/bombshellthehedylamarrstory
- ^ Epstein, Sonia (7 December 2017). "World Premiere of Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story". Sloan Science & Film.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ "70 original songs vie 2017 Oscar®". oscars.org. 18 December 2017. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
- ^ https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bombshell_the_hedy_lamarr_story/
- ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/23/movies/bombshell-the-hedy-lamarr-story-review-.html?module=ArrowsNav&contentCollection=Movies&action=keypress®ion=FixedLeft&pgtype=article
- ^ Dargis, Manohla; Scott, A. O. (2017-12-06). "The Best Movies of 2017". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
- ^ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/bombshell-hedy-lamarr-story-997292
- ^ Turan, Kenneth (2017-12-07). "'Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story' uncovers the secret life of a Hollywood glamour queen". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2017-12-12.