Fur (film)

Last updated

Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus
Fur movie.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Steven Shainberg
Screenplay by Erin Cressida Wilson
Based onDiane Arbus: A Biography by Patricia Bosworth
Produced byLaura Bickford
Patricia Bosworth
Andrew Fierberg
William Pohlad
Bonnie Timmermann
Starring Nicole Kidman
Robert Downey Jr.
Cinematography Bill Pope
Edited by Kristina Boden
Keiko Deguchi
Music by Carter Burwell
Production
company
Distributed by Picturehouse
Release date
  • November 10, 2006 (2006-11-10)
Running time
122 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$16.8 million
Box office$2.3 million [1]

Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (also known simply as Fur) is a 2006 American romantic drama film directed by Steven Shainberg and written by Erin Cressida Wilson, based on Patricia Bosworth's book Diane Arbus: A Biography. It stars Nicole Kidman as iconic American photographer Diane Arbus, who was known for her strange, disturbing images, and also features Robert Downey Jr. and Ty Burrell. As the title implies, the film is largely fictional.

Contents

Plot

The movie opens with Diane Arbus arriving to shoot pictures at a nudist colony. The story then flashes back to three months earlier in New York City, 1958. Diane Arbus plays assistant to her photographer husband Allan. Diane is from a wealthy family; her father is a furrier. Allan's family has run a photo studio for decades. Diane is clearly uncomfortable with the tepid life of a city wife and mother (to their two girls). One night during a party, she is gazing out the window and catches the eye of the mysterious neighbor who has just moved in upstairs. His face is completely covered except for the eyes and mouth. That evening after the party, Diane stands on their patio, opens her dress and exposes her bra. She admits this to her husband. A few days later, her daughter informs her of a problem with the plumbing. Opening up a pipe, Diane discovers clumps of hair blocking it. As she removes the hair, a key tumbles down. She takes the hair and key out to the trash, and then buzzes her upstairs neighbor to ask if he's been grooming a dog. He says no, and then suggests she look in the basement, which she does. She sees an ornate chair and a sideshow poster of a "wild man," which an armless woman then dusts off. Diane assumes she's the wife of the neighbor. When she can't sleep, Diane grabs the camera (that her husband had gifted her years before, and she'd as of yet never used), and goes upstairs to introduce herself to her neighbor, and ask if she could shoot his portrait. He asks her if she got the key, and then tells her to return the next night. She leaves, and then goes to grab the key out of the trash.

Thus begins her relationship with Lionel Sweeney, a man with hypertrichosis who is in demand as a wigmaker. Lionel sees in Diane a kindred spirit, and he takes her places where she meets transvestites, dwarves and others living on the fringes of society. Diane tells Allan she'd like to take time off from the business to take her own photographs, starting with the neighbors. He's supportive of her. As Diane spends more with Lionel, she grows more attracted to him and this new, strange and exciting world. She's taking photographs, but hides the undeveloped film in a cookie jar. The key was to Lionel's apartment, so Diane can let herself in at any time.

Lionel asks to be introduced to Diane's husband. Soon Diane has brought Lionel even into her family life. Her children help him with his wig making business, and he reads bedtime stories to them. She introduces him to her mother and father. At her and Allan's anniversary party, Diane finds Lionel breathing in some substance. He admits that his lungs are disintegrating, and within a few months he'll be "drowning." She cries at this news. They almost kiss, but are interrupted by Allan, who sees their intimate moment, and then leaves. Later at home, he asks Diane if she'd kissed him, but then realizes it doesn't matter if they have or if they haven't, that he knows her feelings towards Lionel. He begs her not to tear their family apart. Diane agrees to end the affair, and dresses and goes upstairs to do so. When she lets herself in to Lionel's, she finds him naked with shaving cream and razor in hand. He asks her to completely shave him. When he's naked, they make love. When she asks why he wanted to be shaved (after previously professing it wasn't worth the effort), he reveals he intends to "swim out," to commit suicide in the ocean, and wants her to be with him when he does it. She's devastated but agrees. They profess their love for each other, and Diane finally takes a picture of Lionel for the first time. Meanwhile, her daughter, having found her film stash, gives it to Allan to develop: he sees that his wife has been taking meaningless pictures until then, instead of the portraits she had said she was shooting.

