The September Issue (2009)

A documentary chronicling Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour's preparations for the 2007 fall-fashion issue.

Director:

R.J. Cutler

Stars:

Hamish Bowles, Sarah Brown, Charles Churchward

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hamish Bowles	...	Himself
Sarah Brown	...	Herself
Charles Churchward	...	Himself (as Charlie Churchward)
Oscar de la Renta	...	Himself
Patrick DeMarchelier	...	Himself
Jill Demling	...	Herself
Edward Enninful	...	Himself
Brian Fee	...	Himself
Filipa Fino	...	Herself
Tom Florio	...	Himself
Jean-Paul Gaultier	...	Himself
Nicolas Ghesquiere	...	Himself
Tonne Goodman	...	Himself
Laurie Jones	...	Herself
Karen Katz	...	Herself

Storyline

The September 2007 issue of Vogue magazine weighed nearly five pounds, and was the single largest issue of a magazine ever published. With unprecedented access, this film tells the story of legendary Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour and her larger-than-life team of editors creating the issue and ruling the world of fashion.

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Plot Keywords:

fashion | month in title

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Taglines:

Fashion is a religion. This is the bible.

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Genres:

Documentary

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [fr]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 August 2009 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Untitled Anna Wintour Documentary

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$220,416 (USA) (28 August 2009)

Gross:

$3,820,700 (USA) (12 February 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

A&E IndieFilms, Actual Reality Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min 90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Sally Singer: [Speaking about Grace Coddington] Grace is without question, the greatest living stylist. There's no one better than Grace. There's no one who can make any photographer take more beautiful, more interesting, more romantic, more just stunningly realized pictures than Grace. There's no one better, period. She comes from the idea that fashion is this world of play and make believe. It's as if someone's gone to the dressing up box and found the most wonderful, personal things, and put them together....

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Connections

Referenced in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Million Dollar Movie Week 5 (2010)

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Soundtracks

"Suffer for Fashion"
Written by Kevin Barnes
Performed by Of Montreal (as of Montreal)
Courtesy of Polyvinyl Record Co.

User Reviews

An elegant, dramatic look at the superficiality of fashion

First, let me tell you that I am a straight man who is not at all interested at fashion. I have never bought a Vogue September issue nor have I ever even bought a fashion magazine. After realizing this movie got great reviews, I decided to see it. The reviews were right and I most certainly was not disappointed. The September Issue is the rare kind of movie that is a combination of documentary with a message and elegance.

Many people know about Anna Wintour. If you seen The Devil Wears Prada, you'll know that she is pure evil. Although there may be some truth to this statement, this movie paints her in a different light. The movie opens with her explaining that people who wear high fashion should not be made fun of just because they were haute couture. Wintour is looked at as more of a person with morals who gets what she wants because she often is right and does what is best for the magazine. She doesn't strive to be mean, she does it for the magazine.

The star of the movie is not Wintour. It's actually the creative director, Grace Coddington. Coddington is not nearly as likable as Wintour ironically, but she is central to the movie and the reason it is so good. The movie's message is about how the fashion world is so superficial and perfect. Towards the end, the cameraman for the movie is used in a photograph, however, he is just an average person who is slightly overweight. Coddington urges people not to touch the picture up. She says "Nobody is perfect, but models are." This is the movie's central idea.

Another reason I really enjoyed the movie is that it really does have some great film-making. R.J. Cutler really does have some nice shots including my favorite of a couple kissing in front of the Eiffel Tower. It has nothing to do with the movie and yet it is such a moving shot. There are quite a few establishing shots similar to this in the movie and these little things are the icing on the cake.

You don't have to be a fashion lover to love this movie. You don't have to be a subscriber to Vogue. You don't have to be a woman. Whatever your preconceptions about this were, ignore them. This a movie for anybody that should be seen by everybody. The September Issue opens wide this weekend so make use of it and go see it.