McQueen

Less of a fashion spectacle and more of a tale of the label's namesake himself, McQueen is a riveting story from start to finish. From humble beginnings to the height of success, the documentary delivers a captivating recount of Lee Alexander McQueens foray into fashion. For anyone who goes to see McQueen, they will be thankful that we lived in a time where history can be recorded for review. The documentary uncovers insider footage from the early days at St Martin's design school through to his final showing. A group of individuals who all were involved in McQueens life to some extent it another provide a wholistic and collective view of the troubled artist. The sequential nature of the documentary worked incredibly well and the sensibility of all those interviewed showed that there really was no need to embellish McQueen's life. A film for fashion and art lovers as much as a film for those who seek inspiration every day.

Lee Alexander McQueen was a provocative British fashion designer whose fame rose in the 1990s. This documentary charts the highs and lows of his life.

The series of interviewees covers a wide area of McQueen's life. He had hurdles to pass (he was gay and from a working-class London background) to achieve a success he hadn't foreseen. For much of his successful career, he maintained a modest, average-guy appearance and outlook. His rise, downfall, and early ending are similar to that of another Brit of working-class background: Amy Winehouse whose story was covered in the superb doc "Amy" (2015).

"McQueen" is a rather good film that might have been better. It seems distant at times and goes just barely above the surface when it might have probed more about the man in particular and mental illness in general. Then, there are the fashion shows.

To those of us who are non-fashion aficionados, the level of interest may be limited. The shows and the clothes are deliberately unconventional and shocking - the main claim to fame for McQueen. They were like alternative theatre. The footage exposed in the film certainly is fascinating to a point. The trouble is that they are repetitive. Directors Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui might have found more creative ways to expose the fashion show footage to keep the content interesting.

While the film veers toward a less-than-stellar direction, it is thankfully revived in the last segment around the sad end of McQueen's life. Here, Bonhôte and Ettedgui do a fine job in expressing the grief, loss, reflections, and insights of those left behind. This section makes "McQueen" worthwhile. - dbamateurcritic

Didn't know anything about him or fashion before this. I do now.

Wonderful portrait of a genius that was tortured and insecure at his core. Fantastic visuals and wonderful score. Fab.

For many Alexander McQueen fans, including myself, McQueen's work was more than stunning fashion: it was a powerful statement about rising above abuse, the burdens of beauty, defying gender norms, death, humanity, and empowerment. The filmmakers did a spectacular job of capturing these themes in McQueen's work through interviews and photo/video montages. Every moment of the film is thought provoking. The visuals are haunting. We must treasure this rare look into the private world of fashion's most elusive, misunderstood genius.

The film succeeds most of all by presenting a heartrending timeline of McQueen not only as an infamous designer, but as a person ravaged by the industry. Alexander's life was triumphant and tragic in equal measures; he quite literally lost himself to his genius, pouring so much emotion into the McQueen brand that it became an extension of himself. Ultimately, as the film tells us, fusing his identity with the brand resulted in brilliant, theatrical shows...and the loss of his sanity.

I wish that certain runway shows [namely, the Horn of Plenty] were examined a bit more, but McQueen was such a powerhouse that the film would have spanned 3+ hours if they had discussed all his work in depth. I also wish that we could have heard from Sarah Burton, who now directs the house of McQueen. Despite its small missed opportunities, this film will stick with you long after you've left the theatre.

"Give me time and I'll give you a revolution." Alexander McQueen

Too many films glorify their artists' lives without letting you into the creative process. Not so McQueen. Director Ian Bonhote and writer-director Peter Ettedgui, et al., capture the emerging incandescent genius of Lee Alexander McQueen while getting up close and personal to his inspirations and demons and finally his suicide.

This transfixing documentary shows in beautiful images, including his iconic skull motif, his revolutionary fashion-dramas, with visual designs fit for MOMA, and a robust backstage world of real-life passion and pain fitting for a genius who can barely keep up with his own gifts and those the world bestows on him. In some ways he reminds me of another troubled but gifted artist of the bizarre, Poe.

I saw the exhibit in New York 2010 with my granddaughter, Alexandra, and as splendid as it was, this bio brought me closer to him than the real thing. My reflection is my highest compliment to an artist who may end up like other greats such as Whitney, but whose range of achievements dwarfs even those geniuses.

Sad as McQueen's hanging is, immediately following the death of his beloved mother, perhaps some gifted artists may be fated for as violent an end as their art is passionate. The comfort is in his clothes and their dramatic shows unlike any other in the history of fashion.

"I find beauty in the grotesque, like most artists." McQueen That's history making splendidly chronicled.