Winslet continued: “And quite soon after that, I saw the wonderful Anna at an event in New York, and she said, ‘I hear you’re making a Lee Miller film.’ I kept thinking, oh, is it really going to happen? Now Anna’s asked me and I’m going to have to do it.” The room erupted with laughter.
“This film was remarkable for me, because I endlessly called in favours and just rang around and asked people to show up,” Winslet continued. “And they did. This cast showed up, they keep showing up for me and so many of our crew did the same. Michael O’Connor, our brilliant costume designer, is here. I’ve known him since I was 22 years old. Gemma Jackson, our brilliant designer I’ve known since I was 25. And so this film is really built on great relationships, both old and new. My new relationship with Kate Solomon, my producing partner, who really got this over the line. Thank you, Kate, for absolutely everything. And Antony Penrose and everyone at Farleys, your love and trust has been a beacon of light for me. So, thank you for being here. I really hope you enjoy the film.”
Finally the lights dimmed, and Lee took the audience through the different chapters of her extraordinary life: her time living in France; meeting Scherman from Life magazine, who would go on to become a great friend; the treacherous days and nights spent in war zones; her journey into the harrowing Dachau concentration camp, as well as the later stages of her life at Farleys, Miller’s family home near Lewes. We learn that Miller was fiery, clever, determined – but she was also troubled, grappling with alcohol and drug use and childhood trauma – something Winslet articulates with care. When asked about capturing Miller’s nuanced character at this specific stage of her life in an interview in the October 2023 issue of Vogue, she remarked: “I’ve been through a lot, so there are corridors of emotions I can access that I simply didn’t have when I was younger.”
The film captures the horrors that Miller endured, but offers moments of levity, too – such as an introduction to British Vogue’s wartime editor, Audrey Withers, in Vogue House. “Don’t be so territorial, Audrey,” says legendary fashion photographer Cecil Beaton over a spread of magazine pages. “Don’t you mean editorial?” Withers replied, garnering chuckles from the current Vogue editors in attendance at the screening. Overall, Lee is a captivating portrait of a woman who was committed to telling the truth, regardless of the personal cost, who went on to have a profound impact on photojournalism.
Step inside the special screening, below.
Lee is available to watch now on Sky and NOW in the UK
