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Monday, March 03, 2008

 
Fur


We rented Fur from Netflix the other night. As the title suggests, Fur is an imaginary portrait of the late photographer Diane Arbus, wife of Allan Arbus, and probably best known (by me, anyway) for her photographic series on circus freaks. The movie takes place in 1958, a year before Diane and Allan Arbus separated in real life. In the movie, Diane falls in love with her upstairs neighbor Lionel, who suffers from hypertrichosis (werewolf syndrome). During their affair, Diane is introduced to Lionel's friends, who we recognize as some of the subjects of Arbus's circus freak portraits.

The movie is fiction, but it still gives an interesting portrayal of both Arbuses. My favorite scene is when Allan Arbus, suspecting and jealous of the affair, grows a full, unkempt beard in an attempt to win back his wife's attention. Nicole Kidman plays Diane, but she is almost unrecognizable, and by the end of the movie I had nearly forgotten it was her. I really enjoyed the movie, but if you are looking for a factual documentary about Diane Arbus's life (like Bob was), then rent something else.

Comments:
Apropos of Mr. Arbus: I am participating in my company's Beard Growing Contest. 15 days of unregulated growth. Friday's the finals - I think I may have a shot at victory!
 
Good God. Please send pictures! I promise not to post them.
 
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