'Who are you, Polly Maggoo' -William Klein's commentary on the fashion world
The 1996 movie by William Klein, a post-war big name in photography debuted in cinematography with this beautiful feature film. ‘Who are you, Polly Maggoo' is a beautiful French New Wave film about an American model in Paris in the 60s. With styling and shots that pay homage to Klein’s photography roots (in fact this movie was specifically inspired by his time working at Vogue), the film is a critique of the modeling industry and more broadly, celebrity culture.
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The Movie follows Polly Maggoo (played by Dorothy McGowan), beginning with a fashion show in a flintstone-esque cave with metal sheets being screwed directly around the models and being declared as the height of fashion. A series of overlapping and increasingly confusing plot lines follow, with the main ones being some reporters trying to show who Polly ‘really’ is (hence the title), and a prince becoming infatuated with Polly to eventually whisk her away. Both continue to have great cultural significance.
The first subplot is a clear and in your face exploration of celebrity culture. As Polly fluctuates between one and another persona fully tailored to her audience or possibly her authentic self, we the audience are lost in guessing which, if any of her profiles are truly her. Taking direction perfectly, and seemingly becoming whatever the film crew asks for, any vulnerability is lost in her continuous performance.
The second main subplot touches on this inauthenticity too. The prince falls in love with Polly before ever meeting her, and while the shots of them together (particularly the wedding) would seem most desirable situations to their audience, this part of the film is hazy, with cuts forwards and backwards in time and the camera no longer following a set story arc. Desirability renders Polly passive and she is the object of an admirer’s attention, just as in her job she is the object of her audience’s attention.
‘What’s new Polly Maggoo’ is at the same time a great critique of the fashion industry, beauty and celebrity culture from a man who spent his life immersed in it, and the most beautiful critique I have ever seen. Watching it was 2 hours of confusion, awe and more confusion in the best way (what French New Wave was intended for at its best I think). Highly recommend!
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