Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge
By Jennifer Green,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Fashion icon perseveres in engaging docu with mature themes.
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Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge
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What's the Story?
DIANE VON FURSTENBERG: WOMAN IN CHARGE covers the iconic fashion designer's life and career. The film pulls together details from von Furstenberg's very public life with clips from a series of interviews with her and a handful of family members, colleagues, and friends. Speaking to her extraordinary life as the daughter of a Holocaust survivor who married a prince and became a world-renowned one-woman brand, many of the people interviewed are celebrities and well-known public figures themselves.
Is It Any Good?
This intimate and engaging documentary does justice to the fascinating way the fashion designer's life has paralleled many of the biggest global events and social changes of the last 75 years. Yet, as Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge demonstrates, this is also a story about a woman ahead of her time. The documentary's keen interviewers allow von Furstenberg, with additions from friends, family, and admirers, to provide firsthand accounts of her story, including the moment she realized how essential her mother's survival of the Holocaust was to her own life. She reveals her feelings about the men in her past, her shortcomings as a parent, her professional highs and lows, and her notoriously uninhibited sex life (she even dishes on some of her starry affairs).
Sure, she lets the camera follow her into the bathroom and sit with her at her planned gravesite, but the real intimacy comes from her willingness to answer probing questions and reflect honestly on her life. That alone makes this a worthwhile documentary, but the filmmakers have additionally edited their footage with great confidence, weaving in photos from her family albums, interviews with celebrities, and footage of events from her long life and career. Sections are set apart using quotes from the woman in charge herself, illustrated with bright, collage-style graphics. This film has few dull moments, much like von Furstenberg's full life.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the title of the documentary Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge, as well as the intertitles, or section names, which repeat things Diane herself says. What themes did you detect in the highlighted quotes? What other expressions or mottos did you take away from this film?
How did von Furstenberg demonstrate perseverance in her personal and professional lives?
What did you learn about von Furstenberg's earlier life that you might not have known before? Where could you find more information?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: June 25, 2024
- Cast: Diane von Furstenberg , Oprah Winfrey , Hillary Rodham Clinton
- Directors: Trish Dalton , Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
- Inclusion Information: Female directors, Indian/South Asian directors, Female actors, Black actors
- Studio: Hulu
- Genre: Documentary
- Topics: Arts and Dance , Great Girl Role Models , History
- Character Strengths: Perseverance
- Run time: 97 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: June 18, 2024
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