Apr 30, 2018 alexandra deans debut documentary is a revelatory and entertaining portrait of an adventurous woman and talented inventor better known to the world as the embodiment of hollywood sex and glamour. Like 2015s documentary listen to me marlon, dean uses tapes featuring the thespians own voice to tell the inside story of the iconic, exotic actress who dazzled and delighted. This documentary will rediscover her, not only as an actress, but as a brilliant mind. However, her arresting looks and glamorous life stood in the way of her being given the credit she deserved as an ingenious inventor whose pioneering work helped revolutionise modern communication. Produced by reframed pictures in association with american masters, the new documentary bombshell. By day, a glamorous film star, by night a technology pioneer wendy ide. However, in 2016, director alexandra dean and producer adam haggiag unearthed. The real tragedy against humanity uncovered by bombshell. The hedy lamarr story is the fourth film in our 201718 doc soup series copresented with hot docs. The hedy lamarr story trailer a quiet place part ii. Hollywood star hedy lamarr was known as the worlds most beautiful woman snow white and cat woman were both based on her iconic look. While many recognize hedy lamarr as one of classic hollywoods strikingly glamorous bombshells, her personal interests and impact upon culture extended far beyond the confines of the silver screen. Weaving in lamarrs own voice from archival recordings, dean reveals how lamarr gave her patent to the navy, received no credit for her contributions, and wound up impoverished in her latter years.
Dec 05, 2017 but in addition to viewers interested in feminist issues and the scientific process, bombshell is, perhaps above all, a treat for moviegoers such as yours truly who love film history. At the same time, lamarr pursued a clear passion for inventing. The hedy lamarr story trailer a quiet place part ii teaser respect sneak peek. Foremost of them was her inventive genius that a world blinded by her beauty could not recognize as far back as her youth in austria with her. The hedy lamarr story is based on the tapes of an interview lamarr gave to forbes 25 years ago. However, her arresting looks and glamorous life stood in the way of her being given the credit she deserved as an ingenious inventor whose pioneering work helped revolutionize modern communication. Bombshell, the hedy lamarr story also tells us a lot about the interesting experimental composer george antheil, through his engineeringpatent relationship with the glamorous movie starturned inventor. Nov 30, 2017 there have always been movie stars whose primary, sometimes only, asset was their looks. The life and career of the hailed hollywood movie star and.
She helped create the technology that paved the way for secure cellphone communication, wifi, bluetooth. Utah film center is a public charity recognized as taxexempt by the irs under. The hedy lamarr story what do the most ravishingly beautiful actress of the 1930s and 40s and the inventor whose concepts were the basis of cell phone and bluetooth technology have in common. The life and career of the hailed hollywood movie star and underappreciated genius inventor, hedy lamarr. Hedy lamarr, unknown to many at the time was an ingenious inventor whose pioneering work helped revolutionize modern communication. Her groundbreaking concept of frequency hopping is now used as the basis for secure wifi, gps and bluetooth something which you can hardly imagine amanda holden coming up with. Hedy lamarr was a hollywood movie star who was hailed as the most beautiful and glamorous in the world. We arent overloaded with scenes from her filmography. Writerdirector alexandra deans nonfiction bombshell. The hedy lamarr story, is directed alexandra dean, executive produced by susan sarandon, and narrated in part by actress diane kruger. The hedy lamar story goes on general release fri 9 march. Once named the most beautiful woman in the world, hedy lamarr was synonymous with classic hollywood glamour for her appearances in films such as algiers 1938, white cargo 1942, and samson and delilah 1949.
The hedy lamarr story is a 90 minute slice of cinema history and much more about an enigmatic screen star who was also a behindthescenes inventor. The hedy lamarr story gives lamarr the wellrounded portrayal she deserves. For lamarr, it seems that no matter what she did, or whom she encountered, the stories borne of those experiences proved limitless and fascinating. How hollywood film star hedy lamarrs true legacy is that of a technological trailblazer. The hedy lamarr story brings to light the story of an unusual and. Alexandra deans debut documentary is a revelatory and entertaining portrait of an adventurous woman and talented inventor better known to the world as the embodiment of hollywood sex and glamour. Bombshell, the hedy lamarr story trailers from hell. The hedy lamarr story explores how lamarr s true legacy is that of a technological trailblazer. The hedy lamarr story is a film for lovers of history, hollywood and science. The hedy lamarr story is a historical doc that inspires us not to be defined by the labels that other people stick on us without asking.