At the beach, Lionel presents Diane with a gift: a fur jacket, made from his own hair. She walks with Lionel to the edge of the water, and watches as he gleefully swims out.

She returns to her home, and as she puts the key in the door, realizes she cannot go in, back to her old life. Allan, standing on the other side of the door, does nothing. Diane returns to Lionel's apartment, rolls in his bed, and breathes the air he'd blown into a life raft to inflate it. Suddenly, she's surrounded by all of Lionel's friends, and they have a party to honor him. One of his friends gives her a photo album Lionel wanted her to have. It has fifty empty pages, all with photo plate tags in Lionel's handwriting: while number one is titled "Lionel", for the portrait he had taken of him, he wants her to fill them the rest of the pages with her other new photographs.

Diane, touched by her experience with Lionel, now knows what direction to take with her life and career. The final scene shows her at a nudist camp, where she meets a woman who assumes she wants to take her picture. Arbus admits this, but first asks the woman to tell her a secret. The woman asks Diane to tell her a secret first, and Diane agrees.

Cast

Production

For the film, director Shainberg, best known for his erotic comedy drama film Secretary , reunited with its screenwriter, Erin Cressida Wilson, who used Patricia Bosworth's Diane Arbus: A Biography as a source. [2] As its name implies, the film is a fictional account rather than an accurate biography. Mark Romanek had previously tried to direct and write a film based on Bosworth's biography for DreamWorks Pictures. [3]

No pictures by Arbus herself are featured, as her estate refused approval. [4] [5]

The nudist camp of Camp Venus was shot at Sailors' Snug Harbor in Staten Island.

Reception

The film holds a score of 50 on Metacritic, [6] and holds a 32% from 111 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, with the critics consensus reading, "This portrait of a groundbreaking photographer lacks the daring of its subject." [7]

The Chicago Tribune gave the film three out of four stars: "The result is a revelatory, challenging and deeply affecting portrait, anchored by what may be Kidman's most profoundly moving performance." [8]

The Los Angeles Times criticized the "cop-out ending that undercuts its message about the unimportance of surface differences in favor of a glib finalities to have its cake and eat it too". Despite this, the newspaper continued to heap praise on Kidman and Downey Jr; "the remarkable acting of its two stars pulls you back in and keeps you watching. Kidman, the most consistently daring of today's top stars, is exceptionally convincing as someone whose interior process plays out in front of us. And Downey, for the most part using only his soulful, yearning eyes and a silky, urbane voice, creates a man no one could resist. Separately and together, they make us believe the unbelievable." [9]

Soundtrack

The soundtrack to Fur was released on November 14, 2006.

No.TitleArtistLength
1."The Fur" Carter Burwell 3:11
2."Tango de la Bête"Carter Burwell1:23
3."Scary Times"Carter Burwell1:38
4."Arbus Family Photo Studio"Carter Burwell1:53
5."My Arms Around Myself"Carter Burwell1:54
6."Exposure"Carter Burwell0:57
7."Seduction"Carter Burwell1:09
8."Pipes"Carter Burwell1:36
9."Ad Ultima Thule"Carter Burwell3:30
10."Call of the Wild"Carter Burwell1:06
11."The Tea Party"Carter Burwell2:08
12."Following"Carter Burwell1:58
13."The Run Back Home"Carter Burwell1:16
14."Water Dream"Carter Burwell3:13
15."Stepping Out"Carter Burwell1:04
16."A Dead Person"Carter Burwell1:19
17."Trap Door Party"Carter Burwell1:13
18."Drowning"Carter Burwell1:36
19."End It"Carter Burwell1:22
20."Transmission"Carter Burwell2:28
21."The Shave"Carter Burwell5:22
22."Into The Sea"Carter Burwell5:03
23."I Want to Meet Your Husband"Carter Burwell0:53
Total length:47:12 [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diane Arbus</span> American photographer (1923–1971)

