Scatter My Ashes At Bergdorf's
Starring: William Fichtner (Narrator)
Director: Matthew Miele
Rating: 3.5/5
There is a fantastic selection of documentary films on the programme at the UK Jewish Film Festival, and Scatter My Ashes At Bergdorf's is one of the films that audiences are going to be able to check out.
The movie sees Matthew Miele return to the director's chair for the fourth film of his career and the second documentary; the movie comes three years after he made his documentary debut with Symphony for a Suicide.
With a designer list including Marc Jacobs, Karl Lagerfeld, Manola Blahnik and Giorgio Armani, plus the sardonic Joan Rivers, who could fail to fall for the urge to go shopping, or window shopping!
This is the ‘Bergdorf Goodman show’ - exploring the celebrity and glamour that’s the much loved luxury goods department store on Fifth Avenue, New York, founded in 1899 by Herman Bergdorf.
It features in many films (How to Marry a Millionaire, That Touch of Mink, Arthur) and now has a film of its own. This stylish documentary speaks to the heart of every fashion devotee - a feast for the eyes and a somewhat tantalizing look at the high couture world of fashionistas.
If you are a fan of fashion then this movie is an absolutely must as this film takes you behind the curtain of this world famous store in New York.
And even if you are not a fashion fan, this is a compelling watch from start to finish.
We have been treated to a string of great documentaries in 2013, and this is another film in this genre that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Of course, there is nothing dramatic about this film, but it is interesting to hear why this store is so important to designers and to the people who shop there; there is nothing more entertaining that a great anecdote.
The celeb line-up for this is impressive as the likes of Karl Lagerfeld, Giorgio Armani, Oscar de la Renta, Marc Jacobs all contribute to Miele's film.
Miele has tried to put a narrative in the documentary so it is not just about why a bunch of people like a department store. The movie focuses in on Hoey, who is trying to plan the 2011 holiday windows.
This narrative does give you a behind the scenes look into the working of the store and the care and attention that goes into giving off the right impression.
Scatter My Ashes At Bergdorf's is not a documentary that you desperately have to see, but it is one that is fascinating watching none-the-less.
The UK Jewish Film Festival runs 30th October - 17th November.