reckless daughter film report: bill cunningham new york

Yesterday "the Brit" and I headed over to the Nuart Theater in West LA to catch a screening of the documentary, Bill Cunningham New York.  I have been a huge fan of Bill Cunningham for a long time - even pre-blogging and long before I used the internet for fashion purposes.  I still listen to his On The Street  audio clips on the NY times from time to time so when I heard there was a documentary about him in the works I was thrilled.  He is, after all, the original street style photographer.  I have even heard Scott, The Sartorialist pay homage to him and site him as a huge influence.  He was the pioneer of that whole movement and he started way back in the 1960s.  When you think about it, it is sort of funny that it took so long to become a real trend.

The film gives us a very interesting glimpse into Bill’s life and he is quite the character.   For example, he gets around town on a bicycle  and has apparently gone through around 30 since moving to NYC (most of them stolen) - his outlook on money is essentially that it is poison and unimportant  -  for years he slept among rows of file cabinets filled with his photos from throughout his career – he started out in fashion during the early 50s as a Milliner (aka: women’s hatmaker) under the brand William J.

 

 It’s very interesting to see how this eccentric 80+ year old man lives and works. In truth, the lines between work and personal life seemed extremely blurred in his case. 

The film is half way through a very abbreviated Los Angeles run at the Nuart, I know it is currently showing in NYC and that it will be going to various cities through out the US and I would expect throughout the world.  Anyhow, if you get the chance, I highly recommend it.  He is a fascinating person.