Diane Arbus was an American photographer. She photographed a wide range of subjects including strippers, carnival performers, nudists, people with dwarfism, children, mothers, couples, elderly people, and middle-class families. She photographed her subjects in familiar settings: their homes, on the street, in the workplace, in the park. "She is noted for expanding notions of acceptable subject matter and violates canons of the appropriate distance between photographer and subject. By befriending, not objectifying her subjects, she was able to capture in her work a rare psychological intensity." In his 2003 New York Times Magazine article, "Arbus Reconsidered", Arthur Lubow states, "She was fascinated by people who were visibly creating their own identities—cross-dressers, nudists, sideshow performers, tattooed men, the nouveaux riches, the movie-star fans—and by those who were trapped in a uniform that no longer provided any security or comfort." Michael Kimmelman writes in his review of the exhibition Diane Arbus Revelations, that her work "transformed the art of photography ". Arbus's imagery helped to normalize marginalized groups and highlight the importance of proper representation of all people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Downey Jr.</span> American actor (born 1965)

Robert John Downey Jr. is an American actor. His films as a leading actor have grossed over $14 billion worldwide, making him one of the highest-grossing actors of all time. Downey's career has been characterized by some early success, a period of drug-related problems and run-ins with the law, and a surge in popular and commercial success in the 2000s. In 2008, Downey was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. From 2013 to 2015, he was listed by Forbes as Hollywood's highest-paid actor.

<i>Say Anything...</i> 1989 American teen romantic comedy-drama film

Say Anything... is a 1989 American teen romantic comedy drama film written and directed by Cameron Crowe. The film follows the romance between Lloyd Dobler, an average student, and Diane Court, the class valedictorian, immediately after their graduation from high school.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allan Arbus</span> American actor and photographer (1918-2013)

Allan Franklin Arbus was an American actor and photographer. He was the former husband of photographer Diane Arbus. He is known for his role as psychiatrist Dr. Sidney Freedman on the CBS television series M*A*S*H.

<i>Female Trouble</i> 1974 film by John Waters

Female Trouble is a 1974 American independent dark comedy film written, produced and directed by John Waters. It stars Divine, David Lochary, Mary Vivian Pearce, Mink Stole, and Edith Massey, and follows delinquent high school student Dawn Davenport, who runs away from home, gets pregnant while hitchhiking, and embarks upon a life of crime.

Steven Shainberg is an American film director and producer. He is the nephew of author Lawrence Shainberg. Both are part of the Shainberg family of Memphis, Tennessee, founder of the Shainberg's chain of stores, which is now part of Dollar General.

<i>Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves</i> 1997 film by Dean Cundey

Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves is a 1997 American science fiction comedy film, and the third installment in the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids film series. The film marks the directorial debut of cinematographer Dean Cundey, who previously served as director of photographer for a 4D ride known as Honey, I Shrunk the Audience! which debuted in 1994.

Mary Jane Skalski is a film producer based in New York City and winner of the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award for The Station Agent. She attended University of Michigan during the late 1980s and moved to New York, NY upon graduation. Her first job in film making was with the Association of American Independent Video and Filmmakers (AIVF). In 2018 she was appointed as Executive Vice-President for Echo Lake Entertainment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patricia Bosworth</span> American journalist (1933–2020)

Patricia Bosworth was an American journalist, biographer, memoirist, and actress. She was a faculty member of Columbia University’s school of journalism as well as Barnard College, and was a winner of the Front Page Award for her journalistic achievement in writing about the Hollywood Blacklist.

Amy Arbus is an American photographer. She teaches portraiture at the International Center of Photography, Anderson Ranch, NORD photography and the Fine Arts Work Center. She has published several books of photography, including The Fourth Wall which The New Yorker called her "masterpiece". Her work has appeared in over 100 periodicals including The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Architectural Digest, and The New York Times Magazine. She is the daughter of actor Allan Arbus and photographer Diane Arbus, the sister of writer and journalist Doon Arbus, and the niece of distinguished poet Howard Nemerov.

