Fashion model turned war photographer Lee Miller (1907-1977) lived an incredible, at times tragic, life. Lee, a biopic about Miller starring award-winning actor Kate Winslet, has mirrored the eponymous artist’s life insofar as it too has experienced its ups and downs. Finally, after nearly a decade, a trailer has arrived and the movie is coming to theaters.
Although Lee has already made some appearances at various film festivals, it has yet to make its theatrical debut for the wider public. The long-awaited trailer, seen below, reveals that photography enthusiasts can see Winslet’s take on Lee Miller on September 27, 2024.
Although Winslet is the star thanks to her turn as the late Miller, the movie features other big Hollywood names, including Alexander Skarsgård as Miller’s second husband, Roland Penrose, and Josh O’Connor as their son, Antony, who is himself a photographer and the director of the Lee Miller Archive and Penrose Collection at the family’s former home, Farley Farm House.
The movie is based on Antony Penrose’s book, The Lives of Lee Miller, which is part photo essay and part biography of his mother.
The movie also stars well-known names like Andy Samberg as David E. Scherman, Andrea Riseborough as Audrey Withers, and Marion Cotillard as Solange D’Ayen. Miller crossed paths with famous artists Man Ray and Pablo Picasso, both of whom are represented in the film, as well.
Lee is directed by Ellen Kuras, making her directorial debut, and written by Liz Hannah, Marion Hume, and John Collee. The cinematographer is Pawel Edelman.
The film has earned positive reviews at its film festival appearances thus far, with numerous reviews lauding Winslet for her performance as Miller.
It is an excellent time to be a photography enthusiast and film fan, as on top of Lee arriving on the silver screen this September, another big Hollywood film, Civil War, also turns the cinema lens toward photojournalism and is in theaters now.
Although, unlike Civil War, which is thankfully fictional given its dystopian tilt, Lee is very much about an actual photographer who did extraordinary things. Lee Miller was a powerful, talented woman in an era where women had to fight tooth and nail to get any opportunities behind a camera.
PetaPixel looked back at Miller’s work last year when Lee made its appearance at the Toronto Film Festival. September 27 is a date worth circling for fans of photography, history, or powerful women like Lee Miller and Kate Winslet.
Image credits: Still frame from Lee, courtesy of Roadside Attractions and Vertical