Diana Vreeland was a larger-than-life personality, and with it made life extraordinary. Having been both fashion editor for Harper's Bazaar and editor-in-chief of Vogue, she knew everybody, saw everything, and used her influence to breathe life into the pages of those magazines. This documentary takes a look at her life and work, and includes interviews with those who knew her best: designers, her models (including some models-turned-actresses Anjelica Huston and Lauren Bacall), photographers, her children. They all come to the same conclusion: while she could be maddeningly eccentric and stubborn at times, and had a flair for exaggeration (when asked if her stories were fact or fiction, she replied "Faction."), nobody could deny her brilliance.
I first became a devoted fan of hers my sophomore or junior year of high school. I read her biography DV about a million times. I'm sharing this because it's impossible for me to review a film about my biggest hero objectively. Hell, I still would've enjoyed this film if it was nothing but pictures of her with quotes on the bottom of the screen. But since Craig (who was less familiar with her and not a crazed superfan) enjoyed it too, I feel safe in saying that it was a great documentary. They use a sound-alike to recreate some of her conversations with George Plimpton which threw me off for a bit, but I guess I prefer it to an actress trying to look and act like her too. It's a minor issue, the rest of the film is lovely. Gorgeous photos, heartwarming interviews, I laughed, I cried. A great documentary. Oh, and the use of the Rolling Stones' "She's Like a Rainbow" in the opening credits was brilliant. So fitting, and it made me all verklempt! I love her.
"There’s only one very good life and that’s the life you know you want and you make it yourself."
" A little bad taste is like a nice splash of paprika. We all need a splash of bad taste—it’s hearty, it’s healthy, it’s physical. I think we could use more of it. No taste is what I’m against."
"There’s only one thing in life, and that’s the continual renewal of inspiration."
--DV
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