Documentaries about specific people are made either because
the people are interesting or because the people have enough money to have a
documentary made about them, or a winning combination of the two.
Iris, the eponymous
film regaling the life of designer, stylist and nonagenarian Renaissance woman
Iris Apfel, is without a doubt in the first field. A charming if not
sympathetic tone give the 2014 film an unspoken “thumbs up”; we aren’t watching
with one eye squinted, waiting for a cut scene to a hospital ward, or a fade to
black after an ominous coughing fit. Instead, we follow Apfel – who is relatively
spritely and unparalleled in wit – around her house, through her exhibitions,
at her “work”. She is fawned over like, well, a favourite aunt or a puppy, when
in fact she should be revered and held up high like a pharaoh or… a puppy.
The late Albert Maysles (Gimme
Shelter and Grey fuckin’ Gardens) does an exquisite job of not
sugar-coating Iris and her cute as a button husband Carl’s slowing down of
life, and part of this is because Iris and Carl aren’t stupid to think that
they are young turks about town any more – there is a mutual understanding that
this is a retrospective of Iris’ life, not an introduction of what is soon to
be a glittering career. Another reason is that Maysles himself was 87 when
directing this and so he too knew the ways of Apfel’s world. The pace of this
film is gentle: you’re not being made to deep-throat someone’s existence (Exit Through the Gift Shop felt a bit
like that at parts, however that was possibly due to its odious subject matter),
but you can enjoy it all the same. You won’t be pumped afterwards, but you’ll
be satisfied that when we get to the fine age of 93, we can still look fly and
spit game like a true queen.
In comparison, Under The Influence could be described as what the film industry would call a 'vanity project': a medium that propels the star to a higher level within their field. Tammy, O Brother Where Art Thou?, Alpha Dog: films that create an environment for growth. The thing is Keith Richards doesn't need that. As far as hierarchies go, he can't go any further; Keith is king and he knows this. I've seen the Stones live and I don't think he approached Morgan Neville to make a doc about his life - he enjoys it too much. Although if are going to approach someone to make a documentary about music, Neville probably should be high up on your list. So why was this created? Simple. Netflix are opportunists, and know a cash cow when they see it.
Their recent acquisition of the Marvel Defenders franchise and the rights to produce brand new Peewee Herman specials illustrate their keen eye for a trend (even if it is due to a woeful enjoyment of ironic participation) and so when the world seems to need a rockstar, Netflix are the only team on hand to pipe a shoot-by-numbers feature film into your house for a reasonable £5.99 a month.
Iris, on the other hand, was a piece of cinema. Maysles saw a beautiful subject and wrote a love letter to it- Apfel's life and indeed this movie proved that she did not need a vanity project. This film was created purely to let others know about this incredible woman and what she has given, before it was too late to shower her with the praise she has deserved over near century on this earth.
Both of these films were genuinely good, but you can get a dose of Keith Richards every day of the week (my personal favourite is his interview with The Times’ Caitlin Moran). Watch Iris and see a one-off, in every sense of the phrase.
Films of the week: Iris; Keith Richards: Under The Influence
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