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Miller is denied entry to Hitler's apartment because it is "for officers only"

Synopsis

The story of American photographer Lee Miller, a model turned acclaimed war correspondent for Vogue magazine during World War II. Based on "The Lives of Lee Miller", the only authorized biography of Lee Miller's life, written by her own son, Anthony Penrose, and published in 1985. War correspondents were given the rank of captain, so technically the US Army guard should have granted her entry.

Featured in The 7PM Project: Episode dated October 21, 2024 (2024)

Lee Miller: [Handing a knife to a girl she has just saved from rape] Next time, cut it out. The end credits contain some explanation of "what happened to"; and some of Lee's original photos, often alongside those recreated for the film. Kate Winslet delivers a fairly effective performance here as the eponymous photographer who has arrived in London to be with her husband Roland Penrose (Alexander Skarsgård) and to work for the formidable Audrey Withers (Andrea Riseborough) at Vogue magazine as a fashion photographer.

Her story is told from the comfort of her 1960s British home to a man assumed to be a mere journalist

As the rise of the Nazis seems inevitable across continental Europe, Penrose devotes more time to the war effort, making her increasingly determined to prove that she is just as capable as her male counterparts. Needless to say, there is some resistance to her involvement in combat zones, but through her own persistence and an alliance with David Scherman (Andy Samberg), she is soon actively involved in war photography and by the end she is visiting some of the most horrific sites ever built, witnessing first-hand the truly sickening atrocities left behind by a now-defeated war machine that has made an art form of mass annihilation. Indeed, the latter’s obvious nervousness and her unsympathetic attitude toward him and his task seem to suggest that she sees no value in his memories, but as we unfold the threads of her life, we begin to sense that there is something more between her and this young man (Josh O’Connor), which puts into perspective the choices made by a woman who probably prioritized her career.

Images that, even today, send shivers down your spine

Through the characters of Solange (Marion Cotillard) and Nusch (Noémie Merlant), the film also attempts to give some substance to the story of those who had to “cooperate” with their new masters. Some willingly, others less so, and some, well, didn’t live to tell. The production and battle scenarios aren't exactly effective - perhaps a little too polished, the script is a little dry and there's perhaps a little too much of it, but Winslet shows here that she has more than enough capacity to take on a role that would have been easy to douse in bravado, but instead brings a more thoughtful charisma to her portrayal of a woman whose bloodthirsty courage gave rise to some of the most significant images of World War II.