Helmut Newton - Frames from the Edge

Rating:
Summary: Good Bio, But not super.
Review: Good bio. Gives you the life and times of this man. Some nudity, but overall the whole DVD was just okay. Nothing ground breaking or earth shattering.

Rating:
Summary: Helmut Traveling Road Show
Review: Helmut Newton - Frames From the Edge is a video primarily geared towards the ardent fan of photography. However, a person who is interested in the development of 20th century pop culture would certainly be more than amused by this wonderful video. The most striking aspect that shines throughout the video is Helmut's fun loving and sparkling personality. Witty, adventurous and most of all - fun loving - Helmut keeps the viewer informed and amused. Not at all like many photography videos centered in the class room, the range of locales in this video is dazzling. More importantly, the camera follows Helmut during shoots, conducting interviews with potential models, and riding with Helmut in Los Angeles. In the age where technological gadgets seem to proliferate it is telling that Helmut reveals that he uses one or two cameras to conduct his work. In summary, the photography fan would learn a great deal and the pop culture fan would learn why Helmut Newton is an important 20th Century icon. Much like Helmut's personality this video merits five stars.

Rating:
Summary: Helmut Traveling Road Show
Review: Helmut Newton - Frames From the Edge is a video primarily geared towards the ardent fan of photography. However, a person who is interested in the development of 20th century pop culture would certainly be more than amused by this wonderful video. The most striking aspect that shines throughout the video is Helmut's fun loving and sparkling personality. Witty, adventurous and most of all - fun loving - Helmut keeps the viewer informed and amused. Not at all like many photography videos centered in the class room, the range of locales in this video is dazzling. More importantly, the camera follows Helmut during shoots, conducting interviews with potential models, and riding with Helmut in Los Angeles. In the age where technological gadgets seem to proliferate it is telling that Helmut reveals that he uses one or two cameras to conduct his work. In summary, the photography fan would learn a great deal and the pop culture fan would learn why Helmut Newton is an important 20th Century icon. Much like Helmut's personality this video merits five stars.

Rating:
Summary: Terrible, Terrible documentary/biography
Review: I was very dissapointed when i saw this DVD. I had just seen the fantastic Richard Avedon DVD the night before.
I didnt know anything about Helmut Newton, and i wish i did... because it would of saved me the time and money i spent on this dvd. Newton's work is quite flat, uninspired and for the most part sexist (...).

If you are interested in photography, see the Avedon video instead.

Rating:
Summary: Terrible, Terrible documentary/biography
Review: I was very dissapointed when i saw this DVD. I had just seen the fantastic Richard Avedon DVD the night before.
I didnt know anything about Helmut Newton, and i wish i did... because it would of saved me the time and money i spent on this dvd. Newton's work is quite flat, uninspired and for the most part sexist (...).

If you are interested in photography, see the Avedon video instead.

Rating:
Summary: I don't know what hurt most...
Review: Seeing Helmut for the male pig that he really is or seeing those poor women lose all self respect as they posed for him. Nevertheless his work is wonderful and it was nice seeing exactly how he does it. I loved it from an artistic point of view, it really gets into his head and reveals what we may not want to see... he's just a simple guy who likes to make money and his reputation have gotten larger than life and women throw themselves at him. Or, the fact that he's just plain damned GOOD! Helmut's work is captivating, very rich in tone and contrast, and quite frankly spellbinding. You'll enjoy this DVD especially if you are a photography student or pro.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting documentary, interesting photographer
Review: Well my local video stores didn't carry the film so... I ordered it online. It's very interesting to see how the man worked, both with his Hasselblad and behind the scenes. He obviously didn't have the internet to find his fetish models so he had agencies and associates recruit talent for him. Let me tell you-it was a LOT harder to find willing nude fetish models 30 years ago. (The term "fetish" I don't believe was used during the entire movie which was completed in 1988).

Very much a perfectionist, Helmut was quite the control freak as well. Everything from posing the models to ordering his printers to make enlargements to his stringent specifications. None of his images were left to chance. They were extremely calculated and technically expert. He took very few actual photographs during the shoots from what I can tell, but the ones he did take were absolutely spot on.

He and his wife lived quite a lavish lifestyle-staying in exquisite chateaus and hotels in some rather upscale cities of the world. Truly a voyeur, he peered through his telescope at the topless sunbathing women at his hotel's swimming pool. He wasn't actively 'nice' to his models it seems. He complained that they couldn't stand still enough or give him the look he was going for. Nevertheless, he found stunning models to work with and did absolutely incredible large-scale art so you have got to hand it to him. The video is worth owning if you're a fan of Newton or the history of fetish art.

Timothy M. Hughes