Hollywood wildchild, hedy lemarr, was infamous for her marriages and affairs with everyone from spencer tracy to jfk. Combining a rediscovered interview with reflections from her closest friends, family and admirers, including mel brooks and robert osborne, bombshell finally gives hedy lamarr the chance to tell her own story. Dean doesnt overdo the glamour photography, preferring when possible to concentrate on family shots and personal photos. The hedy lamarr story presents a surprising picture of a screen star actress hedy lamarr, seen in a white fox fur jacket in this 1938 portrait, is the subject of a new documentary. Lamarrs life story could have been a movie itself, and now it is. Hedy lamarr never publicly talked about her life as an inventor and so her family thought her story died when she did. Zeitgeist films in interviews, lamarrs children one of whom was adopted but promptly shipped off to another family at the age of 12 and barely saw her for fifty years generally describe her as a loving mother, but also one who fell. The hedy lamarr story is the millions of ideas that never came to light because society refused to listen to women. Great use of hardtofind vintage news clips, interviews and famous hollywood scenes all weaved together to tell her fascinating story. Lamarr is relevant today her inventions including the first radio guidance system used on wwii allied torpedoes have evolved into wifi, bluetooth, and a host of other cutting edge technology that we take for granted. Width in pixels px height in pixels px copied to your clipboard unable to copy. Official documents and good animation are used to explain the duos theories and patents.
It turns out the most beautiful woman in the world was also a secret inventor. Kruger optioned richard rhodess book hedys folly in 2011 with the idea of making it into a miniseries. At night, after shooting her scenes on set, she works on a secret radio system that will allow the allies to torpedo nazi uboats with deadly accuracy. After the success of her debut film, she realised it would be hard to continue living in austria. This is essentially what happened to actress, hedy lamarr. The hedy lamarr story referred to onscreen as simply bombshell is a 2017 american biographical documentary film directed, written and coedited by alexandra dean, about the life of actress and inventor hedy lamarr. By the age of 75, she had to cope with the consequences of several blotched plastic surgeries. They are both hedy lamarr, the glamour icon whose ravishing visage was the inspiration for snow white and cat woman and a technological trailblazer who perfected a secure radio guidance system for allied torpedoes during wwii. On one level, bombshell is a tale of escape from lamarrs native austriahungary as it fell under german domination. The hedy lamarr story subtitles english 4 subtitles.
This film rediscovers hollywood wildchild, hedy lamarr, not only as an actress but as the brilliant mind who coinvented 1940s wireless technology. When nazi uboats torpedo a ship carrying 83 school children during world war ii, hollywood movie star hedy lamarr decides to exact revenge. It had its world premiere at the 2017 tribeca film festival and released theatrically on november 24, 2017. The brilliant mind of hollywood legend hedy lamarr youtube. A famous exemplar was hedy lamarr, the austrian import who arrived in hollywood already notorious for an ear. But today, fifteen years after her death, the world has forgotten hedy lamarr, the great beauty. Bombshell rediscovers hedy lemarr, not only as an actress but as a secret inventor who was well known for her looks but received no credit for her scientific contributions. Inspiring and tragic, bombshell is a bittersweet celebration and reclamation of hedy lemarrs journey from hollywood legend to technology genius.
However, in 2016, director alexandra dean and producer adam haggiag unearthed four neverbeforeheard audio tapes of lamarr speaking on the record about her incredible life, finally giving her the chance to tell her own story. Lamarr wasnt without demons, but to look at the entirety of her life in context along its volatile trajectory of highs and lows is to understand she was a victim of chauvinistic times. Her groundbreaking concept of frequency hopping is now used as the basis for secure wifi, gps and bluetooth something which. Bombshell is a zeitgeist films release in association with kino lorber. Born in austria, lamarr was both an actress and inventor, famously working for metrogoldwynmayer. Now imagine the design proved so innovative, it transcended weapons technology and sparked a revolution in communications technology over the next halfcentury. The hedy lamarr story debuts on pbs on friday, may 18 at 9. The austrian jewish emigre revealed how she became a hollywood tragedy. There have always been movie stars whose primary, sometimes only, asset was their looks.
The hedy lamarr story tells the fascinating and tragic life of a hollywood icon most know lamarr as a hollywood star but not many know she was also a genius who paved the way for modern. The actress hedy lamarr captivated audiences during the 1930s and 1940s in films like algiers and ziegfeld girl, and became known as an iconic beauty. In 1937, she transferred to london and found an american film agent who took her to hollywood. The kino lorber zeitgeist bluray of bombshell, the hedy lamarr story is a handsome encoding of this professionally shot and assembled documentary, with attractive interviews and tastefully judged photo montages. Hollywood star hedy lamarr was called the worlds most beautiful womanbut her hidden legacy as an inventor who helped revolutionize modern communications is even more stunning. The sloan foundation supported the series through the tribeca film institute, and it is now. With hedy lamarr, mel brooks, jennifer hom, anthony loder. The hedy lamarr story, the firsttime director takes a rather conventional approach to telling a most unconventional story. However, that was only the surface that tragically obscured her astounding true talents. The hedy lamarr story friday, november 24 thursday, february 1, 2018 combining a rediscovered interview with reflections from her closest friends, family and admirers, including mel brooks and robert osborne, bombshell finally gives hedy lamarr the chance to tell her own story. To book this film please contact nancy gerstman or emily russo or call 2122741989.