<i>Street Scene</i> (film) 1931 American pre-Code drama film by King Vidor

Street Scene is a 1931 American pre-Code drama film produced by Samuel Goldwyn and directed by King Vidor. With a screenplay by Elmer Rice adapted from his Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name, Street Scene takes place on a New York City street from one evening until the following afternoon. Except for one scene which takes place inside a taxi, Vidor shot the entire film on a single set depicting half a city block of house fronts.

<i>Seventh Heaven</i> (1937 film) 1937 film by Henry King

Seventh Heaven is an American romantic drama film released in 1937 by 20th Century Fox, directed by Henry King and starring Simone Simon and James Stewart. The supporting cast features Jean Hersholt, Gregory Ratoff, Gale Sondergaard, and John Qualen.

<i>Identical Twins, Roselle, New Jersey, 1967</i> Photograph by Diane Arbus

Identical Twins, Roselle, New Jersey, 1967 is a noted photograph by photographer Diane Arbus from the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erin Cressida Wilson</span> American dramatist

Erin Cressida Wilson is an American playwright, screenwriter, professor, and author.

<i>Killshot</i> (film) 2008 film by John Madden

Killshot is a 2008 American action thriller film directed by John Madden and starring Diane Lane, Thomas Jane, Mickey Rourke and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. It is based on Elmore Leonard's 1989 novel of the same name. The story follows a couple who, despite being in a Witness Protection Program, are being chased and confronted by the criminal they outed.

<i>Greasers Palace</i> 1972 film

Greaser's Palace is a 1972 American Western film written and directed by Robert Downey Sr. It stars Allan Arbus as Jesse, a man with amnesia who heals the sick, resurrects the dead and tap dances on water on the American frontier. A parable based on the life of Jesus in the New Testament, the film has been described as an acid Western.

Vanished, also known as Danielle Steel's Vanished, is a 1995 American made-for-television romantic drama film directed by George Kaczender and starring George Hamilton, Robert Hays and Lisa Rinna. The film is based on the 1993 novel of the same name by Danielle Steel.

<i>Stoker</i> (film) 2013 psychological thriller film by Park Chan-wook

Stoker is a 2013 psychological thriller film directed by Park Chan-wook, in his English-language debut, and written by Wentworth Miller. The film stars Mia Wasikowska, Matthew Goode, Nicole Kidman, Dermot Mulroney, and Jacki Weaver.

John Francis Putnam was the art director and designer of Mad from 1954 to 1980. "Until John came to us, Mad was just a comic book," said publisher Bill Gaines following Putnam's death. "He joined Mad as a $75 a week temporary employee, and was [in 1980] the oldest member of the staff both in terms of age and time with the magazine."

La Dolce Viva is a landmark article written in 1968 by Barbara Goldsmith about, Viva, a model and actress in Andy Warhol's movies. It was published in New York Magazine in the magazine's inaugural year; the profile and the accompanying nude photographs by Diane Arbus, depicted Viva as penniless, promiscuous, and addicted to drugs, caused a scandal that nearly scuttled the new publication. Although the photographs by Arbus are best known, the article's opening photograph, in which Viva is seated and fully clothed on a stool, was taken by Lee Kraft and had previously run in the American edition of Vogue.

References

  1. "Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  2. Fernandez, Jay A. (November 8, 2006). "Writer and subject coexist as Arbus". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  3. Petrikin, Chris; Hindes, Andrew (September 17, 1998). "Romanek eyes 'Paradise'". Variety . Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  4. Thomson, David (December 10, 2008). Nicole Kidman. ISBN   9780307488794.
  5. Kidd, Chip (2015). Judge This. ISBN   9781476784786.
  6. "Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus". Metacritic . Retrieved December 17, 2009.
  7. "Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  8. "Movie review: 'Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus'". Chicago Tribune . November 16, 2006. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012.
  9. Turan, Kenneth (November 10, 2006). "MOVIE REVIEW 'Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus'". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on July 5, 2007.
  10. "Fur Soundtrack". AllMusic . Retrieved February 26, 2014.