The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Review
LEE MILLER: A LIFE ON THE FRONT LINE
BBC Two, 10.30pm
When a reporter called socialite Elizabeth Miller “one of the most photographed girls in Manhattan”, she retorted: “I’d rather take a picture than be one.” The multifaceted “Lee” Miller went on to become one of the most remarkable figures of the 20th century, yet her story isn’t very widely known. And she only returned to the public consciousness after her son, Antony Penrose, discovered boxes of her photographs in the attic after her death in 1970.
“It’s very hard for women today to understand the degree of risks that she took,” says Jesse Mann, daughter of the photographer Sally Mann, in this excellent documentary which puts into context her fascinating life. Miller’s modelling career began with a narrowly avoided car crash, when she was saved by Condé Nast himself. Moving to Paris, she became lover, muse and apprentice to surrealist photographer Man Ray, and sat for Picasso. After becoming a photographer herself, she embarked on a career in photojournalism, capturing shocking images of the war and of Nazi camps. But the trauma took its toll, and she retreated, struggled with addiction, became a gourmet cook and was investigated on suspicion of being a Soviet spy. Michael Hogan
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Battle of Britain (1969) Second World War drama starring Laurence Olivier. Includes FYI Daily (AD) (S)
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The Untouchables (1987) Thriller starring Kevin Costner, Sean Connery and Robert De Niro. Includes FYI Daily (S)
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