‘Lee’. See it if you can

Venturing into our local independent cinema away from a rainy Sunday afternoon to watch  the marvellous’Lee’ was definitely a prime example of pathetic fallacy. With moments of joy, this is a dark expression of the life of the remarkable photographer Lee Miller, starring Kate Winslet.

‘Lee’ was produced with the full support of Miller’s family and it is a brutally honest portrayal of a complex woman who in her time produced some of the most iconic representations of the Second World War, particularly in her images of the liberation of Dachau. 

This is far from a comfortable piece to watch, but it’s deeply moving and Winslet’s portrayal of the photographer feels genuine and respectful. Miller never really enjoyed the success she deserved for her work in the final months of the Second World War, and it was her son who discovered her photos in her English home after her death in 1977. Without his work, we might never have known the story of this remarkable woman. 

Gazing at the photos his mother took across France and Germany in 1944 and 1945, Antony Penrose came to understand her importance as an artist: his parents were art connoisseurs but he had no idea of Miller’s vital role in documenting the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp. 

We should never forget the horrors of the Second World War and Lee Miller’s photos - intended for British Vogue but eventually published in its US edition - are symbolic and emblematic watchtower he film if you can and try to see some of the original, disturbing photos themselves.