Helmut Newton – The Bad and the Beautiful

Summary

Documentary film about the legendary photographer Helmut Newton (1920-2004), made on the occasion of his 100th birthday on 31 October 2020, which traces the life story of Newton, who was born in Berlin and as a Jew fled to Australia in 1938. He eventually became world famous as a photographer, not least for the influential fashion magazine Vogue. With his often provocative and controversial photographs (mostly of women), Newton influenced international fashion, advertising, portrait and nude photography. For his film, director Gero von Boehm received exclusive access to the archives of the Helmut Newton Foundation. Apart from Newton himself (in archive footage), only women have a say in the film, including his wife June Newton, Claudia Schiffer, Hanna Schygulla, Charlotte Rampling and Grace Jones, as well as Newton critic Susan Sontag.