We took the New York Times when I was growing up, and the first thing I looked at on Sundays was the Arts & Leisure section. There was almost always a lovely Al Hirschfeld drawing, Broadway people at work or play, in that unmistakable style that matched the art on the sleeve of the cast recording of MY FAIR LADY. I didn't know about the Nina game, but his drawings fluidly and affectionately caught the essence of what was going on. Looking at this documentary, with extensive sequences of Hirschfeld talking, I was not astonished that he looked like one of his own drawings; cartoonists have a habit of doing that. I was just annoyed I couldn't find the Ninas in his eyebrows. That's where they had to be!
The best part of this film is the extensive assortment of Hirschfeld art, from his earliest sculptures, through his watercolors, to his theatrical caricatures, from the 1920s to his latest works. You can see the growing simplicity as he strips away the unnecessary to find the essence of his own art. A rollicking good time and an essential work in understanding show business.
The best part of this film is the extensive assortment of Hirschfeld art, from his earliest sculptures, through his watercolors, to his theatrical caricatures, from the 1920s to his latest works. You can see the growing simplicity as he strips away the unnecessary to find the essence of his own art. A rollicking good time and an essential work in understanding show business.