Title: Doc Filmmaker R.J. Cutler Feels Martha Stewart’s Heat Over Netflix Production
Key Takeaways:
– Martha Stewart expressed displeasure over the way she’s portrayed in a new Netflix documentary by R.J. Cutler.
– Stewart criticized Cutler for focusing too much on her 2004 trial and suggesting she has poor health.
– Cutler defended his film saying it’s a portrayal of a complex and brilliant character, not a Wikipedia page.
– Stewart had wanted either Dr. Dre or Snoop Dogg to score the film, which Cutler did not follow.
When a director makes a documentary on a living person, it’s common to hope for their approval. It not only creates good publicity but also makes you feel like you’ve done a good job. Unfortunately, filmmaker R.J. Cutler has been unable to secure that approval stamp from Martha Stewart, the subject of his latest documentary. In fact, he might have stirred up some negative sentiments.
Martha Stewart, the famous television host and businesswoman, didn’t react too well to the documentary. She did acknowledge that she liked the first segment, but the rest of the documentary didn’t sit well with her. The main issue? She didn’t appreciate Cutler’s use of material in creating her storyline.
According to Stewart, Cutler was given full access yet barely scratched the surface of her life’s story. Tossing out many of her enjoyable anecdotes, Cutler instead focused heavily on her 2004 trial for a stock trading scandal. The event led to her five-month term in prison. But in Stewart’s eyes, this was not a defining moment. She viewed the trial itself as a mundane event, so much that even the presiding judge fell asleep. This part, surprisingly, didn’t make it to the film.
Misleading scenes, portrayed Stewart in a negative light is another gripe she has with Cutler. According to her, scenes showing her hunched over in a garden were manipulated to suggest that she’s in a dire state of health at 83 years old. She insists she was suffering from a damaged Achilles’ tendon and is not in any form of apparent frailty. Her request to remove those scenes was denied, which stirred up more discontent.
Despite Stewart’s complaints, it was ultimately Cutler’s film. The final cut and editing decisions rested with him, regardless of the well-known subject’s prominence. From Cutler’s perspective, the documentary was not a factual Wikipedia page but a filmography that told the story of a fascinating, visionary and brilliant human being – Martha Stewart.
At any rate, there’s an added twist to the tale. Martha Stewart harboured an unfulfilled wish for her friends Dr. Dre or Snoop Dogg to score the film. Imagine that, Snoop or Dre on the score for a documentary about a homestyle cooking and living diva!
But all said, at the end of the day, it’s the director’s cut. The filmmaker has the final say in the narrative of the documentary. This situation highlights the complexity and delicate nature of making films about living subjects. What do you think? Should Cutler have taken Stewart’s suggestions more seriously or were his decisions justified as the film’s creator?
Regardless of your stand, one thing is clear: the documentary will certainly have viewers talking and speculating about Martha Stewart’s extraordinary life.
