‘Lee’ is a film starring and directed by Kate Winslet which was released in cinemas in the UK on the 13th September. We watched at Cineworld in West Sussex where Kate Winslet lit up the big screen as Elizabeth ’Lee’ Miller accompanied by amazing sets, vintage costumes and a fantastic musical score.
The film based on the real-life story of Lee Miller and it begins with an older lady (retired Lee also played by Kate Winslet) who begins, somewhat reluctantly, to tell her life story to a young man whose identity is revealed later on, in this beautifully crafted movie.
The film lightly touches on American born Lee’s early life as a statuesque and successful Vogue model who perfectly reflected the glamour and elegance of 1920’s flapper chic. Lee’s life as a young lady allowed her creative studies and sense of adventure to guide her and she soon counted Man Ray and Picasso as among her closest friends, in an artistic group that were eventually known as ‘the Surrealists’.
Intelligent, educated and articulate Lee Miller developed her family interest in the new technology of photography and forged a career as a female photographer working in New York, London and Paris at a time when women were striving for acceptance and still dreaming of equal opportunities in the workplace.
This film focuses on the challenges and personal consequences of Lee Miller’s decision to follow her gut instinct into action, at a time when World War II saw France become occupied by the Germans. Lee Miller chose to leave her enviable life of long-awaited domestic harmony with her devoted new husband and established British art dealer and artist Roland Penrose and the relative safety of their respectable home in London. Miller headed alone instead into an unknown future, crossing the English Channel to join the Allied troops in combat, as an American war correspondent.
Lee’s life was full of highs and lows and this worthwhile film is played wonderfully and incredibly convincingly by Kate Winslet as the daring heroine Lee. The emotional rollercoaster and sometimes messy fallout of living life on the edge was conveyed powerfully and the tension, devotion and friendship between the relationships of Lee and her husband, lovers and friends was communicated with perfect period detail and style.
Without revealing too much about the subjects covered in this cinematic work, ‘Lee’ reminds us how important first-hand photographic evidence can be to asserting, in a timely fashion and without any doubt, that horrific historical events sometimes definitely did happen, how it happened and why it must be remembered and ideally never allowed to happen again.
This type of political journalism both then in the 20th century and now in the 21st century is not for the faint hearted but can be very important work. Serving as a war correspondent can also be emotionally and physically damaging and occasionally devastating to the lives of those who contribute to society by recording both the best and the worst times that are occurring across the world. The unravelling of how Lee’s experiences profoundly affected her was well handled and the film also allowed us to see how Lee choosing not to take the opportunity to fully reach her potential as a journalist professional, was also a path just not worth pursuing.
One of the film’s strengths is highlighting the contrast between the interwar times of leisurely fun and frolics and conversely the discomfort, stress and hard commitment of covering the danger and devastation of wartime Europe.
We follow Lee as she enjoys the good life in sunny peaceful times with lifelong artistic and bohemian friends in the beautiful English countryside and also the stunning French coast. We are then transported to another world of shocking realities and uncertain outcomes of how cities, towns, lives and sometimes whole families and groups of people can be destroyed and wiped out by an invasion of soldiers, following the invasion orders of a cruel dictatorship intent on expanding their empire.
We all thought the film was really very good and we were all impressed how well Kate Winslet played the leading role and really became Lee. We are not linguistic experts and although we have visited many on the American States, we have only spent significant amounts of time in the southern states of the United States of America. However, we weren’t totally taken with Lee’s American accent but as Kate Winslet is also based in Sussex this is understandable. We figured that with all the years of European living that Lee’s Poughkeepsie accent may have worn off somewhat as well.
Both Roland Penrose (Alexander Sarsgard) and US based Life photographer David Scherman (played by Andy Samberg) were really brilliantly well played. Both the characters of Penrose and Scherman also helped to fully immerse us in their unusual and unconventional world and the difficulties of living during war time and during that unique decade which has defined international relations and the balance of power ever since. Andrea Riseborough was also magnificent as Lee’s London based editor and dedicated creative supporter whilst also navigating a tough task as ‘Brogues’ boss.
Happily, there is still room for a sequel to this movie focusing on Lee’s earlier life, the fabulous Vogue years as a model, socialite and emerging creative photographer and how she gained the skills and the connections that allowed her to become the resilient, brave, mature and well-rounded strong women, well-known surrealist and war journalist that she most certainly appeared in this excellent film.
We need movies that champion the contribution of powerful women especially in industries whose leaders are still predominantly male. This is not a jaunty entertaining ‘chick flick’ or ‘romcom’ and some viewers may prefer to watch this worthwhile film on a small screen or television because of some of the upsetting and sensitive content. Possibly waiting for it to be ‘downloadable’ in another media format could make sense, from the point of view that ‘Lee’ is not a grand or big budget action movie filled with clever computer graphics. However, those with a keen visual eye and a love of photography and period drama details will not be disappointed with the experience of watching this movie on the big screen.
I can recommend reading all the books about Lee Miller and looking at all her photographs too and as a super fan it was an absolute treat to see all the period details and cleverly shot scenes in this work. We all escaped into the world of Lee Miller without distraction, just as Kate Winslet has cleverly designed the film to be enjoyed and consumed. This cinematic work is undoubtedly thought provoking when seen through a 2024 perspective.
It could be fair to say that without any prior knowledge of Lee Miller’s life and the circles she moved in, one might overlook the significance of the artists she spent time with. It was easy to miss that one of her close friends was Picasso for instance, although he was perfectly represented by Enrique Arce, which was a great casting choice.
Of course, Sussex in England is one of our favourite places, we loved seeing Lee Miller and Roland Penrose’s English country home Farley Farmhouse (now a museum and visitor attraction) feature in the ‘Lee’ film. The epilogue at the end was a splendid way to finish and satisfyingly explained what happened to all the characters leading up to today and how Lee’s family and the Lee Miller archive and legacy lives on into the future, now enhanced by Kate Winslet’s top-quality film.
Information and book to visit Farley Farmhouse in Sussex Visit Farley Farmhouse in Sussex
(1) Farley Farmhouse in Sussex, official residence of Lee Miller and now Lee Miller Museum and home of Anthony Penrose and family, 3 October 2024 Farley Farmhouse in Sussex, official residence of Lee Miller
(2) ‘Lee review – Kate Winslet is remarkable as model turned war photographer Lee Miller’ Wendy Ide’s film of the week, The Guardian, 15 September 2024 ‘Lee review – Kate Winslet is remarkable as model turned war photographer Lee Miller’ Wendy Ide, The Guardian
(3) Kate Winslet ‘Lee’ official trailer link, 3 October 2024 Kate Winslet ‘Lee’ official trailer link