Nominated for Best British Film at this weekend’s BAFTA Awards, Lee is a moving biographical war drama that tells the remarkable story of World War II correspondent Lee Miller. Played with care and depth by the always phenomenal Kate Winslet (also a producer on the film), Miller captured some of the most critical moments of the 20th century with a keen eye for humanity and truth. The former fashion model doggedly pursued a position on the frontlines and, defying the regulations and misogynistic traditions of the press and the military complex, brought the world unforgettable reports from The Blitz, the Normandy landings, the Liberation of Paris, and the horrors of Buchenwald and Dachau. She is perhaps most well-known for documenting Hitler’s Berlin apartment after the fall of the Third Reich, taking a memorable photo of herself washing the grime of war off in the Führer’s bath.
Lee’s journey to the big screen took eight lengthy years, primarily due to difficulties securing consistent funding. Throughout it all, the creative team behind the biopic remained committed to bringing the trailblazing photojournalist’s experiences back into public consciousness, but what kept them going? Their drive to showcase Miller’s unvarnished eyewitness accounts isn’t particularly hard to understand, particularly given the constant contemporary attacks on our current fourth and fifth estates. The need for independent journalists who can be relied upon to not play fast and loose with the truth might be more essential than ever. Lee looks to the not-to-distant past to provide audiences with lessons we’d be wise to learn and remember, while simultaneously showcasing a woman whose singular accomplishments should be more widely known and appreciated.
That Shelf sat down with Lee director Ellen Kuras and producer Kate Solomon after the film’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival to discuss those very topics. Learn more about what makes Miller’s life so compelling and why her life story resonated so strongly with both women:
Lee is available to stream on Prime Video and to rent/buy on VOD.
