Synopsis
Nude men in rubber suits, close-ups of erections, objects shoved in the most intimate of places—these are photographs taken by Robert Mapplethorpe, known by many as the most controversial photographer of the twentieth century. Openly gay, Mapplethorpe took images of male sex, nudity, and fetish to extremes that resulted in his work still being labelled by some as pornography masquerading as art. But less talked about are the more serene, yet striking portraits of flowers, sculptures, and perfectly framed human forms that are equally pioneering and powerful.
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Cast
- Robert MapplethorpeSelf (archive footage)
- Fran LebowitzSelf
- Debbie HarrySelf
- Brooke ShieldsSelf
- Carolina HerreraSelf
- Paul MartineauSelf
- Bob ColacelloSelf
- Patti SmithSelf (voice) (uncredited)
Recommendations
- 80
The Guardian
It forces viewers to take long looks at his most controversial imagery, proving that he still has the power to provoke, seduce and enrage. - 80
Los Angeles Times
In the new documentary Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures, directors Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato do an ultra-fine job tracing a born provocateur's commitment to his calling. - 80
Screen Daily
The input of the eloquent, brilliant, bitchy circle of friends with which he surrounded himself creates a portrait of the man which is every bit as candid as his work. - 80
Time Out London
A candid, often shocking documentary portrait of the great photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. - 80
Total Film
Interviewing key figures in his life, they build an anecdote-rich bio. - 75
The Film Stage
Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures provides a snappy, confidently explicit overview of the photographer’s work and life that chooses not to sugarcoat the man’s ruthless ambition or seemingly exasperating personality. - 75
RogerEbert.com
If his work still shocks, it stirs the soul, for he was a classicist reaching for the perfect form. - 75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
What we learn from the enjoyable punditry of siblings, art-world associates and former lovers is that the gorgeous provocateur was consumed with fame, and that everything and everybody was a means to that end.
