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IMDb > Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006)
Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus
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Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006) More at IMDbPro »

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Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006) -- Turning her back on her wealthy, established family, Diane Arbus (Kidman) falls in with Lionel Sweeney (Downey Jr.), an enigmatic mentor who introduces Arbus to the marginalized people who help her become one of the most revered photographers of the twent
Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006) -- CineMagia.ro - Trailer (Flash)

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Overview

User Rating:
6.2/10   5,744 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 2% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers (WGA):
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View company contact information for Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
20 October 2006 (Italy) more
Plot:
Turning her back on her wealthy, established family, Diane Arbus falls in love with Lionel Sweeney, an enigmatic mentor who introduces Arbus to the marginalized people who help her become one of the most revered photographers of the twentieth century. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
1 win more
User Reviews:
Fur - A Shaggy Romantic Fantasy more (83 total)
US TV Schedule:

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Nicole Kidman ... Diane Arbus

Robert Downey Jr. ... Lionel Sweeney

Ty Burrell ... Allan Arbus
Harris Yulin ... David Nemerov

Jane Alexander ... Gertrude Nemerov

Emmy Clarke ... Grace Arbus
Genevieve McCarthy ... Sophie Arbus

Boris McGiver ... Jack Henry
Marceline Hugot ... Tippa Henry
Mary Duffy ... Althea
Emily Bergl ... Allan's New Assistant

Lynn-Marie Stetson ... Fiona (Naked Girl) (as Lynn Marie Stetson)
Gwendolyn Bucci ... Dominatrix

Christina Rouner ... Lois

Matt Servitto ... Handsome Client
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Fur (USA) (working title)
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MPAA:
Rated R for graphic nudity, some sexuality and language.
Runtime:
122 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
MGM optioned the biography upon which this film is based ("Arbus") in 1984 as a possible starring vehicle for Diane Keaton. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: Towards the end of the movie, Lionel is shown beginning to blow up the canvas raft. He later explains that it is for Diane when he takes his final swim. Someone suffering from such extremely low lung function that he will only live a few months would never be able to inflate a raft that size. more
Quotes:
Diane Arbus: Why isn't she your girlfriend?
Lionel Sweeney: She doesn't touch me.
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Soundtrack:
All Over more

FAQ

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52 out of 83 people found the following review useful.
Fur - A Shaggy Romantic Fantasy, 20 January 2007
1/10
Author: Mrs_Mills from United States

In order to enjoy 'Fur - An imaginary portrait of Diane Arbus,' Stephen Shainberg needs the viewer to suspend all reality and prior knowledge of the American photographer, Diane Arbus. Paradoxically, it's the very use of Diane Arbus' name and knowledge to her life and work, that sets this film up to fail on a grand scale.

What becomes apparent quite early on with the casting of the beautiful WASPish and glamorous Nicole Kidman as the anti-glamorous Jewish Diane Arbus, is that Shainberg didn't get Arbus or what her work was about (unsentimental realism) and seems only attracted to Arbus on a superficial level through her photographs of circus freaks.

What follows is a kind of pretty and trivial Beauty & the Beast fantasy biopic with Robert Downey JR as Kidman's hairy fictional love interest. However, it's not the banality of the story that is the main flaw in this film, but the director's misogynistic stance that Diane Arbus, one of the art world's most singular and original woman photographers, was incapable of forming her own ideas about her work. While his previous film 'Secretary' was a study of female masochism, his continued portrayal of the female as submissive spoils this film completely - and flys in the face of the real life Diane Arbus' courage, tenacity and fearlessness in single-handedly exploring the often shady world of outsiders.

Imagine an imaginary biopic on pop star Madonna's life with Guy Richie as her Svengali, the man behind her career, and you'll get a feel of how seriously flawed and imaginary this film is: It can only work if you have absolutely no knowledge of the subject, or just choose to ignore all the facts.

It's a shame because once you remove all reference to Diane Arbus, this film could have stood up on its own as an interesting study on fetishism and a good companion piece to Secretary. 4/10

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Describe Downey's Performance In One Word... DirectorOfActors
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Style over substance... hannahp1
Repressed sexuality? caitlinette
Maybe I don't understand but - The-Thane-of-Fife
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