Lee Millerwas many things, but she is best remembered today for her work in the field of war photography. During World War II, she worked forVogueas a war correspondent and was present in Europe during the desperate battles of the war’s final months - as well as the concentration camps, whose horrors would haunt her for the rest of her life.
Now Miller’s extraordinary life is being adapted for the silver screen.Leeis a biopic directed by Ellen Kuras, starring Kate Winslet in the lead role. Here’s why we’re excited.
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Lee: The Plot
Lee Miller’s life was as varied and remarkable as it was ground-breaking. Having begun her career as a fashion model, Miller segued into the field of photography at the turn of the 1930s, and as one of the very few female war photographers during World War Two, Miller was present to record some of the most important events in the history of the twentieth century, including the Blitz, the liberation of Paris, and the arrival of Allied forces at the notorious Buchenwald and Dachau concentration camps.
Miller’s private life was as colorful as her professional life. She maintained the company of artists and intellectuals. For several years in the early 1930s, she was in a relationship with the Surrealist painter Man Ray, with whom she frequently collaborated on photographic projects. Later she began an affair with, and eventually married, the British Surrealist Roland Penrose and settled in England, where she spent the rest of her life. Early reports indicate that the bulk ofLeewill cover Miller’s early life, up to and including her time in Europe during the war.
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Lee: The Cast
Starring as Miller is Kate Winslet. Since the onset of the Covid pandemic, Winslet’s output has primarily been in the realm of voice work, including voicing Black Beauty in the film of the same name (2020) and narration for documentaries. 2021’sEating Our Way To Extinction, an expose on the global food industry, was picked up by Amazon, while last year’sEleven Days in Maycovered life in Gaza during a bombing campaign. But Winslet’s profile has once again risen in recent months with the release ofAvatar: The Way of Water, in which she starred as Ronal, a role she will reprise for the third installment in the franchise, due for release next year.
Starring alongside Winslet is Andy Samberg as fellow war photographer David Scherman. As anyone who has watchedSaturday Night Live- on which he worked for many years as botha performer and a writer- knows, Samberg’s background in TV comedy is extensive, with an Emmy under his belt for his unforgettable work inBrooklyn Nine-Nine. But his resume in film is equally impressive, with well-received appearances inTake The 10(2017),Brigsby Bear(2017), andPalm Springs(2020), as well as voice work (as Benedict Arnold) inAmerica: The Motion Picture(2021) and theCloudy With a Chance of Meatballsfilms.
Marion Cotillard also appears, fresh from a winning performance as Cleopatra opposite Vincent Cassel’s Julius Caesar in French-language live-action rompAsterix and Obelix: The Middle Kingdom, which debuted last month and has enjoyed substantial box office success in French-speaking markets. Cotillard has a busy year ahead, with several films slated for release, not the least of which isThe Brutalist, a hard-hitting drama about a Holocaust survivor that also stars Mark Rylance and Joel Edgerton.
Playing the editor ofVoguemagazine during Miller’s tenure on the publication, Audrey Withers, is Andrea Riseborough, whose unexpected Academy Award nominationturned heads earlier this year. On the strength of Riseborough’s acting chops, it needn’t have - her critical notices have included rave reviews for appearances in films including Armando Iannucci’s dark comedyThe Death of Stalin(2017),The Kindness of Strangers(2019), Prime’sThe Electrical Life of Louis Wainin 2021 (opposite Benedict Cumberbatch); and a slew of projects last year, includingPlease Baby Please,Amsterdam, and the new musical version of the Roald Dahl novelMatilda. Riseborough is due to appear again alongside Winslet in HBO’s miniseriesThe Palacelater this year.
Other cast members include Samuel Barnett (Jupiter Ascending,The Lady in the Van); Zita Hanrot (The Swallows of Kabul,Love, Death, and Robots); Alexander Skarsgård (The Kill Team,Godzilla vs. Kong); Josh O’Connor (The Crown,Doctor Who); and James Murray (The Crown,Medici: Masters of Florence).
Release Date
Leehas spent a fair few years in development hell, having first been announced as long ago as 2015. Filming began in September last year and took place in Croatia and Hungary before wrapping in December. The film is now in post-production. A release date has yet to be announced.
