Life
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Life

As a photographer himself, who better than Anton Corbijin to tell the story behind the iconic photo of James Dean in Times Square? Well… maybe someone who’s not a photographer? There’s a lot to enjoy in Life – especially the performances – but it’s hard not to come away from this feeling like it flatters the (usually ignored) man behind the camera at the expense of his subject.
It’s 1955, and Denis Stock (Robert Patterson) is shuffling around the fringes of Hollywood taking publicity shots when he meets up-and-coming actor James Dean (Dane De Haan). Convinced the soft-spoken introvert has something special, Stock manages to arrange a deal with Life whereby he’ll take photos of Dean in the lead-up to his first film East of Eden. Only problem is, that involves a trip to New York and there’s hardly any time to plan. It’s a pretty thin dramatic hook, but that’s not what this film is about. While it carefully re-creates the backdrop behind many of the Life photos (the originals of which are shown over the end credits), the real story here is the growing friendship between the men, with Dean the more open and honest of the two while Stock is more about exploiting what they have together to help make his career.
It’s flattering to Stock – he’s basically the one being pursued in the relationship – and while Dean here is all broken up about the demise of a hetero relationship, his long rumoured gay leanings are hardly erased by De Haan’s sensual performance. Together with Patterson, who’s an occasionally angry and self-centred man on the make is just as convincing, they make this more than just a well-crafted but dry re-enactment – you might even say they bring Dean’s legend to life.
Reviewed by Anthony Morris