126. Bombshell - The Hedy Lamarr Story; movie review

BOMBSHELL - THE HEDY LAMARR STORY
CERT 12A
88 mins
BBFC advice: Contains moderate sex references, nudity

Dogwoof - Britain's documentary distributors are on a roll. Following the engrossing John Curry biopic, The Ice King, come shattering revelations about the actress who played opposite Victor Mature in Samson and Delilah.
It turns out that Hedy Lamarr was an Austrian Jew who escaped the Nazis, went on to be a Hollwyood sex symbol and invented a torpedo frequency system which has been adapted for use in Wifi, GPS and myriad modern scenarios.
I kid you not.
This is one of the most unexpectedly fascinating biopics I have watched - and I have seen a heck of a lot.
Lamarr had often promised to pen an autobiography but never did and it was presumed her secrets died with her in 2000.
But Alexandra Dean has tracked down a Forbes magazine journalist who has brought her story back to life with tapes of an intriguingly frank interview in 1990.
Meanwhile, she has also full co-operation from her children and also those who were close to her.
They provide the narrative to back up the contemporaneous footage and news clippings of the star.
Lamarr's is a story of people refusing to accept a woman whose intellect outweighed her stunning beauty - probably because she was one of the first actresses ever to appear naked in a film (she says she was duped but the Austrian movie Extase hung heavy over her career).
Indeed, it appears that the powers of the day, and particularly studio head Louis B. Mayer wanted to keep her in her place by casting her in roles to suit her looks.
She became increasingly frustrated and ended up being sued several times.
But let me add no more than to say Bombshell is just a flabbergasting story and has many more dimensions that the ones I have listed. The fact that it is true makes it all the more astonishing.
It is also superbly told, chronologically, by Dean and I very much look forward to more of her work.

Reasons to watch: Incredible true story
Reasons to avoid: The sadness at Lemarr's demise

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: Yes
Overall rating: 9/10

Director quote - Alexandra Dean: "I thought – bingo – here is the role model everyone thinks doesn’t exist. And she’s a movie star! I knew it had to be my next project."

The big question: What would the world have made of a young Hedy Lamarr today?

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